Boston Beyond

Overview of Boston After School & Beyond

Boston After School & Beyond (Boston Beyond) is a nonprofit intermediary founded in 2005 that connects school, after-school, and summer learning so that young people can realize their potential. A local organization with a national reputation, Boston Beyond catalyzes partnerships among the City of Boston, the Boston Public Schools (BPS), local and national funders, researchers, and over 450 after-school and summer programs, serving 25,000 students, to test new ideas and bring successful approaches to scale. 

Young people spend 80% of their waking hours outside of school. The after-school hours and summer months are when  youth can acquire the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to thrive in school, college, work, and life. Boston Beyond has a lean, productive staff focused on designing, managing, and supporting a citywide learning system that draws on the strengths of Boston’s rich and diverse array of programs, in concert with schools, in order to maximize the time spent outside of school. By working with Boston Beyond, programs pursue common goals, implement shared measures, and have a greater impact on closing opportunity and achievement gaps than they would if they worked in isolation.

Responsibilities

The Executive Assistant & Communications Coordinator is the “right hand” to the Executive Director. This is a great entry-level opportunity for someone who is interested in nonprofit administration, public policy, and the intersection of government, schools, philanthropy, and community organizations. We are looking for a candidate with high energy, superb organizational and people skills, and the judgment and time management skills to prioritize a variety of short- and long-term responsibilities. 

Executive Support

• Support the Executive Director in scheduling and preparing meetings, communications, and outreach to stakeholders and staff. 
• Schedule, prepare, and support meetings of the Board of Directors and committees.

Event Management & Logistics 

• Plan and implement Boston Beyond events, including virtual and in-person meetings, trainings, and press conferences. Responsibilities may include managing event budgets and marketing, scheduling key speakers, securing event venues, and coordinating catering, A/V, and  run-of-show for staff and speakers.
• Schedule conference travel for staff and initiative partners as necessary

Marketing & Communications

• Manage Boston Beyond’s website and social media (eg, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) and e-newsletter, including design, content, and copy.
• Support press conferences and media outreach, including drafting advisories and releases, following up with media outlets, and coordinating press conferences.
• Maintain contact and distribution lists.
• Support the grant application and reporting processes.

Office Management

• Serve as the first point of contact for visitors, as well as phone and email inquiries from program partners and caregivers.
• Manage and assist with team tools and equipment, including tech. hard/software, phones, and printers; manage office inventory and occasionally order supplies for partners.
• Support basic human resources functions, including on-boarding new team members.
• Provide general office coordination and support, including maintaining materials and reports, copying, mailing, and errands; organize office expenses and assist in credit card statement reconciliation.

Other Duties & Opportunities

• There will be additional opportunities to take on responsibilities for candidates who excel at the responsibilities listed
• Because Boston Beyond is a small organization, the Executive Assistant & Communications Coordinator will be required to take on other duties as designed

Desired Skills and Attributes

Boston Beyond seeks candidates with the following skills and characteristics:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Judgment and perspective. Understands context, is perceptive, prioritizes work against short- and long-term objectives, and anticipates the implications of actions on stakeholders. Knows when a situation calls for patience or urgency, and is politically savvy 
• Critical and analytical thinking. Develops and considers multiple options and solutions, considering their impact on the organization’s objectives. Enjoys balancing detail with vision and is able to engage diverse stakeholders in different settings on a common goal
• Communication. Communicates in a clear, compelling, and persuasive manner, both in person and in writing. Enjoys meeting with stakeholders
• Collaboration. Experience working effectively with others, including within a team, across an organization, or with partners
• Curiosity, initiative and perseverance. Asks good questions, puts ideas into action and navigates obstacles with an orientation toward results. Willing to seek out and explore new ideas; able to initiate progress on projects independently; willing to cold call a program to discuss collaboration
• Project Management. Devises and applies processes in order to meet objectives, balancing multiple deadlines. Tracks details to inform progress toward objectives; communicates clearly and develops artifacts to share progress with others
• Flexibility and Adaptability. Operates effectively through uncertainty and is able to pivot on priorities when necessary
• Experience in Boston’s youth development and education fields a plus
• Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Office, Google Suite and Zoom
• Familiarity with WordPress, Salesforce, Confluence, and other cloud-based applications a plus

Salary

$45,000 or commensurate with experience.

To Apply

Please send a resume and cover letter to jobs@bostonbeyond.org, with “Executive Assistant & Communications Coordinator” in the subject line. Your cover letter should describe your interest, qualifications, and experience as they relate to this job. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

Boston After School & Beyond is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Overview of Boston After School & Beyond:

Boston After School & Beyond (Boston Beyond) is a nonprofit intermediary founded in 2005 that connects school, after-school, and summer learning so that young people can develop to their full potential. A local organization with a national reputation, Boston Beyond catalyzes partnerships among the City of Boston, the Boston Public Schools (BPS), local and national funders, researchers, and over 450 programs to test new ideas and bring successful approaches to scale. Boston Beyond reached over 25,000 students in 2022.

The time spent outside of school — particularly in after-school and summer programs — represents an opportunity for youth to acquire the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to thrive in school, college, work, and life. Boston Beyond has a lean, productive staff focused on designing, managing, and supporting a citywide learning system that draws on the strengths of Boston’s rich and diverse array of programs, in concert with schools, in order to maximize the time spent outside of school. By working with Boston Beyond, programs pursue common goals, implement shared measures, and have a greater impact on closing opportunity and achievement gaps than they would if they worked in isolation.

Responsibilities:

Boston Beyond’s Measurement & Improvement Coordinators are the primary supports to our network of over 450 after-school and summer programs, particularly in measurement operations (e.g., data collection) and improvement strategies (e.g., data interpretation coaching). This Coordinator will also manage our pilot effort to directly facilitate school partnerships with after-school and summer programs. 

This position is a great opportunity to learn how organizations collect data to take action at the program and policy levels, and to gain experience in influencing strategy for systems change. We are looking for a candidate with initiative, strong people skills, excellent time management, and strategic thinking to serve a growing network of partner organizations. The Measurement & Improvement Coordinator is expected to work closely with Boston Beyond’s other Coordinators, and reports to the Director of Measurement & Improvement.

• Collaborate with program partners to ensure complete and accurate data collection.
• Engage program partners to understand data needs and ensure they administer surveys, receive observations, and complete all data collection.
• Identify ways to improve the data collection process and provide solutions for program partners with issues preventing them from completing data collection.
• Collaborate with the other Measurement & Improvement Coordinators to coordinate a unified, seamless, and positive experience for program partners.
• Enhance program partners’ user experience in our online systems for data collection and data reporting.
• Manage Boston Beyond’s pilot effort to facilitate partnerships between BPS schools and Boston Beyond’s network of after-school and summer programs.
• Research and identify the best process for individual BPS schools to learn about and employ the after-school and summer programs in our network.
• Manage the implementation of this process for network-wide guidance and next steps.
• Assist in creating supporting data systems, such as internal reports or dashboards, or public-facing resources or inventories.
• Assist with improvement strategies, including professional development sessions and data coaching.
• Collaborate with the Measurement & Improvement team on designing and improving data coaching process for program partners.
• Assist program partners in understanding and interpreting data.
• Assist with professional development events provided to program partners.
• Support Boston Beyond’s broader agenda.
• Participate in design, turnout, and implementation of other Boston Beyond events.
• Support measurement and improvement efforts in other Boston Beyond initiatives, including the Summer 5th Quarter of Learning and BoSTEM.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Attributes:

• Bachelor’s degree, or Associate’s degree with at least three years of relevant work experience.
• Initiative. Experience identifying problems and leading implementation of solutions to ultimately improve output.
• Collaboration. Experience working effectively with others, including within a team, across an organization, or with customers. 
• Communication. Communicates in a clear, compelling, and persuasive manner, both in person and in writing. Enjoys meeting with stakeholders.
• Organization. Experience managing multiple simultaneous projects successfully, demonstrating time management skills. 
• Project Management. Devises and applies processes in order to meet objectives, balancing multiple deadlines. Tracks details to inform progress toward objectives; communicates clearly and develops artifacts to share progress with others.
• Experience in a position that required strong interpersonal skills a plus.
• Experience with data collection, data processing, or data analysis a plus. 
• Experience in Boston’s youth development and education fields a plus.

Salary

$45,000 or commensurate with experience.

To Apply

Please email a resume and cover letter to jobs@bostonbeyond.org, with Measurement & Improvement Coordinator in the subject line. Your cover letter should describe your interest, qualifications, and experience as they relate to this job.

Boston After School & Beyond is an Equal Opportunity Employer.