Associate Director, PD Design, PreK-8 Biliteracy

A pioneer in K-12 education since 2000, Amplify is leading the way in next-generation curriculum and assessment. Our core and supplemental programs in ELA, math, and science engage all students in rigorous learning and inspire them to think deeply, creatively, and for themselves. Our formative assessment products help teachers identify the targeted instruction students need to build a strong foundation in early reading and math. All of our programs provide educators with powerful tools that help them understand and respond to the needs of every student. Today, Amplify serves more than 15 million students in all 50 states. For more information, visitamplify.com.

The Design, Training, and Development team aims to optimize the entire professional development (PD) cycle through closely aligning the intent and content of our training experiences (including live and remote synchronous sessions and asynchronous training experiences like webpages, toolkits, videos, animations, and simulations) with the capabilities of our Professional Learning Specialists (PLS) to meet the evolving needs of our customers. Our goal is to deliver highly impactful, user-centered training experiences that resonate deeply with educators across diverse educational settings.

Central to our approach is ensuring seamless alignment within the PD team and across the company, including product teams, throughout the entire professional development journey-from initial design to final delivery. This team actively influences the entire cycle of professional development support for teachers, encompassing the design of high-quality content, recruitment, hiring, and training of Professional Learning Specialists (PLSs), delivery of training to educators, and feedback integration for continuous improvement. We design robust onboarding and growth initiatives to equip PLSs with the necessary knowledge and skills for delivering exceptional PD sessions. By attracting and hiring top-tier candidates who share our commitment to educational excellence, we aim to enhance the quality and relevance of our PD offerings and make a meaningful impact on teachers and, ultimately, students.

As the Associate Director, PD Design & Implementation, Literacy, you will own the development of professional development experiences for Amplify's PreK-8 core biliteracy suite, overseeing a team of designers that you support, manage, and motivate to produce best in class content across modalities. This role is critical to achieving the charge of the DTD team outlined above through providing strong leadership of your team, deep knowledge of the product and platform, and ensuring excellence in the design of our PD content for Professional Learning Specialists and customers.

Responsibilities

Manage Execution & Implementation

• Project Execution & Progress Monitoring: Lead multiple projects from inception to completion, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and successful execution. Track project progress closely, making necessary adjustments to ensure deadlines are met. Track project milestones and deliverables, ensuring timely completion and effective management.

• Deliverable Management & Reporting: Ensure all project deliverables are met on time and within budget, maintaining high standards of quality. Report on project outcomes, maintain appropriate documentation, and share status, progress, and impact to team leadership, ensuring transparency and accountability.

• Issue Resolution: Proactively address and resolve any issues or obstacles that arise during project execution to keep projects on track.

• Data Gathering and Analysis: Collect and analyze data to support strategic decision-making and inform future initiatives.

• Drive Innovation: Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within the team, encouraging new ideas and approaches

Sub-Team Leadership & People Management

• Sub-Team Vision and Goal Setting: Establish and communicate clear vision and goals for the sub-team, ensuring alignment with the broader team and organizational objectives.

• Performance Monitoring: Track sub-team performance, provide regular feedback, and implement strategies to drive continuous improvement and high performance.

• Management & Development: Manage sub-team members, providing guidance and support to foster their professional development and growth, meeting HR requirements and goals of the company more broadly.

• Promote Collaboration: Foster a collaborative culture within the sub-team, encouraging open communication and teamwork.

• Sub-Team Leadership: Conduct regular sub-team meetings to ensure effective communication, alignment on goals, and progress tracking. Recognize and celebrate sub-team achievements to boost morale and motivation. Promote an inclusive culture within the sub-team that values diverse perspectives and experiences.

• Motivate to Excellence: Support sub-team members to deliver content that meets high standards of quality and consistency, following established guidelines and best practices to maintain high standards of work.

Product Expertise & Ownership

• Product & Platform Expertise: Develop and maintain deep expertise in Literacy or Math & Science products within a suite as well as Platform utilization, serving as the go-to expert for product- and platform-related queries and issues.

• Design Alignment: Lead and oversee the development, enhancement, and continuous improvement of PD design with assigned products to ensure they meet user needs and industry standards.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with product leaders and other stakeholders to ensure PD Design alignment with strategic goals and effective integration with other products.

• Training and Support: Identify and address training needs related to the product, and provide support and guidance to ensure effective product use and implementation.

• Performance Monitoring: Monitor and evaluate PD Design performance, utilizing data and feedback to make informed decisions and drive improvements to ensure high standards of quality in deliverables and resolve any issues related to performance or user experience.

Cross-Team Collaboration

• Work across Teams: Partner with different teams to help develop and deliver training programs. Collaborate closely to ensure that all aspects of the training are effectively executed.

• Information Alignment: Share and receive key information to keep all teams aligned. This helps ensure that everyone is informed and working towards the same objectives.

• Incorporate Feedback: Gather input from various teams to refine and enhance training resources. Use this feedback to make necessary adjustments and improve overall effectiveness.

• Support Projects: Assist in managing collective projects by contributing expertise and solving problems. Collaborate to overcome challenges and achieve common goals.

• Ensure Clear Communication: Use collaboration tools to maintain clear and consistent communication across teams. Track progress and document updates to facilitate smooth project execution.

Professional Development Design

• Oversee Design and Execution: Supervise and guide team members in the design and execution of various training formats, ensuring alignment with overall training goals and business objectives.

• Set Standards: Establish and enforce best practices and standards for training development, including instructional design principles, multimedia production, and interactive content. Implement and maintain quality standards for all training materials and resources, ensuring they meet high standards of effectiveness, engagement, and accuracy.

• Design Engaging Content: Develop and review training experiences that are engaging and effective, incorporating various formats such as instructor-led sessions, interactive eLearning modules, and virtual workshops.

• Expertise in Adult Learning: Apply advanced knowledge of adult learning theories and principles to design and deliver training experiences that cater to the diverse needs and preferences of adult learners.

• Monitor and Review: Regularly review and assess the effectiveness of training materials and experiences, providing constructive feedback and recommendations for improvements.

• Training Development Support: Provide ongoing support and mentorship to team members, fostering their professional development and enhancing their skills in training design and delivery.

• Integration of Resources & Feedback: Ensure that various training formats and resources are seamlessly integrated to provide a cohesive and comprehensive learning experience. Collect and analyze feedback from participants and stakeholders to drive continuous improvement in training experiences and adapt content and formats as needed.

• Innovative Practices: Stay informed about the latest trends and innovations in training and development, integrating new techniques and technologies to enhance training effectiveness.

Flexible Engagement & Team Commitments

• Support Company and PD Team Responsibilities: Integrate and align your work with team and company priorities, actively contributing to the achievement of these goals.

• Engage in Team Commitments: Participate in and/or lead team commitments, including working groups, team meetings, projects, and other initiatives contributing to the overall success of the region.

• Adapt to Company Needs: Flexibly support various initiatives as needed, adapting to the changing needs of the organization and contributing to emerging projects or priorities.

You are a good fit for this role if you:

• Radical Ownership: You take full responsibility for your projects, from concept through execution. You own the design process, challenges, and successes, and lead your team with accountability and dedication.

• Balance Big Picture with Details: You maintain a clear vision of the overall goals while paying attention to the critical details that impact the user experience. You guide your team to keep sight of both the macro and micro aspects of design. You are able to toggle up and toggle down and take both lenses into consideration when making decisions and investing others in priorities.

• Deliver Results: You are action-oriented, capable of assessing risks and opportunities to move projects forward. You prioritize completing tasks effectively while managing perfectionism and avoiding analysis paralysis. People that work with you say that you "get things done" while also ensuring a human-centered workplace.

• Seek the "Third Way": You are skilled at finding creative solutions that go beyond binary thinking. You explore alternative approaches that benefit both the department and the broader organization.

• Strong Judgment: You consistently exercise good judgment by asking insightful questions, involving the right stakeholders, and making informed decisions. You are comfortable pausing to reflect and reassess when necessary. You can adequately assess when you need to bring others into a decision and when you should move forward on your own.

• Communicate Proactively and Clearly: You excel at communication, providing clear, compelling updates, anticipating the needs of your audience and with finesse. You ensure that information is effectively shared across all levels and departments.

• Scalable Excellence: You are dedicated to principles of simplicity, scalability, and standardization. You work towards creating solutions that are not only efficient but also maintain high standards of quality and responsiveness.

• Embrace Flexibility and Adaptability: You thrive in dynamic environments and are comfortable navigating changes. You balance flexibility with a commitment to standardized processes, ensuring that design solutions are both adaptable and consistently high-quality.

• Principle-First Decision Making: You approach projects and decisions with a principle-first mindset, prioritizing core principles that guide decision-making. This ensures that decisions align with our overarching goals, values, and strategy.

• User-Centered: You understand the importance of usability and impact on key stakeholders, primarily PLS and teachers. You design with the end-user in mind, ensuring that all materials and solutions are practical, user-friendly, and directly address their needs at scale.

• Balance Standardization & Innovation: You are invested in creating standardized design content and utilizing standard practices that promote efficiency while remaining open to seizing opportunities that arise and taking on innovative approaches, ensuring design systems are scalable and consistently applied across projects.

• Foster Collaboration: You are energized by working with others, especially across functions, and enjoy collaborating with diverse teams. You actively seek input from various stakeholders to create cohesive and effective design solutions.

• Growth Mindset & Continuous Improvement: You maintain core foundational knowledge and expertise while committing to ongoing learning and self-improvement. Embracing a growth mindset, you adapt to new challenges and continually enhance your skills, ensuring your work remains relevant and high-quality.

• Represent the PD Team Brand: You prioritize building strong relationships and embody the values of the PD team. You approach challenges with a "how might we" mindset, consistently seeking opportunities to enhance our brand. You orient toward an abundance mindset - you are a pie baker, not a pie eater.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and 5 years of PreK-12 biliteracy/literacy classroom teaching experience

• 2 years of management experience, leading a high-performing team that produced long- and short-term deliverables

• Ability to read and provide feedback on Spanish written materials

• At least 2 years of experience designing and facilitating professional development sessions for PreK-12 educators both in-person and online, at scale

• Experience teaching and/or supporting implementation of Amplify products

• Proven knowledge of adult learning principles and experience applying them when delivering learning experiences to adults

• Strong knowledge around best practices for implementing high-quality instruction in literacy and biliteracy in order for students to meet and exceed rigorous grade level standards

• Strong knowledge of transformational coaching principles and strategies

• Demonstrated proficiency with instructional and visual design

• Proven time management skills when managing multiple tasks

• Experience developing and managing large-scale projects, including creating detailed project plans and meeting deadlines.

• Experience analyzing project feedback data and using it to inform implementation next steps

• Demonstrates exceptional professionalism, poise, and judgment at all times

• Excellent skill and comfort with technology-based productivity tools, including Microsoft Office, Google Applications and video conferencing programs (Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams) and is eager and able to pick up any new technology or software with ease.

• Able to travel for onsite and in-person meetings for approximately 20% of the year

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience designing and delivering content within the Desmos platform.

• Experience building learning content using an authoring tool and integrating into courses within an LMS.

• Experience as an Instructional Leader, Coach and/or Curriculum Developer for a school or district.

• Experience with onboarding, and/or ongoing development.

• Experience managing contractors

• Skill in design tools such as Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator and/or Canva

What we offer:

Salary is only one component of the Amplify Total Rewards package, which includes a 401(k) plan, stock options, competitive health insurance and mental health options, basic life insurance, paid time off, parental leave, and access to best-in-class development programs. The gross salary range for this role is $110,000 - $125,000. This role is eligible to earn an annual discretionary bonus that rewards individual and company performance.

We celebratediversityand are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. To that end, we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from adiversecandidate pool.

Amplify is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.

This position may be funded, in whole or in part, through American Recovery & Reinvestment Act funds.

Amplify Education, Inc. is an E-Verify participant.

If selected, a background check will be required. As required by state and local laws and district policies, you may also be required to provide additional documentation, such as proof of vaccination or submit to enhanced background screening, including fingerprints.