Job Opportunities

URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE DIRECTOR | DIRECTOR OF SITE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE DIRECTOR

Job Description and Application Information

The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL) is working with local partners across the country to create new Urban Debate Leagues (UDLs) and to strengthen existing ones. A critical component of these efforts is to select a League Director for each local league. As such, the NAUDL and its partners -- local UDL advisory boards of directors -- are accepting applications for League Director positions in a series of cities: Boston, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, St. Louis, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Job Description

These League Directors will be the principal programmatic and administrative agent of each UDL. They will be responsible for three main areas: The programmatic, developmental, and administrative work of the league.

Programming:
• Undergo and effectively respond to advance and on-going training in the NAUDL Best Practices approach for UDL programmatic development and sustainability;
• Prepare the curriculum for and conduct all trainings for Coaches, Students, Judges, and volunteers in the relevant UDL;
• Provide on-going training, assistance, and support to local UDL Coaches through phone, email, and in-person meetings;
• Conduct approximately three site visits per week at local schools to provide support, modeling, and training to coaches and debaters;
• Complete reporting forms for all site visits, trainings, and tournaments;
• Build engagement, investment, and ownership of teachers, coaches, and school district administrators in the UDL;
• Promote and effect high attendance at trainings, and track participation;
• Establish operational procedures for UDL Tournaments, including for Announcements, Registration, Tab Room, Judge Table, the Awards Ceremony, etc.; and
• Direct the local UDL summer debate institute.

Development:
• Identify, develop relationships with, and activate additional local stakeholders and strategic partner entities to expand the efficacy of the local UDL Advisory Board;
• Help coordinate local UDL events that cultivate local support, raise money, and recruit volunteers;
• Develop promotional materials and opportunities for the relevant UDL; and
• Submit letters, applications, grants, and reports to advance the Advisory Board’s fund-raising objectives.

Administrative:
• Regularly report to the local UDL Advisory Board in both writing and orally, and meet regularly with the local UDL Advisory Board Chair by phone or in person;
• Regularly report to and work cooperatively with the local school district(s) on implementation, and regularly meet by phone or in-person with the school district administrator who supervises the UDL;
• Manage the local UDLs financial records, including of expenses, revenues, deposits, and withdrawals; and
• Track and monitor UDL performance, including the programmatic inputs (student participants, teacher involvement, contact/training hours, debate programming) and outputs (graduation rates, college matriculation, grade-point average, standardized test scores, attendance, and specific performance assessments).

Qualifications

• B.A. or higher degree;
• Ownership of a vehicle and/or willingness to ride public transportation to high schools and other sites;
• Willingness to work evenings/weekends where necessary – total working hours will be 40-50, but hours will not always be “9 to 5”;
• Willingness and ability to be trained in the NAUDL’s Best Practices approach for UDLs and capacity for executing said approach;
• Experience in the non-profit sector, preferably in education;
• Experience in urban education – non-profit, administrative, or classroom – is a plus;
• Experience in current high school cross-examination policy debate is a significant plus;
• Capacity to negotiate effectively with diverse institutions and individuals – e.g. urban school systems, local high school debate leadership, law firms and corporations, local UDL Advisory Board members, and universities; and
• Strong interpersonal, communication and organizational skills.

Additional Information

Compensation will vary by city, and will be commensurate with experience. Benefits will be folded into a single overall compensation figure.

Candidates must currently live in, or be willing to relocate to, the UDL location for which they are applying.

Candidates passing an initial screening will be interviewed by the relevant UDL Advisory Board with support from the NAUDL.

It is the policy of the NAUDL and all of the UDL Advisory Boards to provide employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender (sex) as required by law.

Submit your c.v. and a cover letter, via email and U.S. Mail to:

Anthony Jardina
Executive Assistant, NAUDL
332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60604
(e) jobs@urbandebate.org

Please be sure to specify the city or cities for which you are applying for the League Director post: Boston, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, St. Louis, and/or the San Francisco Bay Area.

Please do not phone regarding this position. Questions may be sent to: jobs@urbandebate.org.

Thank you for your interest.

DIRECTOR OF SITE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

Job Description and Application Information

[Downloadable pdf version]

The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL) is working with local partners across the country to create debate opportunities for urban students by building new Urban Debate Leagues (UDLs) and strengthening existing ones. As we take our proven model to a national scale, expanding to new cities across the country, we must support local UDL champions to develop a strong base of public and private partners. A critical component of these efforts is to provide revenue-side technical assistance to the local leaders of each UDL around the country, including Directors and Advisory Boards.

Job Description

The Director of Site Growth and Development will handle local foundation and corporate relations and marketing functions. This will include generating proposals to local foundations, creating strategies and communications documents to gain investment in UDLs from school districts, and developing efforts to engage corporate partners. The Director of Site Growth and Development will provide technical assistance and support to local sites to ensure that they raise sufficient funding for their growth strategies. Below is an outline of the proposed responsibilities.

Foundation and Corporate Partnerships:
• Work with the NAUDL’s Deputy Director to develop strategies to increase foundation and corporate support for local leagues.
• Lead efforts to research, surface, and inventory prospects and track key information on foundations and corporations (connections, deadlines, etc.).
• Manage efforts to research and conduct due diligence on funders such that grant proposals are appropriate and fully aligned with the funder’s priorities.
• In consultation with the Deputy Director and UDL Directors, draft, finalize, and submit grant and other sponsorship proposals to foundation, corporate, and other funders.
• Attend meetings with foundation staff and prospective supporters, when appropriate and feasible.
• Raise the profile of urban debate as a pipeline program to diversify the workplace, especially the legal profession.

Mailings and Communication:
• Prepare and revise NAUDL public relations and communications materials that highlight local efforts while reinforcing the strength of the brand.
• Deliver tailored communication plans and implementation in each UDL city.
• Contribute to website and newsletter production.
• Utilize batch processing of routine mailings (e-mail and letter personalization, broadcast or specific email letters with HTML formatting, automated thank-yous and receipts, bulk mail reports).
• Implement calibrated approaches to donors (email, events, phone, face to face).
• Conduct research on new potential funders.

Individual Communication, Solicitation, and Recognition:
• Create materials to solicit and orient donors.
• Organize efforts to mobilize city-based groups of volunteer solicitors.
• Work with local UDL Advisory Boards to generate and maintain momentum, host conference calls, have follow up calls, and respond to questions and concerns.
• Ensure major donors receive appropriate recognition, progress updates, phone calls, and paraphernalia.
• Support local management of individual donor portfolios to build strong relationships and maximize renewal and upgrading of donations.

District, City, State, and Federal Government Engagement:
• Produce materials designed to increase district allocation of funds from Title I, Title III, 21st Century Learning Community, Perkins, etc.
• Produce materials designed to increase allocation city and state funds for debate as an afterschool activity.
• Produce materials designed to secure secondary instruction professional and workforce development funds, through state agencies.
• Research and secure dedicated local revenue streams (e.g. tobacco lawsuit settlement monies, narrowly based taxes, etc.).
• Research and help UDLs secure funding from state and local agency budgets.
• Research and pursue federal funding including from Americorps, Department of Education, and Department of Labor funds.
• Produce materials designed to increase the investment of local universities or to gain university volunteers.
• Revise and hone training and technical assistance materials for local Leagues.

Strategic Planning and Research:
• In local geographies, uncover and understand the background and related data about the school reform environment and the trends, opportunities, and challenges impacting the business of building UDLs.
• Work closely with Advisory Boards to create local development goals and strategies, growth plans, and case statements, ensuring that local sites maximize their opportunities and raising sufficient funding for long-term sustainability.
• Regularly assess progress with the development team for each UDL.
• Develop Advisory Boards’ capacity for fundraising through meetings and trainings.

Qualifications
• B.A. or higher degree.
• Experience in the non-profit sector, preferably in education.
• Experience with non-profit fundraising.
• Experience with marketing.
• Experience in urban education – non-profit, administrative, or classroom – is a plus.
• Capacity to negotiate effectively with diverse institutions and individuals (e.g., urban school systems, local high school debate leadership, law firms and corporations, local UDL Advisory Board members, and universities).
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Excellent communication skills: written and oral.
• Demonstrated success in advocacy, customer services, and problem solving.
• Capacity to undertake multiple priorities and projects simultaneously, and a demonstrated ability to execute complex projects and work under tight deadlines.
• Advanced proficiency with personal computers and Microsoft Office products.

Additional Information

Compensation will be commensurate with experience. Benefits will be folded into a single overall compensation figure.

The position will be based at the NAUDL’s office in Chicago.

Candidates passing an initial screening will be interviewed by the NAUDL’s Senior Staff and Board.

It is the policy of the NAUDL to provide employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender (sex) as required by law.