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Communications Coordinator


Communications Coordinator

BEAM is seeking a Communications Coordinator to produce and oversee communications with our donors, supporters, and student and family participants. We are looking for someone who has exceptional writing skills and a good eye for design, who is highly organized and collaborative, and who thrives in a fast-paced environment to join our small (and growing) team.

About BEAM

The mission of BEAM is to help underserved students with talent in math enter a realistic pathway towards becoming scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and programmers. Led by staff with these same technical backgrounds, BEAM believes that pathways to STEM careers are created through access to advanced work that typically lies outside most school curricula. Hence, we work to transition our students to the same enrichment programs as more affluent students typically access.

BEAM's model provides continuous support from middle school through college graduation, including intense academic summer programs for middle school students (after 6th and 7th grade), weekend classes and mentoring, and STEM-focused support to enrolled college students. Our program includes not just access to learning advanced math but also support finding and applying to other opportunities, including college admissions and financial aid. In addition to our academic content, bringing students into an intellectual community is a key part of our mission and all of our work is designed around that goal.

BEAM has grown from a small summer program serving 17 students in the summer of 2011 to a year-round, national program, serving 420+ students in summer 2020 at six program sites and 600+ students in year-round programming in New York City and Los Angeles this school year. In addition, our growing BEAM National program kicks off 2021 with our first ever elementary pilot program, working with schools in California, Michigan, New York, and Tennessee to expand BEAM’s programming and our students’ potential. BEAM's work has been featured in The New York Times [1] and the Atlantic [2]. The Times article, in particular, is a good description of the experience for students. You may also find it helpful to view our website [3] and our most recent annual report [4].

The Role of the Communications Coordinator

The Communications Coordinator will help communicate core messaging and implement data-driven strategies to increase BEAM’s visibility, recognition, and resources, and advance the organization’s mission. The Communications Coordinator will be responsible for developing, writing, and editing materials for our supporters and for our program participants; for managing BEAM’s digital media platforms (website, social media, and newsletter); for capturing and recording key program moments and activities; and for developing and executing communications and fundraising strategies in collaboration with the Advancement and Program teams. A successful candidate will be a problem solver and a strong collaborator who can successfully juggle diverse tasks.

This position reports to the Director of Advancement.

Key Responsibilities

  • In collaboration with Advancement and Program teams, plan, write, and edit print and digital communications and fundraising materials, including newsletters, annual reports, blog posts, one-pagers, flyers, slide decks, social media posts, ads/promotional materials, and more.
  • Plan and maintain communications calendar.
  • Lead conversations with students, staff members, volunteers, and others from the BEAM community to capture their stories and present them with fidelity and respect in our communications.
  • Design materials, or work with a designer, to ensure materials are readable and eye-catching.
  • Manage social media presence, including generating content; managing online reputation; and monitoring and sharing content from peer organizations, media, and thought leaders.
  • Monitor social media interactions and website traffic, analyze user behavior, and adjust strategies to improve outcomes.
  • Maintain website to ensure that it is up to date and user friendly.
  • Work with the Director of Advancement to develop and implement organizational policies regarding BEAM’s communications and social media presence.
  • With the Director of Advancement, review and further develop BEAM’s style guide and support its use across the organization.
  • Monitor press and digital coverage of BEAM’s work and STEM- and educational equity-related issues, and reach out to journalists when appropriate to promote our work.
  • Identify opportunities for publishing research papers, white papers, op-eds, and other media pieces, and assist with research and writing, as needed.
  • Support event planning as needed.
  • Provide general administrative support for the Director of Advancement.
  • Collaborate with the Advancement and Program teams to develop creative ideas for donor/supporter engagement through communications, events, and more.
  • Perform other duties as needed, keeping in mind that BEAM is a small and growing organization where team members often wear multiple hats.

Qualifications

  • 2+ years of communications or equivalent professional experience.
  • Passion for BEAM’s mission and strong interest in being part of a team working to support underserved students and their families.
  • Exceptional writing and editing skills.
  • Experience with/background in racial justice/racial equity issues.
  • Proven ability to compose nuanced stories and present complex data in a manner that is clear, compelling, and accurate.
  • Experience managing social media, with proven success at fostering engagement and increasing followers.
  • Proven ability to organize, prioritize, and meet deadlines while effectively managing multiple projects with creativity and flexibility.
  • Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
  • Highly collaborative with excellent interpersonal skills.
  • Experience with Mailchimp preferred.

Significant pluses may include:

  • Experience with/background in math, STEM, STEM education, and/or educational equity issues.
  • Understanding of graphic design principles and experience with graphic design software, such as InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
  • Experience with digital photography and videography.
  • Working understanding of SEO and SMO strategies.
  • Knowledge of languages commonly spoken by parents of BEAM students (especially Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, French, etc.).
  • Experience with Salesforce.

Commitment to Diversity

BEAM believes that our staff, at all levels and across all roles, should represent the backgrounds of the students we serve. We are committed to creating a supportive and inclusive environment. Beyond a commitment to nondiscrimination, we strongly encourage applications from underrepresented and marginalized communities.

Salary, Benefits and Other Details

The expected salary range for this position is $50,000-$65,000. BEAM provides a number of benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance; 403(b) retirement plan; pre-tax commuter benefits; educational loan repayment assistance; and discounted health club membership.

We provide 8 paid holidays and an additional 15 days of paid time off (which includes both vacation and sick days; we do not distinguish between the two). Paid time off will increase by one day for each year worked for your first five years of employment.

We emphasize flexibility: it is easy to work from home, and many of us shift our work times (doing work earlier or later in the day) to gain flexibility during the day to take extra time for appointments or errands.

The office is currently working remotely due to COVID-19, but we expect the position will be based in our New York City offices. We are also open to the position working out of our Los Angeles offices or a fully remote position for the right candidate.

As an organization, we are dedicated to the growth of our staff members. We will pay for training to supplement your skills when appropriate, and we encourage all of our staff to learn from each other. (We are, after all, an education organization!)

In general, we are all very dedicated but also very relaxed, and we care deeply that the work environment is pleasant for everyone.

The expected start date of this role is June 1, with some flexibility for earlier or later dates.

Application Process

The initial application is to submit your resumé and cover letter via our online portal. When your application is complete, we will follow up with next steps.

We believe in the importance of demonstrated ability and work samples. Approximately 3-4 applicants will be chosen for the second stage, where we will ask you to complete sample projects to show us your work. From there, some applicants will proceed to an interview which will be the final step of the hiring process. We work hard to recognize the time you put into the process and we won't load you down with any unnecessary bureaucracy.

For accommodation requests related to the job application process, please contact Tania Tiburcio, Chief of Staff, tania@beammath.org.

We will accept applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Finally

We believe strongly in communication and collaboration. In the spirit of that collaborative atmosphere, we strongly encourage you to ask questions about the position!

We're very excited that you're interested in the program. Thank you for applying to BEAM.

Sincerely,

The Entire Staff at BEAM


  1. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/nyregion/new-york-math-camp.html
  2. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/03/the-math-revolution/426855/
  3. http://www.beammath.org/
  4. https://www.beammath.org/annual-report

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