Regional Specialist

The Florida Education Association (FEA) is the largest association of professional employees and the largest labor union in the Southeast, representing more than 120,000 members. FEA members include teachers, education staff professionals, higher education faculty and graduate assistants, retirees, education students, and early career educators. FEA represents the professional and working interests of its members and plays a prominent role in shaping state policies that affect public schools. FEA is a merged state association affiliated with both the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

Position Summary

The Regional Specialist's primary responsibility is to provide multifunctional support in the areas of organizing, training and development, member/local advocacy support, contract enforcement, etc.: to local affiliate/Service Unit staff and leaders in the development and implementation of their programs. As needed, the Regional Specialist may be assigned to cover the duties of an interim Service Unit Director. The Regional Specialist may also be called upon to perform functions in support of the region's collective bargaining specialist and will serve as a shared resource to other regions on an as-needed basis.

Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; Master’s degree preferred.
2. Knowledge of Association work as leader or staff.
3. Successful experience working with teachers and Education Staff Professional locals. (Preferred)
4. At least two years as local staff or comparable experience.
5. Demonstrated ability in contract maintenance, grievance processing, member representation, and collective bargaining.
6. Knowledge of the impasse and arbitration processes.
7. Demonstrated competence in oral and written communications.
8. Experience with and understanding of professional education organization programs and services at local, state, and national levels.
9. Ability to analyze school finance budget information.
10. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and drive projects independently.
11. Successful experience multi-task under tight deadlines while maintaining attention to detail.
12. Strong skill in using Microsoft Office products (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel).
13. Ability to learn new, proprietary software programs.
14. Capacity to work closely with other professional and associate staff.
15. Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid Florida driver’s license.

General Responsibilities

1. Acknowledge and support the advancement of FEA's vision, mission, and strategic goals.
2. Identify, contribute to, and support new opportunities to advance FEA's vision, mission, and strategic goals.
3. Perform all work assignments in a manner that effectively and efficiently utilizes FEA resources.
4. Contribute to and support the development and implementation of departmental and interdepartmental programs and services.
5. Effectively communicates needs for local developmental success with their supervisor.
6. Perform all duties, responsibilities, and assignments within the guidelines outlined in the FSO/FEA Collective Bargaining Agreement and in accordance with FEA Policies and Procedures. Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
7. Provide interface, consultative and generalist support to local affiliate/Service Unit officers/building representatives/committee members/delegates/staff in the planning and implementation of their collective bargaining, employee rights and contract enforcement programs. Includes but is not limited to: communications, implementation of centrally developed and locally delivered training programs, local training programs, employee relations, minority concerns, bargaining and contract enforcement, membership promotion, political action, legislation, program evaluation etc.
8. Assists with on-the-job skill development and cross-training of other regional specialists to build generalist knowledge; participates with FEA HQ and cross-regional staff to build and deliver effective training programs to increase organizational knowledge and bench strength.
9. Assists in rep training, local program development, budget, political action/legislative initiatives and any other areas that the local seeks guidance and assistance with.
10. Assists leaders in developing organizing plans and creating a system/process to measure effectiveness.
11. Conducts regular visits to work sites to build positive relationships with local leaders and staff and advance the knowledge and skills of site leadership.
12. Manage the planning, implementation, utilization and access of state and national organizations' programs and projects for locals.
13. Assist in the implementation and support of FEA's Internal Organizing Program by developing and/or enhancing a local's organizational capacity to recruit and retain members, including student FEA and FEA retired affiliates, through strong programs.
14. Provide multiple avenues of high-quality, research-based professional development to meet training, retraining and certification needs of teachers and ESPs to enhance effectiveness of practice and improve student achievement. Serves as a liaison with FEA, state and national affiliates, locals and Service Units in the region.
15. Perform other duties as assigned by the Director or Deputy Director of Organizing and Field Services.

Competency Framework

Applicant must embrace, exhibit and possess the following effectiveness competencies:

• Functional Expert — Possesses a high level of proficiency in one or more functional areas such as professional development, advocacy organizing, membership or collective bargaining with demonstrated interest and ability to develop proficiency in other areas.
• Oral Communication – Expresses information to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information; makes clear and convincing presentations, listens to others; attends to nonverbal cues.
• Self-Management/initiative – Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; displays a high level of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works with minimal supervision; is motivated to achieve; demonstrates responsible behavior.
• Teamwork – Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust; fosters commitment; works with others to achieve goals.
• Written Communication – Recognizes or uses correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information in a succinct and organized manner, produces written information that is appropriate for the intended audience.
• Planning and Evaluating – Organizes work, sets priorities, determines resource requirements, determines goals and strategies; coordinates with other organizations, monitors progress; evaluates outcomes.
• Integrity/Honesty – Contributes to maintaining the integrity of the organization; displays high standards of ethical conduct and understands the impact of violating these standards on an organization, and others; is trustworthy.
• Interpersonal Skills – Shows understanding, courtesy, tact, empathy; develops and maintains relationships; deals with difficult people; relates well to people from varied backgrounds; is sensitive to individual differences.

Compensation & Benefits:

The salary for this position is determined by the negotiated agreement between the Florida Education Association and the Florida Staff Organization based on comparable experience. FEA provides medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term-disability insurance to its employees with no employee premiums. Additionally, FEA provides employer-paid retirement options, annual leave, sick leave, and paid holidays.