Director of Program Design & Development, Early Engagement will design the full scope of programming that brings to life the full suite of underclassmen experiences and internships that we offer prospective corps members.
The Director of Program Design & Development will serve as the head of the programmatic design work for all current signature Early Engagement programs: Impact, Rise, and Accelerate, as well as all future programming. There is a real need for a design expert to evolve, iterate, and continue to elevate current programming and also take initiative to develop new programming to address Early Engagement Experiences and Internship needs. They will ensure that Early Engagement programming is best in class, delivering an inspiring, one-of-a-kind experience, that leads to strong brand amplification, and delivers meaningful professional growth opportunities for program participants.
With support and collaboration from Early Engagement team, this individual will adapt current programming to evolve and align to new strategic plans. They will also work in collaboration with the Early Engagement and Recruitment team to generate, pilot, and test new programming. They will take the vision of Early Engagement experiences and internships and break each down into its programmatic arc, creating a scope and sequence that matches the ideal prospect journey and corresponds to the broader Early Engagement vision for programming. They will be charged with designing and building out each corresponding plan for program implementation, excluding logistics and operations. The Director of Program Design & Development will utilize prospect insights and adult learning best-practices to design the content for a suite of creative and innovative underclassmen programs.
Additionally, the Director of Program Design & Development will support the execution of all current signature programs and any future programming.
The Director of Program Design & Development will:
- Set vision and direction for a rigorous scope and sequence for each current and future program offered by the Early Engagement team to underclassmen prospects. This vision will be grounded in quantitative and qualitative data reflecting a deep understanding of the prospect market. This individual will also contribute to the broader vision and direction of the Early Engagement team.
- Design and build out all essential strategies and components of each program. This includes developing all presentation materials, identifying the needs for external stakeholder participation or external activities and collaborating with EE for ownership of execution. They will prepare facilitators, speakers, panelists, and develop other general content to ensure effective programming.
- Laterally manage program designers, speakers, and executors to implement effective and high quality programming. The Director of Design will create detailed project plans with clear benchmarks and deliverables, hold a high bar for results, and consistently assess progress against these plans. They will utilize exemplar communication strategies to enlist, motivate and invest others in their role in execution.
- Assess programming strengths and weaknesses and communicate noteworthy trends and initiatives to staff members, using these key insights to modify and iterate future programming.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders, including central Recruitment teams (e.g. L&D, Strategic Initiatives, Performance Analytics and Performance Management), those directly involved in recruitment (e.g. Field recruiters, Pre-Corps Engagement, Alumni teams, etc.) and teams within TFA that are gatekeepers to knowledge or stakeholders to EE (TLD, Development, etc). Collaboration will be grounded in research and intends to gather relevant and applicable perspectives that will shape design strategy.
- Continuously seek out best practices, new ideas, and fresh takesin order to ensure Early Engagement programming is best in class and relevant. This individual demonstrates the drive to constantly evolve and update programming.
- Thrive in an unstructured space as we initiate, test and pilot new programming, and scale and evolve our current programming.
The ideal candidate for this role will have:
- Demonstrated exceptional prior design experience
- Prior knowledge in adult learning
- Experience in both in-person and virtual facilitation
- Demonstrated a clear understanding and analysis of the Gen Z market, or a deep desire to learn about this market
- Strong orientation towards creativity and innovation
- Confidence and drive to create programming for high stakes events
- Demonstrated strong skills in lateral management
- Motivation and a self-starter who can work well without structure and take initiative
- Exemplary organizational and communication skills
- Prior experience on the recruitment team is highly preferred and/or experience on Teach For America staff in general highly preferred
- Prior experience designing and leading professional development experiences for adult learners required
A strong Director of Program Design & Development...
- Embodies conviction around Teach For America’s mission and Theory of Change and exemplifies TFA’s core values. Holds deep belief that educational inequity is a massive, urgent injustice, TFA plays a crucial role in the long-term fight for change, and we need to enlist as many outstanding, diverse leaders as we can to join the corps
- Is outcomes-oriented and driven to maximize impact against measurable goals
- Capably manages across teams and through layers without formal management authority
- Communicates clearly and compellingly (both verbally and written) across lines of difference and in multiple contexts (e.g. 1:1, small groups, large audiences, etc.)
- Thinks strategically, using data to make timely and informed decisions to prioritize actions that matter most and have the greatest impact
- Always seeks to grow and improve. They reflect on successes/failures, seek feedback, incorporate feedback immediately to improve, ask for the help or resources they need to be successful, and assume personal responsibility
- Demonstrates ability and motivation to build community and team, both virtually and in-person
- Thrives in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced, diverse, results-oriented environment
- Is creative, adaptive, and excited to take on new things
- Enjoys creating and facilitating programming
Work Demands
- <35% travel
- Some evening & weekend work required
Technical Skills
- Proficient with Microsoft office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint