Governance Specialist

Governance Specialist

The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) represents over 117,000 members and nearly 400 locals across the state and employs a full-time staff of over 170. Our members are public school teachers, faculty, professional staff, and education support professionals working at public schools, colleges, and universities. As a member-driven organization and the largest union in New England, our collective power makes MTA an influential voice for educators, students, and their communities. We are proud to be an advocate for social, racial, and economic justice and for a public education system that provides one of the cornerstones of a democratic society.

Major Responsibilities

The Governance Specialist leads in the development, administration and coordination of Governance policies, projects and functions, with primary responsibility in the area of coordination/implementation of MTA nomination and election procedures and committee administration processes.

Essential Job Functions

• Administers the MTA and National Education Association (NEA) nomination and election processes.
• Maintains the committee administration process.
• Provides leadership, advice and support to the Electoral Review Committee (ERC), the Credentials and Ballot Committee (C&B), and Bylaws and Rules Committee.
• Works as part of a team with Governance staff and assumes non-confidential duties typically performed by the Governance Assistant and Executive Assistant to the Executive Director-Treasurer (EDT), as needed.
• Provides non-confidential Governance support and cross coverage to ensure continuity of work.
• Provides administrative and other project support to the Director of Governance, as needed.
• Handles and maintains confidential information.
• Maintains responsibilities with a positive, cooperative attitude.
• Creates and updates standard operating procedures in areas of work, as needed.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Administers the committee appointment and staff assignment process with the Director of Governance, publishes and updates committee directories.
• Edits and publishes the revised MTA Bylaws, Rules and Resolutions and other Governance documents, as assigned.
• Serves as staff assistant to the Electoral Review Committee, the Bylaws and Rules Committee and the Credentials and Ballot Committee (C&B).
• Assists with preparations for major meetings and conferences, as directed.
• Attends meetings of the delegates and leads administrative aspects of the delegate registration processes and electoral processes of the Credentials and Ballot Committee.
• Provides and performs the data entry of codes and roles in the membership database for committee and electoral projects and generates reports.
• Maintains records of operations in areas of responsibility.
• Attends meetings and conferences, as assigned. Prepares notes and meeting minutes.
• Maintains high level of familiarity with established and proposed programs and policies.
• Reports regularly to the Director on the status of activities and projects, and informs the Director of anticipated problem areas.
• Works cooperatively with elected leaders, Governance and other MTA staff, affiliates and the public.
• Coordinates work assignments with other support resources.
• Compiles research and disseminates reports, as directed.
• Prepares correspondence on own initiative.
• Provides input for the Governance budget in areas of responsibility.
• Handles assigned projects with a minimum of supervision.
• Performs other duties, as needed.

Elections:

• Conducts and oversees all MTA Elections (general and interim).
• Administers any direct vote of membership including but not limited to NEA delegate/director elections, as well as Annual Meeting retired, ethnic minority and student delegate elections. Tabulates all the incoming ballots and inputs results.
• Conducts Candidate Recommendation Committee (CRC) elections for Government Relations.
• Works with Communications and Printing and Mailing Divisions to oversee production of all election materials (ballots, resource materials).
• Maintains familiarity with election policies and alerts Director and chair of C&B to potential issues to assure compliance. Formulates and implements clear communications with candidates to address all pertinent information relating to campaigning and the elections.
• Coordinates and participates in the process of addressing campaign issues or complaints.
• Prepares and proofreads all ballots, nomination papers, nomination and election articles for MTA Today and all related mailings.
• Notifies candidates of eligibility of their nomination papers, working with membership staff on signature verification.
• Publishes special electoral mailings to ethnic minorities, retired and students.
• Disseminates contact listings for candidates according to election policies.
• Acts as candidate contact and provides important election information and policies.
• Works to arrange election logistics with election vendor at Annual Meeting.
• Disseminates and collects candidate campaign expense/revenue reports.
• Maintains and provides Annual Meeting and NEA/RA voting results and records.
• Performs other duties, as needed.

Committees:

• Committee staff assistant to; Electoral Review Committee (ERC) Credentials and Ballot Committee (C&B), and Bylaws & Rules Committee.
• Works with Director to coordinate bylaw changes to prepare for Annual Meeting.
• Amends and publishes bylaws and rules documents approved by Annual Meeting.
• Collects volunteer contact information for committee appointments and follow-up with new appointed members regarding Committee contact preferences.
• Maintain committee roles in IMS/NEA360 (or other database) – appointments and resignations.
• Communicates with affected members and assigned staff for each appointment and resignation.
• Works with Director and President to implement committee appointment process and term endings process and with the Director of Governance and Executive Director-Treasurer on committee staff assignments.
• Organizes All Chairs meeting with Director of Governance, as needed.
• Prepares ERC recommendations for the Board, for new local affiliate placement, NEA/RA delegate allocation, and for revisions to the MTA electoral region and district plan.
• Prepares ERC recommendation for redistricting to the Board every three years.
• Performs IMS/NEA360 role coding for the Board, Executive Committee and all committees.
• Maintains and updates the MTA electoral region and district plan.
• Performs other duties, as needed.

Annual Meeting:

• Administers online delegate registration system with registration vendor and proprietary software.
• Leads all registration communications with local presidents.
• Leads and coordinates pre-registration activities and registration supplies with the Membership department in Finance and Accounting.
• Prepares MTA election tally sheets, voting receipts, candidate observer sheets, delegate registration tally sheets, and question ballots.
• Collects volunteer tellers' contact information and prepare Annual Meeting tellers memo and instructions, when necessary.
• Prepares C&B Committee for seating delegates at the meeting.
• Works with electronic voting vendors to administer and hold elections.
• Resolves issues on-site at Annual Meeting in delegate registration and voting with C&B and Director.
• Participates in Annual Meeting staff planning sessions.
• Coordinates processing of delegate report forms with Finance & Accounting.
• Produces delegate report forms and mailing lists from IMS for candidates, as requested.
• Manages records for Annual Meeting.
• Manages changes to Annual Meeting delegate handbook annually and prepares timeline.
• Performs other duties, as needed.

NEA-RA:

• Registers all NEA-RA delegates: Statewide, Regional and local into IMS/NEA360 RA database.
• Works with NEA Membership to pull and submit reports to NEA of all Statewide, Regional and local delegates by specified NEA deadline.
• Coordinates and codes stipend payments with F&A, tracks delegate attendance and stipend payments with Director of Governance.
• Performs other duties, as needed.

Data:

• Assists Director in preparing final Governance and Administration Budget chart of accounts.