Special Projects Associate, National Marketing & Communications

Job Details

Job Location:   Reading Partners National - Oakland, CA

Position Type:   Part-Time

Salary Range:   $27.65 - $32.53 Hourly

Job Category:   Marketing & Communications

Description

Reading Partners is changing the education landscape. We are a leader in working to solve the literacy crisis in our country by leveraging community volunteers in under-resourced schools. Our diverse and expansive volunteer base provides one-on-one tutoring to students twice weekly, and our program is proven to help children master the reading fundamentals they need to unlock their potential as successful, happy and confident readers in school and in life. Our people are our heartbeat and our greatest resource; we are all passionately rallied around our mission to help children become lifelong learners by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction that works. Join our stellar team leading the charge to deepen our impact and expand our service. Watch this video to learn more about Reading Partners.

This position is remote but requires candidates to reside in one of the following Reading Partners regions: Baltimore, MD, Denver, CO, Charleston, SC, Los Angeles, CA, New York City, NY, North Texas (Dallas and Fort Worth), San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, WA, Twin Cities, MN, Tulsa, OK, and Washington, D.C.

The high level:

The vision of the marketing & communications (M&C) team is to build one of the most admired and magnetic brands in the early reading and service movements in the communities we serve across the US. In order to do so, we aim to attract, engage, and inspire a broad network of supporters to amplify our brand voice and take action to advance our organization’s mission. We build awareness, long-term affinity, and engagement with Reading Partners among a diverse network of supporters and partners and we inspire individuals to take action to ensure that students in all communities develop the reading skills and confidence they need to reach their potential.

The Reading Partners national marketing and communications department serves a national organization reaching 11 different regions, engaging 300+ AmeriCorps members, and thousands of volunteer tutors. 

We are seeking a special projects associate with experience in email and social media marketing with excellent project management skills who can partner with our team to analyze social media data, create and curate content, engage with the Reading Partners’ community, increase engagement, and support the national marketing team in meeting timelines and deliverables. As our organization is rapidly growing and pursuing a bold new strategic plan, the special projects associate will add capacity and expertise to a national marketing & communications department consisting of three full-time staff members and one other part-time, temporary staff member. The position will report directly to the manager of inbound marketing but will also interface with other members of the team. 

What you’ll do:

The special projects associate will support a number of key marketing and communications initiatives including the following. 

• Social mediaSource shareable content and draft sample posts for distribution across Reading Partners’ social media channels, including: Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Draft social media posts across channels using Hootsuite to increase engagement across Reading Partners’ channels using the following cadence:3-5 posts on Facebook per week
• 3-5 posts on Instagram per week
• 3 posts on X per day
• 1-3 posts on LinkedIn per week
• 1 post on TikTok per week
• Draft additional promotional posts on an as-needed basis.
• Analyze social media data using Hootsuite Enterprise to identify opportunities for growth and optimization.Reference monthly data to produce monthly social media reports using a templated format.
• Generate video content 2-4 times per month for TikTok and Instagram that engages audiences and increases brand awareness.“Try on” different trends and look for ways to connect with our current and potential audiences. 
• Develop and execute on video content ideas (leveraging the content collaborators team whenever possible). 
• Find ways to collaborate with other creators inside and outside of the organization (including influencers).
• Support development of social media campaign resources on an as-needed basis. This could include creating branded graphics and sample posts to promote a specific campaign objective. 
• Work with inbound marketing manager to develop occasional blog content.
• EmailSupport with the creation of national messages such as our Literacy Champions Society email, Better Together email, and others that may arise.
• Support with regional message creation, email templates, and other needs that may arise. 
• Project managementSupport the marketing and communications team to meet key objectives and deliverables. On an as-needed basis, take on new projects that may include, but aren’t limited to, coordinating graphic design projects, creating materials for monthly network meetings, ordering collateral, etc.
• Internal newsletterUnder the supervision of the inbound marketing manager, manage the weekly process of generating Newsday, the internal newsletter for staff and AmeriCorps members
• Other duties as needed.

Deliverables:

The associate of special projects will support a number of key marketing and communications initiatives including the following. 

• Support the marketing and communications associate with boosting overall social media engagement and help us reach and exceed our FY25 growth goals: 11,245 followers on national Facebook
• 5,686 followers on national Twitter 
• 20,576 followers on LinkedIn 
• 5,222 followers on national Instagram
• 5,354 total likes on TikTok
• Produce branded email messages that resonate with key audiences within the Act-On marketing automation platform.
• Support the marketing team with project management tasks on an as needed basis to ensure deliverables are met on time.

Resources provided by Reading Partners:

• Reading Partners Style Guide
• Access to all Reading Partners' social media accounts
• Access to social media strategy, best practices, and guidelines
• Access to Act-On marketing automation platform
• Act-On email marketing platform training
• Orientation to the blogging workgroup 

How you’ll do it:

Project management and operations management

• Work with M&C team members and a range of cross-functional teammates to manage projects from conception to timely completion
• Identify and engage with key project contributors on various initiatives.
• Assess existing project processes (where they already exist) and consider innovations and improvements.
• Be proactive in organizing and managing projects and in communicating progress, optimizations, and outcomes.
• Take ownership of projects and lead the thinking regarding key project actions, recommendations, next steps, etc. (be solutions-oriented). 

Communications and Relationship Development

• Work collaboratively with regions and national departments
• Share information succinctly, clearly across a variety of media and with a variety of stakeholders
• Develop and refine clear, effective training sessions highlighting social media campaigns, strategies and priorities

Creativity

• Demonstrate innovative and out-of-the-box thinking.
• Generate and implement ideas to innovate on our current practices.
• Support design/content projects and pull in best practices from other high-impact creative/content ideas you see both inside and outside the organization.

Detail Orientation

• Manage priorities effectively and ensure manager and all project partners are aware of key areas of focus.
• Develop project tracking systems and other processes that are efficient and transparent.
• Deliver projects on-time or be transparent about delays as they arise. 
• Communicate clearly about available hours with all key project partners. 

What we offer:

Reading Partners’ compensation is designed to attract, motivate, engage, and retain top talent to propel our mission forward. We aim to set salaries based on objective, external, high-quality market data. Our salaries are adjusted for candidates in different geographic regions. We do our very best to ensure that we’re bringing our best offer - therefore we do not engage in salary negotiations.

• This is a temporary, part-time, hourly, non-exempt position at 10-20 hours per week 
• The pay range for this position is $27.65 - $32.53 per hour and is contingent on geographic location. After applying, candidates who move forward in the hiring process are provided with the salary for their geographical location.
• Target timing: February 2025 through September 30, 2025

The other things you need to know:

• This role is remote

What’s Next?

If you’re interested in joining our Reading Partners team, please submit the following application materials to our online job posting:

• A cover letter describing your interest in Reading Partners and how your past experience has prepared you for this role. 
• Resume

Qualifications

About you!

You’ll be successful in this role if you:

• Have 1-3 years of relevant experience in communications or marketing
• Have excellent oral and written communication skills with expertise in content creation
• Have strong relationship-building and collaboration skills
• Think proactively and are not afraid to take calculated risks
• Have strong project management experience and time management skills with demonstrated success meeting deadlines
• Have a strong commitment to service and support of all internal teammates and stakeholders
• Are a responsible, flexible, and cooperative team player comfortable working independently and collaboratively to contribute to organizational goals
• Have strong analytical skills and able to develop, manage, execute, and measure programs and be a champion for continuous improvement
• Have an ability to prioritize and manage multiple and sometimes competing tasks
• Are detail-oriented and organized, with excellent follow-up/tracking skills
• Demonstrate a commitment to fostering an inclusive work environment
• Have strong working knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite and are comfortable working with Apple technology, data management systems, Google Apps, Hootsuite, and shared documents
• Hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, preferably with prior academic experience and/or training in marketing, communications, or business field
• Display a deep belief in our mission and root your work in our core values.
• Ability to prove eligibility to work legally in the U.S. and that you are at least 18 years of age.

Bonus Points if you:

• Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or other national service alum/alumna
• Previously worked at Reading Partners who in a role that related to social media and/or email marketing
• Experience creating high-impact collateral, such as infographics, and proficiency in Adobe Indesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator
• Experience working on online campaigns, especially grassroots organizing for nonprofits or foundations
• Have a solid understanding of internet technology and communication 
• Have experience working with AI tools like Chat GPT and other generative AI platforms