About CER

The Center for Education Reform is a national leader in advancing educational opportunity, innovation, freedom, and parent power. For more than three decades, CER has worked at the intersection of policy and practice — advancing laws and ideas that make innovation possible while supporting the people and organizations turning those opportunities into reality for students and families.

This position offers an unusual opportunity to help lead that work at a consequential moment for CER and for American education.

About the Role

The Center for Education Reform is seeking an exceptional, highly organized, mission-driven leader to serve as Director of External Affairs & Chief of Staff, and to be a member of CER’s senior leadership team.

This is a high-trust, high-responsibility role for someone who thrives at the intersection of policy, organizational leadership, external relationships, communications, and execution. The person in this position must be able to see the whole field, manage multiple complex priorities at once, ensure that critical work moves forward with accuracy and urgency, and keep the CEO and leadership team fully informed in real time.

The right candidate will have a deep and abiding belief in CER’s mission to expand educational opportunity, innovation, freedom, and parent power — and will bring the judgment, discipline, work ethic, and leadership necessary to advance that mission every day.

The position reports to the CEO. The Director of External Affairs & Chief of Staff can work from CER’s Washington, DC office or in a hybrid arrangement. Ideally, this person will live in the Washington, DC area and be in the office 1-2 times a week. CER will also consider virtual arrangements for exceptional candidates who reside elsewhere in the Eastern time zone or are willing to work Eastern time zone hours. The estimated travel for this role is 15%.

Key Responsibilities

  • Oversee and support the CEO’s work with external partners related to education policy, innovation, opportunity, and reform.
  • Help coordinate the different parts of CER that develop, respond to, analyze, communicate, or support policy initiatives at the state and federal levels.
  • Maintain a strong working knowledge of laws, policies, legislation, and emerging developments that fall within CER’s areas of focus, and ensure that leadership is quickly alerted to developments that require attention, action, or response.
  • Manage and support the development of CER’s Parent Power Index and related research and policy products, with an exceptional commitment to accuracy, detail, quality control, and timely execution.
  • Serve as a key organizational link between the CEO, senior leadership, staff, external partners, policymakers, program leaders, and other stakeholders.
  • Ensure that the CEO and leadership team receive the information, materials, analysis, follow-up, and support they need — when they need it — rather than after the fact.
  • Help manage major cross-organizational initiatives, ensuring that responsibilities are clear, deadlines are met, important details do not fall through the cracks, and staff are communicating effectively with leadership.
  • Liaise with Yass Prize alumni and Prize program leadership and help ensure that important developments, commitments, opportunities, and concerns are surfaced appropriately.
  • Help organize CER’s participation in conferences, meetings, convenings, and other significant external engagements.
  • Work closely with CER’s communications team to supply policy content, background, ideas, research, messaging, and timely information for external communications.
  • Communicate directly and effectively with outside partners, allies, policymakers, organizations, and other stakeholders on behalf of CER and its leadership.
  • Help translate the CEO’s priorities into coordinated action across the organization and follow through to ensure that those priorities are carried out.

The Person We Are Looking For

This role requires an unusually diligent, focused, organized, and capable person who can manage many moving pieces without losing sight of the larger purpose.

  • Exceptional organizational ability. You can manage multiple significant projects simultaneously, anticipate what is needed next, and maintain command of both details and deadlines.
  • Strong judgment. You know what requires the CEO’s attention, what can be handled independently, and when an issue needs to be elevated quickly.
  • A serious work ethic. This is not a role for someone who waits to be told what to do. The successful candidate takes ownership, follows through, solves problems, and is willing to work hard to get important things done.
  • Mission alignment. You believe deeply in expanding educational opportunity, innovation, parent power, and the ability of educators and entrepreneurs to create better options for students.
  • Leadership ability. You can lead people and projects, hold others accountable appropriately, and help create clarity and momentum across an organization.
  • Excellent communication skills. You write and speak clearly, professionally, persuasively, and with sound judgment.
  • Intellectual curiosity and humility. You learn quickly, welcome guidance and correction, and are able to adjust without defensiveness.
  • Strong interpersonal skills. You are professional, confident, collaborative, and pleasant to work with, even in demanding circumstances.
  • Attention to accuracy. Details matter. Facts matter. Names, numbers, deadlines, policies, and commitments must be right.
  • Commitment and staying power. We are looking for someone who wants to grow in this role and contribute to CER for several years, not someone viewing the position as a brief stop on the way to something else.

Experience

  • 8+ years of relevant experience expected. However, there is no single required career path for this position. In fact, candidates who have worked successfully in several different settings may be especially well suited to the breadth of the role.
  • Relevant experience may include leadership or senior-level work in education policy, public policy, government, nonprofit organizations, advocacy, communications, external affairs, legislative affairs, philanthropy, research, political or public affairs, or mission-driven entrepreneurial organizations.
  • Candidates should have a demonstrated record of increasing responsibility, strong execution, sound judgment, and the ability to operate effectively in fast-moving environments involving multiple constituencies and competing priorities.

Compensation

Compensation is expected to be in the $175,000-$185,000 range, commensurate with experience, plus health and other benefits.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials (in order) in one PDF document:

  • Resume
  • Cover letter detailing your interest in the position, CER’s mission, compensation requirements, and travel availability

Applications should be submitted to Talent Market via this link: talentmarket.org/apply-for-your-dream-job/.

Questions can be directed to Katy Gambella, Director of Outreach at Talent Market, who is managing the search process: [email protected].

There is no application deadline for this position. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This job will remain posted on our site until it is filled.

While we thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, we are only able to contact those to whom we can offer an interview. Only direct applications will be considered. No phone calls, please.

Talent Market, the liberty movement’s talent agency, is a nonprofit that connects liberty-minded professionals with free-market nonprofit jobs at no cost to candidates or organizations. We work with 501(c)(3) organizations that clearly and directly focus on advancing the principles of economic freedom, free enterprise, free trade, free speech, property rights, rule of law, and limited regulation. Visit Talent Market to explore open roles, join our talent network, or work with us on your next hire.