Director of Government Affairs - Summit Public Schools

Director of Government Affairs

Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, the Director of Government Affairs will support Summit Public Schools in cultivating strong relationships with its most important partners. Specifically, the Director of Government Affairs will lead the charter renewal process for Summit schools in California and Washington, manage negotiations with charter authorizers and other governing bodies, and develop systems for building and maintaining relationships with key external stakeholders.

As the Director of Government Affairs, you should have significant knowledge of public charter schools and are experienced in navigating political and regulatory landscapes. You should also have experience in compliance, policy, and advocacy, be adept at fostering strong relationships, possess exceptional project management and writing skills, and demonstrate a strong aptitude to be a skilled strategy partner across functional areas of the organization.

Who We Are:

What if all students graduated high school with the knowledge, skills and habits they need to lead a fulfilled life? This is the question that guides our mission at Summit Public Schools.

Summit is a leading network of public schools that prepare a diverse community of young people with the skills, knowledge, and habits to attain economic empowerment and success in a chosen concrete next step toward a fulfilled life. We operate 12 schools serving over 3,000 students in the Bay Area and Washington state. 100% of Summit graduates are college ready and Summit graduates complete college at double the national average.

We need exceptional, diverse, and mission-aligned individuals to join our team to help prepare our students for a fulfilled life. Join us!

What You’ll Do:

Strategic Support and Project Management

• Oversee authorizer engagement and charter renewal strategy and process for Summit schools in California and Washington.

  • Collaborate with the Summit legal team to identify necessary changes to each school’s charter for renewal and update charters accordingly.

  • Work with school site leaders to support charter renewals, implementation of charters and MOUs, and responses to authorizers.

  • Lead stakeholder engagement strategy to support charter renewals and sustainability.

  • Manage MOU and other negotiations for existing Summit schools.

• Provide document management, revisions, and coordination with legal counsel, school site leaders, and internal teams.

• Use thought leadership, political acumen, and a deep understanding of our model and outcomes to lead strategic efforts for Summit schools, utilizing internal and external metrics to support a strong and defensible picture of our schools.

• Provide guidance and evidence-based recommendations to the Chief Legal Officer and Chief Executive Officer on policy matters and strategic initiatives.

• Oversee governing board agendas in California and Washington, including scheduling items for board consideration and ensuring compliance with open government laws.

• Lead cross-functional teams on high-stakes operations projects to ensure schools remain in good standing with authorizers, accreditors, the state, community members, and the general public.

• Provide leadership in external engagement and response preparation for state or local accountability audits (e.g., Washington State Auditor’s Office inquiries).

• Support schools in developing and executing civic engagement initiatives, such as voter registration drives.

• Support engagement with state, federal, and authorizer compliance, maintaining adherence to relevant regulations and requirements.

Policy and Data Analysis and Research

• Collaborate with the Info Team to develop and integrate qualitative and quantitative analyses of our schools to support charter petitions and other government affairs initiatives.

• Serve as the internal subject matter expert for government affairs, providing support to home office and school site teams on charters, MOUs, and facility use agreements.

• Assist in developing and updating policies to ensure legal and regulatory compliance and alignment with organizational goals.

• Prepare detailed reports and presentations on policy research findings, legislative impacts, and trends in the charter sector.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Prepare materials for hearings, develop responses to authorizer requests for information, and support schools in ongoing negotiations with authorizers.

• Support school leaders in developing community and family engagement plans and strategies that align with school and organizational goals.

• Serve as a thought partner and coach to school site leaders and network leaders, helping them engage with local political leaders and community members on behalf of their school and the organization.

• Attend community events on behalf of Summit.

Systems and Knowledge Management

• Develop systems for building and maintaining relationships with authorizers and key local stakeholders for existing Summit schools.

• Design, create, and maintain government affairs tools, trainings, and resources for school sites.

• Craft clear, compelling, and persuasive content for various audiences, including policymakers, authorizers, community stakeholders, and the general public.

• Develop policy briefs that communicate the organization’s stance on key issues affecting public education, including charter schools and funding for education.

• Collaborate with the communications team to create impactful press releases, blog posts, and social media content that promote the organization’s mission and goals.

• Ensure all written materials, including communications to authorizers, stakeholders, and Summit staff, align with the organization’s voice and values.

• Produce accessible summaries of complex policy and legislative changes to inform and engage internal and external stakeholders.

What You Need:

Key Qualities and Skills

• Commitment to uphold Summit’s values, belief that all children deserve a rigorous and equitable education that prepares them for college and for life.

• Bachelor’s Degree is required.

• At least 4+ years of experience engaging with governmental/quasi-governmental entities and building relationships with diverse stakeholders is required.

• At least 3+ years of prior project management experience is required.

• Knowledge of the California and Washington state educational landscape is strongly preferred.

• Proficiency in Google Apps, including Google Drive, Google Sheets, and Google Docs or similar software is required

• An ability to travel throughout the Bay Area and occasional travel to Washington State or other areas is required.

• Clear health and background check.

Who You Are:

About You

• You believe all students can find success in school, college, and life.

• You have the ability to work effectively as a collaborative leader and team member.

• You’re deeply dedicated to social justice and feel motivated by the challenge and impact of working in a heterogeneous community and closing the achievement gap.

• You share our vision to reimagine what schools should be and are excited to make an impact on the public education landscape.

• You are positive and resilient in the face of big challenges.

• You take initiative and ownership in driving your work to meet personal and team goals.

• You possess strong relationship and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate and communicate with a diverse group of teachers, leaders, staff members, and community members.

• You are data-driven and have the ability to collect, evaluate, and utilize qualitative/quantitative data in meaningful ways.

• You have an ability to apply honest, actionable, and timely feedback that results in improved performance.

• You have a strategic mindset when it comes to executing data and operations initiatives.

• You have excellent public speaking and writing skills and experience designing high-quality communications for educational organizations or initiatives.

• You are empathetic and culturally competent. You’re open to having hard conversations.

• You’re committed to continuous improvement, see feedback as a positive, and have a growth mindset.

• You have substantial experience in advocacy work, including but not necessarily limited to, influencing public policy, public opinion, and other related fields. Knowledge of the California and Washington state educational policy landscape is strongly preferred.

• Excellent decision-making, priority setting and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to work in a high-stakes, rapidly changing environment.

What You Get:

In addition to joining a highly motivated team and engaging in meaningful work, you’ll have access to a comprehensive suite of benefits including a retirement plan, “take what you need” personal leave policy, 12 paid holidays, and 3 weeks of organization-wide closures during the year. You and your dependents will have access to multiple health, dental, and vision plans at 25% cost (we cover the other 75%) and employee life and disability insurance at no cost. Our compensation policy strives to be equitable and transparent. The salary for this position starts at $125,571 and goes up to $165,243 commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Summit is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are directly intertwined with education. We are ALL better when we are able to bring our whole selves to work and honor each other’s voices across identities, cultural backgrounds, and life experiences. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals who are members of historically marginalized communities. Spanish language proficiency is a plus.

To see Summit Public Schools' full non-discrimination statement as it relates to students and parents along with designated compliance coordinators for each school, see HERE for Washington and HERE for California. To see Summit Public Schools' full non-discrimination statement as it relates to employees, see here for Washington and here for California.