Project Director Of Events & Engagement

About Digital Promise Global
Digital Promise Global is an independent, bipartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to spur innovation to advance equity and improve the opportunity to learn. Positioned at the intersection of educators, entrepreneurs, and researchers, Digital Promise Global identifies, develops, and promotes strategies to improve education and provide people with the knowledge and skills needed to compete in the global economy. Digital Promise centers our work on equity and values and rewards inclusivity, collaboration, and innovation.
About The Position
Millions of students nationwide lack access to technology and the skills they need to succeed in the digital world. Since 2012, Verizon has been working to help solve this problem through a transformative program called Verizon Innovative Learning. Digital Promise collaborates with Verizon to equip middle and high school teachers and students across America with technology, access, teacher professional development, and technical support, as well as the opportunity to engage in a unique, immersive curriculum to leverage technology in their classrooms.
The Verizon Innovative Learning Schools (VILS) Project Director, Events & Engagement is a member of the Digital Equity team and works closely with the Director, Operations, Deputy Directors and Chief Digital Equity Officer to support programmatic events and engagement strategies aimed at increasing awareness of and participation in the initiative, both internally and externally.
Events: Manage and execute logistics planning for multiple virtual and in-person events each year
Engagement: Develop and execute internal and external engagement systems and strategies that increase awareness and action, specifically the focused on thought leadership reputation, recruitment, relationship-building and participant engagement
The VILS Project Director, Events and Engagement works collaboratively across all VILS departments, as well as with the Communications team at Digital Promise and counterparts at Verizon.
The Project Director, Events & Engagement has a critical role in ensuring past, current, and future program participants, and the K-12 space in general, are aware, informed, and engaged around the program’s focus: by bringing our combined strengths to Verizon Innovative Learning Schools, Verizon and Digital Promise aim to increase digital equity and support students, teachers, and schools in unlocking the potential of technology to transform teaching and learning.
Responsibilities
Events:

• Identify and recommend event vendors (e.g., virtual platforms, hotels, venues, transportation providers)
• Work closely with various teams to identify event logistics requirements, for both virtual and in-person events
• Contract with vendors and oversee ongoing coordination throughout events
• Provide onsite management of in-person events
• Participate in pre- and post-mortems to inform upcoming and future events

Engagement:

• Develop and execute internal engagement strategies to strengthen awareness of program messaging and key changes for team members
• Ensure all engagement strategies and work align with Digital Promise and Verizon Corporate Social Responsibility communications goals and systems
• Lead a cross-department working group focused on developing and executing aligned communications and engagement strategies for external audiences, aimed at increasing awareness and action around our thought leadership reputation, recruitment, relationship-building, and participant engagement
• Collect and analyze data to drive work and resource allocation

Leadership:

• Mentor cross-functional team members
• Additional projects and duties that advance digital equity as assigned
• Work in close partnership with other department project directors

Education Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required

Requirements

• Proven experience in event planning and engagement strategy. Experience in communications, and in the K-12 education or non-profit sectors, preferred.
• Proficiency in all Google Suite tools, as well as presentation design
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Proven experience in cross-department leadership and project management
• Ability to work as part of a team in a fast-paced, high-energy environment
• Ability to research, analyze, and provide solutions to newly identified issues

Project Management

• Excellent project management skills with an emphasis on attention to outcomes, collaboration with key stakeholders, executing against timelines, and quality of work
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities and rapidly adapt and respond to requests and timeline changes
• Experience with communication and customer relationship systems such as Slack, Salesforce, Pardot, and Asana

Analytical and Data Skills

• Strong analytical, conceptual, and troubleshooting abilities
• Ability to diagnose and resolve escalated issues
• Proven experience in collecting and analyzing data to drive decision making
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to be flexible in project situations

Relationship Management

• Highly collaborative, organized, and solution-oriented with strong presentation skills

Future Readiness

• Knowledge of emerging event and engagement trends, technologies, and support systems
• Knowledge of techniques to promote, support, and/or generate innovation and creativity, such as design thinking, brainstorming, and ideation

Collaboration

• Skill in integrating and synthesizing others’ viewpoints to build alignment of diverse perspectives

Communication

• Skill in applying verbal, written, and/or non-verbal communication techniques, such as agenda-setting, asking open-ended questions, use of posture and deference, and demonstrating professional presence
• Skill in applying principles of active listening, such as focusing on what someone is saying, deferring judgment, and responding appropriately
• Skill in articulating and conveying value propositions to gain agreement, support, and/or buy-in from stakeholders

Emotional Intelligence and Decision Making

• Skill in using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems
• Knowledge of decision-making models, such as consensus-based, democratic, and autocratic
• Skill in identifying personal biases that influence one’s own cognition and behavior

Lifelong Learning

• Skill in acquiring new knowledge through professional development activities for one's self, such as participating in coaching, attending professional conferences, self-directed reading, and monitoring industry trends
• Skill in developing, maintaining, and leveraging networks across a range of people and groups inside and outside the organization, such as influential people and learning and performance experts

At Digital Promise, we also seek candidates with:

• A commitment to anti-racist approaches to our work
• An interest in redesigning learning systems
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional team members to ensure information is shared, projects are completed on time, and goals are reached.
• A strong commitment to improving equity and accessibility in education
• Diverse life experiences

Working Conditions:
Digital Promise Global is a hybrid organization. Employees are expected to travel at least 4 times a year for in-person meetings and the annual staff retreat. Additional travel may be required based on role and responsibilities.

• Special Provisions:
• Travel up to 25%
• Physical/Sensory Demands Fast-paced working environment. Extensive computer usage and online engagement & communication. Must be willing to build inclusive relationships and collaborate with employees at all levels within the organization and external partners.

Occasional work outside of normal business hours, such as weekends and evenings required.
Compensation
The full-time salary ranges for the Project Director of Events & Engagementposition based on geographical regions are listed below, with exact salary depending on experience.
DC and NYC: $110,500 - $123,500
California: $121,500 - $135,850
National: $99,400 - $111,150
To Apply
Please apply and submit your resume, cover letter, and salary requirements. Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials as soon as possible. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis until the search is successful.
Digital Promise is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.