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Director, Internal Learning and Innovation

This job is no longer available

Atlanta, GA, USA
Full-time

The Internal Learning and Innovation team seeks a Director, Internal Learning and Innovation to support Teach For America’s transformation into being a learning organization. As Director, Internal Learning and Innovation, you’ll work closely with the Managing Director and Vice President, Internal Learning and Innovation and key leaders across the organization to support our vision for enhancing learning, innovation, and collective action at Teach For America. You will support and/or lead projects aimed at removing the barriers to being a learning organization and/or fostering learning and innovation across our network of regions and national teams. Your work will create greater efficiencies in our org’s processes and systems, produce cultural change necessary to bring learning, innovation and collective action to the forefront, and establish processes and protocols that help the organization achieve its goals. The role will report directly to the Managing Director, Internal Learning and Innovation.

Areas of Responsibility: 

Strategy and Research (15%)

  • Contribute to the team’s prospecting of potential new projects by:
    • Collecting and analyzing data from numerous sources (e.g., TFA surveys and internal data, focus groups and interviews, etc.) related to corps member, alumni, and staff experience, TFA practices, etc.
    • Identifying insights that reveal breakthrough opportunities that substantially increases impact, reduces costs, and increases sustainability and scalability.
  • Communicate findings, insights, and potential opportunities in clear and compelling ways.

 Design and Execution (75%)

  • Lead a portfolio of small-scale projects aimed at driving TFA’s transformation to being a learning organization and building the org’s capacity to learn, innovate, and act collectively. Includes:
    • Setting vision and direction for projects.
    • Articulating and focusing others around a clear vision for projects.
    • Developing metrics and goals to measure project progress and impact.
    • Creating effective, efficient, and prioritized work and contingency plans.
    • Effectively and consistently tracking tasks to meet goals and timelines, identifying achievements and milestones, and effectively following through with execution plans.
  • Contribute unique ideas to the development of the broader learning org strategy. Support the execution of the strategy by lending support to projects being led by other teammates.
  • Develop low-fidelity prototypes (simple card sorts, storyboards, etc.) to help test our assumptions with users and key stakeholders.
  • Engage with users to identify their needs and/or validate concepts. Includes conducting interviews, focus groups, user testing, etc.
  • Effectively communicate facts, ideas, and opportunities to individuals and groups through effective and compelling written and verbal communication.
  • Develop strong relationships with users, clients, and key stakeholders.
  • Facilitate human-centered design experiences (e.g., design sprints, ideation sessions, etc.) for the team and clients.
  • Create quality, insightful, and confidence-inspiring deliverables.

 Knowledge Management (10%)

  • Codify insights, processes, lessons learned, etc. in ways that are accessible and digestible for various audiences (e.g., decks, stories, videos, experiences, and exhibits).
  • Share knowledge effectively across project teams and the broader Internal Learning and Innovation and Org-Wide Learning and Strategy teams.
  • Produce project updates for the entire organization, leveraging TFA’s org-wide communication mediums (newsletters, webinars, instant messaging channels, etc.).
  • Support the maintenance of project team and broader team knowledge management tools (e.g., Box and Google folders).
Skills/Experience: 
  • A creative problem-solver who leverages curiosity and empathy to find “out of the box” solutions that are impact-driven and user-centered.
  • A self-starter who asks questions and takes initiative to search for solutions/answers.
  • Motivated by complex challenges and not deterred by ambiguity or changing priorities.
  • Excited by bringing rough ideas to life and creating new things.
  • Optimistic and driven by a deep belief that all problems are inherently solvable.
  • A learner, constantly building their expertise and adding new skills and tools to their repertoire.

 In addition to possessing these qualities and characteristics, the ideal candidate will want a fast-paced, fun, and collaborative work environment, surrounded by people who are passionate about driving and implementing strategies to advance TFA’s capacity to learn, innovate, and act collectively.

Prior Experience

  • 5+ years work/academic experience
  • Background in strategic consulting, U/X, design,  strategy design, ethnographic research (quantitative and qualitative), project management, change management, or other related fields
  • Prior experience with design thinking, improvement science, and/or lean design principles
  • Prior experience facilitating client workshops is a plus
  • Prior experience using agile methodology is a plus
  • Familiarity with InVision, Sketch, or other prototyping methods is a plus

 Skills

  • Excellent organization and project management skills; ability to manage multiple projects at once
  • Strong communication skills, including designing proposals and presentations for varied audiences
  • Strong relationship-building skills, especially the ability to understand the perspectives of others
  • Ability to serve as an effective partner and collaborator across a diverse set of stakeholders with varying needs
  • Comfort conducting data analysis and leveraging data to make decisions
  • Ability to thrive in a goal-oriented, fast-paced, adaptive, and entrepreneurial environment
  • Ability to acquire knowledge quickly
  • Operates with a learner mentality
  • Demonstrates deep commitment to Teach For America’s Foundations, including our vision, mission, core values, and our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusiveness

Work Demands

  • Atlanta preferred
  • Working with colleagues who are based all over the country – using remote technologies (e.g., Zoom)
  • Moderate travel is required (~quarterly)

Organization Info

Teach For America

Overview
Headquarters: 
New York, NY, United States
Annual Budget : 
$100-500M
Founded: 
1993
About Us
Areas of Focus: 
Mission: 

Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates, professionals, or graduate students who commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in expanding educational opportunity. Teach For America's mission is to enlist, develop, and mobilize as many as possible of our nation's most promising future leaders to grow and strengthen the movement for educational equity and excellence. In the 2016-2017 school year, 6,900 first- and second-year Teach For America corps members are teaching in 53 regions across the United States. Since 1990, Teach For America corps members have reached more than 10 million students. Teach For America's more than 40,000 alumni are providing critical leadership -- as teachers, school and district leaders; elected officials and policy advisers; and founders and leaders of education and social reform initiatives -- to ensure all children have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.

Listing Stats

Post Date: 
Nov 27 2018
Active Until: 
Dec 27 2018
Hiring Organization: 
Teach For America
industry: 
Nonprofit