Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience required
4+ years in government, community engagement, or advocacy
Knowledge of LA County communities, especially East Los Angeles and South Los Angeles, preferred
Fluency in Spanish (verbal, oral, written) required
Strong self-starter with demonstrated leadership skills
Excellent communication, networking, and interpersonal skills
Exceptional organizational abilities with a knack for prioritizing multiple deadlines.
Responsibilities
Drive region-wide initiatives in civic engagement, charter renewal, family leadership, community engagement, and partnerships.
Serve as point of contact with local election officials to manage vote centers.
Lead campaigns to educate and mobilize families for elections.
Facilitate community engagement through events and stakeholder relationships.
Empower families through training in advocacy and community organizing.
Manage and oversee all regional partnership projects and reporting.
Conduct research on community trends to stay informed and enhance support efforts.
Benefits
100% of healthcare premiums covered by employer, dependents at 50% cost
Employer-paid life insurance
401(k) plan with up to 6% match
Generous PTO: 22 holidays, sick leave, and vacation
Flexible spending account and EAP access
Ongoing professional development and coaching support.
Full Job Description
The Advocacy & Community Engagement (ACE) Manager serves as the subject matter expert in advocacy and community engagement efforts for KIPP SoCal schools.
This role drives region-wide initiatives across five focus areas: Civic Engagement, Charter Renewal, Family Leadership, Community Engagement, and Region-wide Partnerships.
The ACE Manager will also take primary ownership and accountability for two of the following areas: Charter Renewal and Family Leadership. The primary ownership areas are reviewed annually in partnership with the Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement and may evolve with the organization's priorities.
Focus Area: Civic Engagement
Serve as the primary point of contact with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to host mobile, flex, and traditional vote centers across our LA County KIPP SoCal school sites.
Recruit, Train, and manage staff volunteers at vote centers by providing clear guidance and day-of support
Lead regional Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts, designing and executing campaigns that educate and mobilize families and staff to participate in local, state, and national elections.
Plan and execute KIPP SoCal's annual National Voter Registration Day initiative, driving high levels of school and community participation.
Design and execute Party at the Poll events to increase vote centers visibility and drive greater community turnout.
Collaborate with partner charter networks and community organizations to co-host candidate forums for school board elections, ensuring families have access to clear, nonpartisan information.
Success Metrics:
1+ vote centers hosted during election years
100+ voter registrations on National Voter Registration Day Event
100+ community attendees at candidate forums
Focus Area: Charter Renewal (Varies by year)
Regularly attend school board meetings to gather insights of Authorizing Boards and the renewal process
Develop and execute charter renewal strategies across school sites in alignment with regional goals
Lead the leadership development of Renewal Working Team (RWT) families, building grassroots power during renewal campaigns and cultivating long term KIPP family advocates.
Facilitate monthly Renewal Working Team Family Meetings, driving progress toward all quantitative advocacy goals. (Ex: 100+ family letters of support, 300+ online petition signatures, 15+ community organizations signed onto the coalition letter of support, identifying and prepping speakers for key meetings etc.)
Upcoming Charter Renewals: 2026-27 (1 school), 2027-28 (5 schools)
Success Metrics:
School going through renewal has a Renewal Working Team consisting of 5+ families, School Leader, and Community School Manager
100+ letters of support are collected per renewal
300+ online petition signatures from families from that school
15+ community organizations sign onto coalition letter of support
20+ speakers are identified, prepared, and confirmed to share testimony at key meetings
Focus Area: Family Leadership
Lead and facilitate the Family Ambassador Coalition, building a structured learning community for family advocates around local issues
Plan and execute quarterly community-building engagement opportunities for Family Ambassador Coalition
Drive ongoing trainings in family engagement and community organizing best practices, continuously strengthening advocacy capacity.
Develop leadership and organizing skills among families, empowering them to advocate for students, schools, and communities.
Spearhead KIPP SoCal's Spring Federal Advocacy Week (Hill Day) delegation, managing the full participant experience from application and travel logistics to briefing materials and on-the-ground advocacy preparation.
Spearhead KIPP SoCal's Day of Action delegation in Sacramento, managing the full participant experience from application and travel logistics to briefing materials and on-the-ground advocacy preparation
Research and identify leadership opportunities for family advocates, attending events and convenings alongside families to provide guidance and representation.
Success Metrics:
Representation from every KIPP SoCal school in the Family Ambassador Coalition (2+ families per school)
Quarterly Family Ambassador Coalition Meetings
2+ community building programs executed per school year
15+ new families prepared and representing KIPP SoCal at Spring Federal Advocacy annually
10+ new families prepared and representing KIPP SoCal at Day of Action in Sacramento annually
Focus Area: Community Engagement
Manage and cultivate relationships with key community stakeholders and partners, including recruiting new organizations that can support students, families, and schools across the region.
Monitor community events and priorities across all KIPP SoCal neighborhoods, attending meetings and events to understand local needs and identify partnership opportunities.
Ensure consistent execution and tracking of all community engagement efforts across the region, maintaining strong stakeholder relationships and alignment with KIPP SoCal's community engagement priorities.
Share community engagement opportunities with school teams through the monthly ACE bulletin.
Represent KIPP SoCal at school board, neighborhood, city, and community organization meetings, events, and galas.
Host community leaders for school tours and on-campus activities.
When needed, support school sites when local organizations are hosting services such as vaccine, dental, and vision clinics.
Success Metrics:
60+ community events attended or represented annually (minimum 3 per school, per school year)
2+ new community organizations engaged per year
2+ school tours or on-campus community leader visits per year
Focus Area: Region-Wide Partnership
Serve as the primary point of contact for all region-wide partnerships.
Maintain strong collaboration with existing partners.
Plan and execute one quarterly region-wide distribution of baby essentials
Complete all required partnership reporting accurately and on time.
Lead, coordinate, and oversee all projects/opportunities offered to our students by the partnership
Identify and pursue new region-wide partnership opportunities aligned with student and family needs.
Share community engagement opportunities with school teams through the monthly ACE bulletin
1+ new region-wide partnerships initiated annually
100% of ACE bulletins are shared with schools on time
Capacity Building & Additional Responsbillities
Serve as subject matter expert for geographic areas where we have KIPP SoCal Schools
Research assigned communities and maintain current knowledge of trends, issues, and opportunities
Identify and cultivate relationships with local non-elected leaders and potential community supporters
Develop and maintain community asset maps and other educational materials for school team use
Identify and share community resources with respective school communities via the ACE Bulletin
Additional Responsbillities
Collaborate with Community School Managers to plan and execute annual Back to School Resource Fairs
Project manage other ACE team events such as the KIPP is Community Voter Registration Event, Vote Centers at school campuses, etc.
You'll Be Qualified If You Have
Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience required
4 or more years of experience with government, community engagement or advocacy work
Knowledge of and existing relationships in LA County Communities, including East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, South Los Angeles, Watts, Huntington Park, South Gate and Compton - highly preferred
Spanish fluency (verbal, oral, written) Required
Self-starter with demonstrated initiative and leadership skills
Excellent verbal & written communication skills; as well as networking & interpersonal skills
Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast paced environment both independently and as part of a team
Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to prioritize effectively and manage multiple priorities and deadlines without losing attention to detail.
Joining KIPP SoCal Means the Following
Working at an organization committed to the hard work necessary to ensure education is for liberation
Spending time with students and families in the best communities of LA, Compton, and San Diego
Support and care from fellow regional team members
Ongoing professional development and coaching from manager
Working with Us Means the Following Perks
The salary for this role ranges from $71,000 - $99,000 per year
100% of healthcare premium costs covered by employer, dependents added at 50% of the cost
Employer-paid KIPP SoCal life insurance
401(k) plan with up to 6% match by KIPP SoCal
Voluntary Benefits (Pet Insurance, Supplemental Life, Accident, Short Term Disability, etc.)
Generous paid time off program includes 22 holidays, sick leave, and vacation
Other great benefits (Flexible spending account, EAP, etc.)
About KIPP SoCal Public Schools
The Knowledge is Power Program, commonly known as KIPP, is a network of free open-enrollment college-preparatory schools in low income communities throughout the United States. KIPP is America's largest network of charter schools. The head offices are in San Francisco, Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
KIPP was founded in 1994 by Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, two Teach For America corps members, influenced by Harriett Ball. KIPP was one of the charter school organizations to help produce the Relay Graduate School of Education for teacher training.
KIPP began in 1994 after co-founders Dave Levin and Mike Feinberg completed their two-year commitment to Teach For America. A year later, they launched a program for fifth graders in a public school in inner-city Houston, Texas. Feinberg developed KIPP Academy Houston into a charter school, while Levin went on to establish KIPP Academy New York in the South Bronx. In February 2018, Feinberg was removed from his position at KIPP due to sexual misconduct allegations involving a KIPP middle school student in the late 1990s and two KIPP employees in the early 2000s. Feinberg denied the accusation by the middle school student, and reached a financial settlement with one of the two KIPP employees.
