Public Relations Manager (Sponsorship focus) - Bridge International Academies - Washington, DC

About the position

Bridge has done what many people thought was impossible. We have given families living in poverty access to the high-quality education that will allow their children to have a better life. Our monthly fee is very low, averaging just $6 a month, but this is still a lot of money for families living on less than $2 a day per person – and we’ve found that many people want to chip in and help. In 2014, we instituted a sponsorship pilot, where high achieving pupils were able to receive sponsorship through a peer-to-peer sponsorship programme. Anyone was able to sponsor a pupil – be them in Kenya, America, or Indonesia. Given its success, we are now ready to scale this programme to reach as many pupils as possible. The money is not only a financial aid for the families we serve – it also shows each pupil who receives a sponsorship that there are many people cheering on their success.

This is an incredibly exciting position for someone interested in social impact and public relations. Your work will focus on growing the sponsorship programme from both ends. You will work with in-country teams to expand the programme to all of our academies, ensuring that all pupils are aware of the programme and able to apply, including working with Engineering to streamline and automate our application process. You will also work on the donor side, developing creative campaigns to get as many people as possible to sponsor children, leverage social media as well as other low-cost advertising and PR tactics. Lastly, you will also support the Public Relations Director in telling the broader story of Bridge, as needed.

This is an entry-level position; recent graduates welcome! You should have a passion for social impact, children’s rights, and/or international education – as well as impeccable writing, editing, and speaking skills. Kindly include links to your social media accounts plus 2-3 writing samples (up to 500 words each) along with your cover letter. This position will report to the PR Director. It is based in Washington DC.

Who should apply

Detailed doers – You have a track record of getting things done. You’re organized and responsive. You take ownership of every idea you touch and execute it to a fine level of detail, setting targets, engaging others, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. You can multi-task dozens of such projects at once and never lose sight of the details. Likely, you have some experience in a start-up or other rapid-growth company.

Smart hustlers – You have the brain power but also the pragmatism to get stuff done in a chaotic context. You are focusing on winning, and will do just about anything (with integrity of course) to get to the people and places that you need to succeed.

Networking masterminds – You excel at meeting new people and turning them into advocates. You communicate in a clear, conscientious, and effective way in both written and oral speech. You can influence strangers in the course of a single conversation. Allies and colleagues will go to bat for your ideas. You have an existing network of public relations contacts from prior experience in the country, preferably in the regulatory, education, or business sectors.

Creative problem-solvers – Bridge is still a start-up: hands-on and scrappy. You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand, which may be less than you’re used to. Every dollar you spend is a dollar our customers, who live on less than $2 a day, will have to pay for.

Customer advocates – Our customers – these families living on less than $2 a day per person – never leave your mind. You know them, get them, have shared a meal with them (or would be happy to in the future). You would never shrink back from shaking a parent’s hand or picking up a crying child, no matter what the person was wearing or looked like. Every decision you make considers their customer benefit, experience, and value.

Life-long learners – You believe you can always do better. You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others. You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed today.

Who shouldn’t apply

Narcissists – If you’ve ever finished the statement, “I didn’t go to university to ______,” you won’t like it here. Your degree, age, lineage, and past experience don’t matter. Only your current output, and how it benefits our customers, does.

Hand-holders – We love teamwork, but sometimes we get busy. You need to work well independently and have the self-motivation to never slow down. Of course, you’ll be very responsive and constantly update us on your status.

About Bridge

Bridge International Academies is the world’s largest chain of primary and pre-primary schools. We democratize the right to succeed by giving families living in poverty accesss to the high-quality education that will allow their children to live a very different life. We leverage experts, data, and technology in order to standardize and scale every aspect of quality education delivery, from how and where academies are built to how teachers are selected and trained, and how lessons are delivered and monitored for improvement. We are vertically-integrated, tech-enabled, and on our way to profitability.