As the Senior Managing Director, Los Angeles Institute (SMD,I), you will oversee all aspects of the planning and successful execution of the first-ever LA Regional Institute aligned with the expectations and requirements of Teach For America, the Los Angeles region, our Institute partners, and our participating regions’ executive directors. You will be held to high standards for performance in the areas of: staff satisfaction; corps member experience; student achievement; and diversity, equity and inclusiveness.
The Los Angeles institute team is charged with: defining and evolving the vision of institute relative to regional vision and priorities; working closely with the Corps Member and Alumni Impact and Experience Design teams to ensure programmatic alignment; and ensuring that rigorous teacher development, alumni development, and student learning take place within the Los Angeles context over the course of the summer. Year-round you will manage a team of four full-time leaders charged with responsibilities ranging from programmatic design and strategic planning to recruitment and operations. It will be your responsibility to take their leadership and skill development to the next level. In late spring and summer, your team will grow to include up to forty seasonal staff members leading and executing in the areas of coaching, site oversight, operations, culture setting, and instruction, to name a few.
LA Institute will be held on the campuses of two LA regional placement partners and on the university campus of our credentialing partner. You will be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with partner staff at all levels throughout the launch and execution of Institute. These organizations are significant and long-term partners of the LA region.
Team leadership and management (45%)
- Manage a full-time team of four staff members to plan and execute the institute, and manage oversight of additional staff members over the summer
- Oversee and support the recruitment, selection, and training of a high-performing summer institute staff (up to forty people) that will maximize corps member effectiveness and experience
- Serve as an primary Institute point person and overall role model/leader for your team
- Mentor, coach, and support full-time team members on their leadership and across all workstreams throughout the launch and execution of Institute.
- Build and maintain a strong culture among the full time institute team members and ensure this sense of community exists at the corps member level, as well
Strategic planning and partnerships (40%)
- With input from the Corps Member & Alumni Impact and Experience Design teams, set a compelling vision and strategy to reach desired corps member and student achievement goals over the summer in partnership with the Managing Director, Strategy, Talent, and Operations.
- Lead partner relationships on behalf of the Institute, LA Regional, and TFA teams, ensuring that we provide an excellent and aligned experience for partner schools, participating staff, enrolled students, and corps members (LA, San Diego, and CA Capital Valley).
- Actively contribute to and advance Teach for America’s broader efforts to train and support our corps members across their two-year commitment
Regional responsibilities (15%)
- Serve as a member of the regional Leadership Team to support the region in achieving its short and long term vision, goals, and objectives
- Actively participate in all all-staff activities and initiatives including, but not limited to, all-staff meetings, retreats, small team cohorts, and stepbacks throughout the year
- Own and support broader regional and organizational priorities, including selecting and matriculating new corps members and supporting other regional initiatives
Prior Experience
- 7 to 10 years of work experience strongly preferred
- 3 or more years of management experience required
- Previous large-scale strategic planning experience required
- Previous project management experience required
- Instructional experience required
- Teach For America alumni preferred
- Previous summer institute experience strongly preferred
Skills
- Demonstrated commitment to and belief in Teach For America's mission, theory of change and core values
- Ability to set an inspiring vision and invest others in ambitious goals
- Proven ability to develop and leverage relationships with diverse constituents and stakeholders
- Demonstrated success building a diverse team and fostering long term growth and development
- Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Ability to analyze and synthesize data from a range of sources to make high-impact, strategic decisions
- Desire to lead and support an entrepreneurial endeavor
Work Demands
- Ability to travel and work on-site at a university for eight weeks (including evenings and weekends) during the summer