OVERVIEW OF THE POSITION

The Vice President of Advocacy will play a leadership role in advancing SCORE’s mission, serving as the strategic leader and architect of SCORE’s advocacy, outreach, communications, and engagement portfolio. Reporting to either SCORE’s President and CEO or Vice President of Strategy, the Vice President will serve as a thought partner to the CEO and the rest of the SCORE leadership team. The Vice President will manage a four-person advocacy team that:

• Focuses on developing and executing advocacy plans and campaigns

• Engages communities and stakeholders across Tennessee including educators, parents,

policymakers, and higher education partners

• Designs and implements strategic communications strategies

ABOUT SCORE

“The progress that our students have made in recent years is inspiring — there is no doubt that they are capable of achieving at high levels and leading Tennessee into a bright future. While education stakeholders are already working together in exciting ways in Tennessee, it is our responsibility to redouble our innovative efforts to ensure that we are supporting our students to truly excel and thrive. The future of our state depends on it.”

— Senator Bill Frist, Chairman and Founder, SCORE

Tennessee has been making significant progress in advancing a bold education reform plan over the last 15 years and has been a leader in the nation in dramatically improving student achievement. Over the last decade, Tennessee has been among the fastest improving states for student achievement, according to the Nation’s Report Card.

While Tennessee has made significant gains, there is much still to do — in public K-12 education, in college and career readiness, and in postsecondary completion. The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) plays a critical role in advancing student achievement, aligning K-12 and postsecondary education, and ensuring that all students can achieve career and life success. We work to inform and improve state education policy, support and invest in innovative education leaders and promising proof points in both K12 and higher education, and monitor progress and data to measure impact and identify challenges for students.

SCORE is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization founded by former US Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and is dedicated to the goal that all students can achieve success in college, career, and life. SCORE supports student success in public schools across Tennessee by ensuring all schools and systems meet high expectations; preparing, recruiting, supporting, and retaining excellent teachers and leaders; and aligning K-12 and college with career and life success.

SCORE is based at Vanderbilt University’s John Seigenthaler Center. This role is eligible for hybrid work with the expectation of 15-20 hours per week in the office and the balance remote. For more information on SCORE, please visit www.tnscore.org

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Specific examples of the work that the Vice President of Advocacy will be responsible for include but are not limited to:

Strategic Advocacy Leadership

• Design, lead, and execute strategic advocacy initiatives for the organization with a specific focus on leveraging advocacy to advance SCORE’s mission and policy goals

• Proactively develop, manage, and execute all advocacy, outreach, engagement, and

communications strategies to deepen SCORE’s impact on improving Tennessee student

achievement and postsecondary success

• Counsel SCORE leadership, strategy team, and partners on political and advocacy implications of policy proposals and organizational activities

• Lead development and execution of SCORE’s statewide and local education advocacy campaigns

• Serve as an advisor to other state advocacy organizations and local advocacy partners

External Relations and Communications

• Maintain, build, and cultivate relationships with partners in the education, business, civil rights, and philanthropic communities, connecting partners across the work on priorities aligned to SCORE’s mission

• In partnership with SCORE’s Vice President of Policy and Government Relations, coordinate

partner organizations — including other education advocacy organizations, educator organizations, and business-focused organizations — to ensure effective, strategic, and aligned advocacy efforts

• Oversee SCORE’s strategic communications efforts, including social media, earned media, and

other organizational communications, ensuring that they are advancing the organization’s mission and priorities

• In partnership with SCORE’s Vice President of Policy and Government Relations, connect

community voices — such as parents, educators, business leaders, and civic leaders — with

policymakers and other statewide and local decision makers

• Design strategy and manage execution of plans to share and distribute SCORE’s research, policy, and advocacy materials to various stakeholders and audiences statewide and nationally

• Give statewide presentations and speeches regularly on issues related to education improvement and SCORE’s work

Team Leadership

• Lead a high-performing advocacy team that embraces and exemplifies SCORE’s core values

• Clearly define roles and responsibilities on the advocacy team and establish and monitor

performance goals to ensure achievement of strategic priorities and mission advancement

• Provide regular and targeted coaching to team members and support professional development

and growth

• Manage external consultants to support SCORE’s advocacy efforts

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience in advocacy, outreach, and campaigns, including experience leading political and issue advocacy campaigns

• Deep understanding of the education field and education policy in particular

• Adeptness at advancing student-focused policy in different political contexts

• Experience in organizational leadership and team management; experience managing, providing feedback to, and supporting diverse teams and individuals 

• Ability to think in innovative ways and communicate and build authentic relationships with a

variety of audiences, including business and civic leaders, policymakers, parent groups, educators, postsecondary leaders, and education policy experts

• Ability to problem-solve in the moment and proactively consult and collaborate with other team members as appropriate

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills

• Demonstrated success in project management with proven experience managing multiple tasks

simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-intensity, and intellectually demanding environment

• Passion for SCORE’s mission, a drive to dramatically improve student achievement in Tennessee, and an understanding of current national, state, and local education issues

• Demonstrated alignment with SCORE’s core values of student-focus, collaboration, optimism,

excellence, and innovation

SCORE focuses on creating a culture of growth through feedback and collaboration as well as various professional development opportunities and support. If your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with the noted aspects of an ideal candidate but you are excited about this role, we encourage you to apply. You may be a great candidate for this or other roles on our team.

COMPENSATION

SCORE offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience.

BENEFITS

SCORE deeply values team members and their well-being and is proud to offer a comprehensive benefits plan. All full-time SCORE employees are eligible for benefits that include:

• Medical insurance: including access to a high-quality network with SCORE paying the full medical premiums for employee-only coverage and 80 percent of premiums for plans covering spouses and/or eligible dependents across all plan options

• Dental insurance options

• Vision insurance options

• Employer-paid disability, life insurance, and EAP benefits

• Access to Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA) for medical and childcare expenses and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) benefits

• Eligibility for participation in a 401(k) program with employer match after 90 days of service

• Paid parental leave time, including paternity, maternity, and adoption leave

• Paid time off:

o Twelve days per year for the first 12 months, 15 days per year after 12 months, 20 days per

year after five years

o Holiday office closures (15 days total in 2023)

o Teamwide mental health (four total in 2023)

o No-meeting days (five total in 2023)

o Paid floating holidays (three per calendar year, prorated for new hires depending on start

date)

• Free on-site parking

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

SCORE’s mission is to drive transformative change in education so that all Tennessee students can achieve success in college, career, and life. From its founding in 2009, SCORE has been grounded in the belief that diverse perspectives are required to identify solutions that will best serve Tennessee students, so we seek to bring as many viewpoints as possible into our daily work and live out collaboration as a core value.

Within our organization, we believe it is important for our team to reflect the rich diversity of Tennesseans and Tennessee students, and we aspire for our team to understand varied viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds. We strive to build an inclusive organization where each team member feels respected and supported, knowing that when team members are empowered to use their individual gifts, we become more effective in advancing our mission.

SCORE is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for all roles without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristic or status.