Administrative Coordinator - Govt Relations & Education Policy

The Oregon Education Association (OEA) is looking for an Administrative Coordinator to join our team.  The person in the position provides coordination and complex administrative support for our Government Relations and Education Policy team. The team’s work covers government relations, communications, policy implementation, professional learning, and public affairs at OEA. The person in this position specializes in the government relations and education policy components of the department’s work, but also provides frequent back-up to the other Associate Staff position in the department who specializes in equity and communications work. The need to pivot and provide back-up coverage will vary by season and sometimes be substantial. Events and projects are typically centered around state agencies, elected officials, media outlets, legislative affairs, professional learning, campaigns and elections, social media, and communications materials distribution as assigned by the Director of the department. The person in this position also has significant responsibilities in data management, calendar coordination, and department reporting.

The starting salary range for this full-time, 37.5 hr/wk position is $53,045 - $67,701, depending on relevant experience. The full salary range for this position is $53,045 - $82,291; step advancement is based on the collective bargaining agreement. Candidates should include all relevant work experience, as up to last 15 years of work history will be used for salary placement purposes.  The OEA provides fully paid medical, dental, and vision benefits for the employee and qualified dependents; significant paid time off and holidays; employer contribution to 401k upon meeting eligibility; a pension after meeting the 5-year vesting requirements; and many more benefits.  

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

General

• Support and advance the OEA mission, vision, and values.
• Contribute to, support, and actively engage in the organization’s commitment to create and maintain a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. Participate in activities, trainings, and/or workgroups to support OEA’s commitment in this important mission.
• May provide substantive feedback on a variety of OEA initiatives and/or represent Associate Staff on a variety of OEA committees.

Government Relations & Political

• Build and maintain department calendar for pertinent events of Oregon legislature, Department of Education, other state agencies, Education Advancement Council, Teachers Standards and Practice Commission, interim task forces, and other entities as assigned or guided by Director or designee.
• Organize and manage logistics for several member-oriented government relations and political events per year including but not limited to lobby days, biennial endorsement convention, canvasses, phone banks, and trainings:
  • Secure and reserve location
  • Correspond with participants; create and monitor registration web pages
  • Arrange for food and drinks
  • Support Director with program budget reports and handle petty cash
  • Submit and track cadre contracts
  • Submit invoices to accounts payable
  • Schedule legislative meetings
  • With guidance from Director and department Professional Staff, create, edit, and proof meeting materials 
  • Schedule IT support as needed
  • On-site event coordination and support as needed
• Build and update calendar of legislator, congressional, and state agency town halls and engagement opportunities.
• Pull, prepare, and distribute member reports used by other staff to recruit for government relations activities. 
• Prepare quarterly Lobbying Expenditure Reports for State of Oregon Government Ethics Commission.
• Lead and coordinate timely submission of campaign finance and lobbying reports; includes requesting data from OEA’s finance and membership staff and communicating with third party vendors. 
• Understand and communicate OEA legislative policy and political positions, in person, on the phone, and via email correspondence.
• Coordinate OEA PAC endorsement process for candidates and issues: track questionnaires, schedule interviews with PAC chairs.
• Deliver phone and email reminders to members for political events and actions.

Member Governance

• Draft, submit for Director’s approval as needed, and distribute calendars, agendas, meeting minutes, governing documents, and meeting materials for specifically assigned member committees relevant to government relations and education policy.
• Build and maintain annual list of OEA New Business items and the staff assigned to them. 
• Maintain rosters of all PAPE member committees, cabinets, task forces, and vacancies. 
• Continuous working knowledge of education-related state agencies, legislative policy, and OEA’s organizational structure and leadership decision-making processes.
• Track all PAPE member governance charges, roles, and responsibilities; maintain calendar of when decisions must be made to support Director and department in setting meetings at the correct cadence within OEA organizational structure. 
• Track and update member participation data in NEA360, IMS, VAN, and EveryAction.

Other Administrative Coordination

• Cross-train on responsibilities of the other Associate Staff position in PAPE. 
• Arrange ADA accessibility and language accessibility for OEA members and department staff for meetings and events as needed and requested. 
• Coordinate travel arrangements including hotels, transportation, and registration for department staff as needed.
• In collaboration with the other Associate Staff position in PAPE, build and maintain department calendar for each fiscal/school year. 
• Coordinate schedules and calendars for Director and other department staff as needed or assigned. 
• Maintain and monitor department filing systems, naming conventions, and documentation. 
• Enter and maintain government relations and education policy data in all relevant OEA data systems; pull, prepare, and distribute standard and custom reports.
• Order and distribute PAPE print jobs. Distribution sometimes occurs by mail and occasionally requires in person transport to OEA events and offices.
• Monitor, respond as appropriate, and distribute to department staff as needed: all emails coming to general PAPE email accounts including OEA Web Admin, OEA PAC, and endorsements.
• When receiving a research question, find pertinent data and create a report on findings.
• Other duties as assigned by department Director or designee.
  
  KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
• Excellent time management, calendar and scheduling, and data management skills.

• Experience working with databases and comfortable learning new programs and computer systems. 
• Able to type minimum of 55 WPM. 
• Competency in grammar, punctuation, and editing. 
• Excellent attention to detail with high level of accuracy. 

• Experience using copy, print, and scanning machines, phone, and other common office equipment. 

• Able to work independently and as a team player.
• Able to consistently meet established deadlines. 
• Adept at balancing multiple priorities from multiple sources, communicating about potential conflicts and limitations, and advising on possible solutions.
• Able to work in a self-directed and efficient manner, maintaining a professional demeanor under pressure.
• Demonstrate a professional and collaborative attitude toward members and staff. 
• Able to maintain confidential information.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent including high school commercial courses or post high school business curriculum.
• College degree or certificate in business administration, political science, communications, social sciences, or another related field preferred.

           Experience

• Minimum 2 years of experience providing executive support including managing multiple calendars and coordinating between organizational departments.
• 2-4 years of experience in project coordination, event planning, and complex administrative support.
• Proficient in Microsoft 365 including Excel, Word, and Teams; experience performing VLOOKUPs and/or XLOOKUPs and using pivot tables to filter and sort large amounts of electronic data.
• 1-2 years of experience supporting political campaigns.
• Writing for publication.
• Familiarity with EveryAction, NGP Voter Activation Network (VAN), Oregon legislative website, BillTracker, SalesForce-based CRM, or other comparable software preferred. 
• Familiarity with Adobe products and graphic design tools preferred. 
• Non-profit and/or union experience preferred.

OTHER INFORMATION

Supervisory

• The employee works under the direction of the Director of Public Affairs and Professional Excellence. This employee’s work is also guided by Professional Staff in the PAPE department. The person in this position is expected to operate with relative independence and a minimum of supervision in handling complex problems with initiative, creativity, and sound judgement. 
• This position is not in a supervisory role.  

Work Environment

• This position is based at the OEA headquarters office in Portland, OR.
• Occasional travel is expected for work-related purposes. Locations are typically within Oregon and occur once or twice per quarter. A successful candidate will have access to reliable transportation. 
• This position may occasionally require the incumbent to work some early mornings, evenings, and/or weekends to support department events. This is most likely to occur during legislative session (even numbered years in summer and fall, odd numbered years in winter and spring). Where feasible for the work that needs to occur, remote work is offered for hours worked outside the incumbent’s typical shift. 
• This position is expected to stand, sit, and bend in order to perform routine office functions. 
• This position is expected to lift five pounds (5lbs.) to ten pounds (10 lbs.)

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

The Oregon Education Association is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, the Oregon Education Association will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process and/or to perform essential job functions, please contact Human Resources at jobs@oregoned.org. 

The Oregon Education Association is an equal opportunity employer.