Teach for America - Houston seeks a Director of Educator Leadership & Engagement to engage and develop our community of over 600 school-based educators. The candidate will set the direction for ongoing teacher professional development and oversee work that maximizes the impact of our alumni in schools all over the city. In addition, the candidate will work to recruit alumni to educational leadership positions, and will develop a comprehensive career support and professional development strategy. In order to achieve these goals, the Director of Educator Leadership & Engagement will partner with school leaders on human capital strategy to build stronger relationships with key grassroots leaders in the communities we serve. They will also work closely with both internal and external entities to design a scope and sequence of high-caliber programming to be offered throughout the year.
Success in this role requires a dedication to catalyzing instructional leadership that contributes to life-changing student outcomes. They will work to maximize educator potential to develop new educational systems and structures that ensure every child has the opportunity to realize their fullest potential. The person holding this role is described as: passionate about Houston and educational equity; an expert in translating adult learning principles to reality; a conscious leader; a team player; innovative and strategic; outcomes-oriented; motivated by relationships; a driven self-starter; and a compelling and strategic communicator.
The Director of Educator Support and Engagement will serve on the Teacher Leadership Development Team in the Houston region. This position reports to Lyric Flood, the Managing Director, Teacher Leadership Development and will work closely with second year teacher coaches and the Alumni Leadership Engagement Team.
The ideal candidate for this role has the passion for teaching and learning required to leverage teacher development into opportunities for children. This person will enjoy impacting students in two ways; (1) designing high-impact professional development specifically for second year and alumni educators and (2) engaging, connecting, inspiring, supporting, and celebrating Teach For America alumni continuing their impact in schools. More specifically, this person will:
“Spark & Inspire” Second Year Teach for America - Houston Corps Members (40%)
- Advance an integrated vision and scope and sequence for second year corps learning experiences that drives corps member development and corps culture such that their commitment to educational equity is “sparked” and they operate from “inspired” leadership
- Design, oversee (support and train) and occasionally execute Corps Member programming using the principles of adult learning
- Design, recruit alumni facilitators for, and occasionally execute programming focused on the transition of rising alumni as they reflect on their corps experience and consider their options after the corps
- Lead the planning and execution of our annual Alumni Induction
- Plan and coordinate the “Jeremy Tucker Memorial Award” Selection Process and Award Presentation
- Create and maintain systems for managing corps member professional development attendance and engagement
- Use research to increase teacher effectiveness and demonstrated leadership
- Analyze data to determine responsive strategies for program development and relationship building
“Sharpen, Position, Convene & Highlight” Teach for America Alums (40%)
Sharpen
- Plan and coordinate alumni engagement in high-leverage teacher development pathways, such as:
- National Teaching Certification Cohort
- Sue Lehmann Excellence in Teaching Fellowship
- Acquire, design, and manage the execution of high-impact professional development for alumni educators
- Oversee the partnerships with colleges and universities that offer Master’s programs in education and educational leadership to our corps members and alumni
Position
- Connect alumni with others (corps members, alumni, other community members, etc.) working in their local communities or who share a particular passion for working within education
- Collaborate with district human resources teams to design alumni teacher placement and professional development
- Collaborate with the Alumni Leadership Engagement team for matching alumni to educational leadership opportunities outside of schools
Convene
- Oversee the creation and implementation of professional learning communities for alumni serving in various school based roles long-term
Highlight
- Be ready to regularly and compellingly share our impact in Houston with external audiences
- Celebrate our alumni teachers and instructional leaders
- Share promising practices and stories of impact with other alumni educators to continue to prove what’s possible
- Coordinate the Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Process with external partner organizations and districts each year
- Cultivate, and in some cases support others on the team to cultivate, meaningful relationships with alumni working in schools
- Keep ongoing demographic data on our school-based alumni: what are doing currently, their interests, and what they aspire to do in the future
Set Vision & Direction (10%)
- Develop a robust alumni engagement plan which includes communications, events, and other tactics that inspire alumni to pursue individual and collective action
- Articulating a vision for Excellence in Teaching & Instructional Leadership
- Develop a scope and sequence of skills that alumni need in order to be considered top-talent for education leadership roles
- Leverage data and insights about the ongoing state of the corps and alumni experience, including teacher effectiveness, retention, student learning, to generate solutions that ensure engagement and support experiences are relevant and responsive
- Work hand-in-hand with other members of the Teacher Leadership Development team, other regional functional teams, and national Program teams to create a consistent and aligned corps member experience
- Attend neighborhood and community events to understand the values, priorities, and needs of our families and residents in the local communities where our corps members and alumni teach and lead
Lead Across the Movement (10%)
- Participate in the National Corps Member Selection Process for up to six days per year
- Support 3-4 large-scale regional events per year
- Attend and participate in Team Meetings, All Staff Meetings, and any additional required staff programming
- Cultivate corps members and alumni for staff positions to fuel our movement.
- Manage execution of the Alumni Survey Campaign
- 5+ years of teaching experience preferred, school leadership experience preferred but not required
- Deep knowledge of effective pedagogy and andragogy
- Have, at minimum, four years professional experience building community with a diverse group of teachers and school administrators and managing multiple projects at once
- Have, at minimum, two years of professional experience with demonstrated results in adult learning design and facilitation, experience in Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leadership Development preferred
- Knowledge of the educational, political, civic and social landscape of Houston is highly preferred
- Teach For America alum preferred but not required
Skills Required
To function in this role, this person must be:
- An expert in translating adult learning principles to reality. You have a deep knowledge of adult learning and teaching practices. You have the attention to detail necessary to design experiences that align to an ambitious vision for learning. You have a strong ability to manage many projects at one time, leading to intended outcomes. You are comfortable understanding the various needs of novice and experienced teachers. You design experiences that are relevant and responsive to educator needs.
- Passionate about Houston and educational equity. You are passionate about issues related to educational inequity in Houston. You are incredibly optimistic about what educators can achieve when we embrace the strengths that are omnipresent in our communities. You believe people and place play a critical role in creating meaningful and lasting experiences.
- A conscious leader. You are always oriented towards social justice and equity. You have a pattern of modeling self-reflection, curiosity and exploration, and an ability to connect and empathize with people. You have a history of operating in the spirit of our commitment to diversity and a strong understanding of the dynamics of race and class in America. You have an ever-growing understanding of your social identities and how race, class, and privilege influence your values, mindsets and behaviors.
- A team player. You enjoy working collaboratively with others on the team, knowing your outcomes are improved by working in partnership. You lead by example and are comfortable holding others accountable for doing so. You actively seek different perspectives, complementary skill sets, and to learn from others. You recognize the value of celebrating others and intentionally contribute to a strong team culture.
- Innovative and strategic. When it comes to engaging, inspiring, celebrating, and supporting our alumni, you seek to chart a new course and create something where something does not yet exist. When you face a large problem, your first instinct is to break it down into smaller, manageable pieces and vigorously prioritize what is most important. You have the ability to identify key issues in complex dynamics, then chart out potential paths forward.
- Lead with outcomes in mind. You have an incredibly strong record of achieving ambitious goals despite obstacles and have experience doing so in complex situations when the stakes are high and with diverse teams. Your decisions are data-driven, and you stay laser-focused on your goals regardless of any day-to-day chaos or distractions. You are motivated to achieve extraordinary performance and cultural outcomes in the midst of change.
- Motivated by relationships. Whether working with your teammates, external stakeholders, or our corps members and alumni, you cultivate and manage strong and lasting relationships with ease. Additionally, you have strong gravitas, presence, and maturity that engender respect and facilitate strong partnerships. You build trust such that others are inspired to work alongside you regardless of a management relationship.
- A driven self-starter. You have superior organizational skills, attention to detail, integrity, and great follow-through on all facets of your work. You demonstrate an uncommon level of personal responsibility for starting on your own. You define and strive to expand what is within your control. You persevere in the face of challenges and you’re exceptionally optimistic about what is possible. You take initiative to do what it takes to achieve success. You are obsessed with learning and growing and consistently act on feedback to improve your performance, outcomes and impact on others.
- A compelling and strategic communicator. You work across multiple stakeholders to ensure consistency and quality of internal and external communications. You craft compelling, inspiring stories about our mission and work and can tailor them to different audiences across a wide variety of communication channels. You keep your manager regularly updated as critical partners in your work. When communicating decisions you are able to assess the impact these decisions can have on others and are able to effectively plan accordingly. You are naturally empathetic and can quickly understand people’s needs and aspirations and how information can help them achieve their goals.
Work Demands
- 45-55 hours per week with increased hours occasionally
- Some weekends and evenings required
- Consistent local travel required
- Some regional/national for conferences and professional development