The Managing Director, Corps Member Leadership (CM1) is responsible for leading the team of coaches who work directly with our region’s first year teachers. Teaching is a profound act of leadership, and our goal is for corps members to lead their students to meaningful academic and personal growth in their first year teaching. The Corps Member Leadership team is responsible for ensuring corps members are set up with the skills, mindsets and leadership development to a) positively impact their students in culturally responsive ways, b) deeply grapple with the problems and solutions facing our region’s schools and students, and c) build a community of practice, connection and community among corps members so that they are set on a pathway of lifelong impact on educational equity.
The MD, CM1 Leadership leads and manages a team of five coaches, who each work with a cohort of first year CMs. The coaches work directly with CMs, as well as manage school-level relationships with principals, or whoever in the school supervises CMs. All of the coaching and development opportunities the CMs experience will fit into an Arc of Member Experience that the MD and other members of the Program Continuum Team and our member base develop. The MD will report to the VP, Program and work in partnership with the other Program Team Leaders to ensure a continuity of the member experience from pre-corps through alumnihood.
Set Vision & Direction for Corps Member Experience (15% of time)
- In partnership with the MD, CM2 Leadership and a committee of staff and members, develop the region’s new Arc of Member Experience, particularly the 1st year CM learning milestones related to:
- Culturally responsive pedagogy
- Classroom culture of achievement
- Student academic, personal and social growth
- Personal leadership development
- Cultural consciousness and identity development
- Personal theory of action
- Graduate school studies
- Align member and staff coaching, member programming, staff training and development, and partner support and ownership to these milestones
- Collaborate with our regional Diversity Equity and Inclusiveness Council to review and improve the Arc, its policies, practices and member opportunities
- Set goals, research, and evolve comprehensive student and teacher outcomes measurements in three main domains: academic growth, personal growth, and culturally responsive teaching
- In partnership with the other Corps Member Leadership Team Leads, develop culture-building experiences for first-year CMs, including rituals & traditions, connectivity and community-building experiences, and day to day interactions between our organization and members so members feel increasingly part of a community of impact
Develop and Manage the CM1 Leadership Team & Serve on the Regional Leadership Team (60% of time)
- Hire, train, coach and manage a diverse team of first-year corps member coaches towards comprehensive student and teacher outcomes in academic growth, personal growth, and culturally responsive teaching
- Model culturally conscious and anti-racist leadership and management practices and decision-making processes in day to day work
- Ground your team in the region’s vision, goals, and strategic plan, enabling them to plan and execute successfully toward them, and conduct regular analysis to change course when needed
- Create an inspiring and inclusive team culture grounded in the core values, culture commitments, and culturally conscious practices internally and externally of TFA
- Lead team of coaches to facilitate culture- and connections-building experiences for first-year CMs
- Spend time in the field - on classroom observations, in corps member coaching conversations, in group connectivity experiences - observing and coaching your coaches and also seeking to understand the perspectives of our corps members and school partners to influence decision-making and team priorities
- Co-manage or contribute to large scale corps member activities and events
- Tightly manage team budget and financial compliance expectations and stewardship of your team
- Serve on the Program Continuum Leadership Team, setting vision and direction for our work with all members - from pre-corps through alumnihood, as well as making decisions and coordinating with other team leads about Program Team strategies and work streams
- Serve on Regional Leadership Team, setting vision and strategic direction for the region, driving the regional team towards our strategic plan’s outcomes, and personally modeling our core values, culture commitments, and culturally conscious practices.
Develop and Steward School-based and University Partner Relationships (5-10% of time)
- In partnership with your coaches and the MD, Partnerships & Onboarding, participate in and steward relationships with school placement partners (principals, hiring managers, and/or corps member supervisors) to support corps members’ effectiveness and experience
- In partnership with your coaches and the Director, Corps Member Leadership, collaborate with University Partners and their faculty advisors, administration and other staff to support corps members’ learning, as well as coordinate content development support for Corps Members, especially those in Elementary, Secondary Humanities, and Secondary STEM placements
- Contribute to the initiative to reset the region’s school placement footprint for where we place CMs in the future
- Manage corps member retention discussions and make CM performance decisions related to school-placement, university, and/or Americorps compliance when necessary
Support the work of our Regional Summer Training Institute (10% of time though the percentage will shift depending on the time of year)
- Serve on the Summer Training Management Team from June 1 through end of Summer Training
- Contribute to Summer Training 2019 vision, direction, feedback as a Management Team member
- Support the execution of Summer Training during the 7 weeks our 1st year corps members are participating in programming (specific role will be determined depending on strategic need but this person should expect to spend time at our Summer Training sites)
Collective Responsibility Regional Projects (10% of time)
- Fulfill foundational responsibilities that allow our region to do our work, make decisions, grow as professionals, and strengthen our team culture, including but not limited to attending regional meetings, operating with our Core Values and commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness, completing our performance management cycle, and upholding our data management, office operations, and fiscal responsibilities
- Make a direct impact on the organizational mission of enlisting, developing and mobilizing leaders to strengthen the movement for educational equity by participating in selection (6-10 days total plus preparation and close out time), matriculation (up to six windows across the year), regional recruitment activity, member facing events (including Leadership Summits and Summer Training), our alumni giving campaign, alumni survey, and at least one regional or national committee/working group, and other initiatives that impact our members and partners
- 6+ years of work experience preferred
- Instructional background and experience as a teacher required
- Experience managing and coaching adults required
- Experience teaching Diverse Learners or coaching Diverse-Learning Coaches preferred
Cultural Leadership
- Model of our Teach For America Core Values, demonstrate passion and commitment to our vision of educational equity for all children, and rely on culturally conscious and anti-racist leadership and management practices and decision-making processes in day-to-day practice. Displays a learning orientation, including of one’s own personal identity development and our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusiveness.
Operating and Managing
- Experience establishing a vision of excellence and equity for students and building a team culture around it.
- Knowledge of culturally responsive teaching pedagogy, and inclusive and equitable classroom culture practices and a demonstrated ability to coach teachers and teacher coaches around these practices.
- Understands adult learning principles and designs coaching, development and learning around them.
- Demonstrated ability to manage others to effectively track tasks, assess progress, and follow through on the execution of plans
Building Relationships & Influencing Others
- Ability to develop and cultivate relationships and networks in order to achieve results.
- Ability to build consensus and support at the staff and corps member level for program work. Ability to navigate conflict and support others in reaching equitable and mission aligned decisions.
Reasoning & Strategic Thinking
- Ability to make informed, timely decisions and use sound judgment to prioritize actions and influence complex interpersonal situations
- Ability to analyze data to draw accurate conclusions and to inform management and team priorities
Work Demands
- Some evening and weekend work required
- Ability to travel locally to various school sites frequently during work hours