Associate Commissioner, Field Support (Director VII)

MISSION: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will improve outcomes for all public-school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

Core Values

• We are Determined: We are committed and intentional in the pursuit of our main purpose, to improve outcomes for students.
• We are People-Centered: We strive to attract, develop, and retain the most committed talent, representing the diversity of Texas, each contributing to our common vision for students.
• We are Learners: We seek evidence, reflect on success and failure, and try new approaches in the pursuit of excellence for our students.
• We are Servant Leaders: Above all else, we are public servants working to improve opportunities for students and provide support to those who serve them.
  
  

New hires, re-hires, and internal hires will typically receive a starting salary between the posted minimum and the average pay of employees in their same classification. Offers will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience and qualifications and will thoughtfully consider internal pay equity for agency staff who perform similar duties and have similar qualifications. The top half of the posted salary range is generally reserved for candidates who exceed the requirements and qualifications for the role. The maximum of the salary range is reserved for candidates that far exceed the required and preferred qualifications for the role.

Position Overview

The Office of Governance (OG) proactively supports school systems, keeps students safe, and upholds Texas education law with integrity, objectivity, and excellence. We engage with local education agencies (LEAs) to promote best practices through two core workstreams: Field Support and Compliance & Investigations. By fostering collaboration across the agency and engaging directly in the field, we advance our vision of creating a safe school environment and excellent education for every Texas public school student.

The Associate Commissioner of Governance Field Support will lead strategic efforts to ensure Texas school systems leaders focus on improving student outcomes. This role involves partnering with superintendents, school board members, and other school system leaders to identify, adopt, and implement research-based and best practice approaches to school system leadership, system design, and governance.

This position offers leadership, collaboration, and support in system performance and strategy development to the Office and Governance leadership team, agency staff, legislators, districts, and other stakeholders to achieve ambitious outcomes. This position reports directly to the Deputy Commissioner of Governance.

This role is a satellite role requiring candidates to be based in the state of Texas and will require frequent travel to the Austin area/across Texas.

Please note that a resume, tailored cover letter, and short answer responses are required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Additionally, applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.

Essential Functions

Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.

• Field Engagement: lead the development and execution of a stakeholder engagement strategy to analyze trends in the field and identify opportunities to improve agency services; proactively engage with superintendents, school board members, and Education Service Center leaders throughout the state to provide support, assist in problem solving, and serve as a thought partner for improving student outcomes in school systems; ensure the highest level of inter-agency cooperation and coordination in developing strategies and tools that align with best practices in school system governance and overall design
• Governance Interventions: provide strategic direction and guidance for the successful implementation and continuous improvement of governance interventions, including monitor, conservator, and board of managers placements; oversee the planning, installation, and execution of interventions, using data-driven insights to monitor, evaluate, and enhance their effectiveness for informed decision-making and sustained improvement
• Accreditation and Enforcement Coordination: oversee the processes for assigning the annual accreditation status of local education agencies; coordinate and issue enforcement actions against LEAs including sanctions and interventions; process LEA waiver requests; and oversee the Districts of Innovation (DOI) designation process
• Team Management and Supervision: provide visionary leadership to high performing teams, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement within the department; implement a strong system of performance management
  
  

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university
• Experience: At least eleven [11] years of progressive experience in supporting Local Education Agency (LEA) administration and/or governance systems with demonstrated experience leading and cultivating high performing teams coupled with a strong track record of successful business process re-engineering and optimization.
• Substitutions: An advanced degree may substitute for two years of required experience.
  
  

Other Qualifications

• Share the belief that all Texas students can achieve at high levels and are able to succeed in college, career, or the military
• Exceptional leadership and personnel management skills, including demonstrated skill in vision-setting and coaching
• A track record of performance and successful implementation across multiple concurrent projects, shifting and competing priorities, and driving teams towards results
• Demonstrated understanding of the functions, processes, and challenges of school systems, superintendents, school boards, and educational service centers, with a track-record of system level outcomes
• Experience authentically engaging stakeholders and leveraging feedback for continuous improvement
• A desire to learn and deeply understand agency initiatives and best practices to improve student outcomes
• Knowledge of governance research and best practices preferred
• Knowledge of the Texas Education Code and Texas Administrative Code
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to deal with ambiguity and conflict, while leading and managing teams of people to be a part of a large, complex organization
• A desire to self-reflect, give/receive feedback and continuously improve
  
  

As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age or veteran status, unless an applicant is entitled to the military employment preference.

To review the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces to each job classification series in the State’s Position Classification Plan (provided by the State Auditor's Office), please access the Military Crosswalk (occupational specialty code) Guide and click on the military “occupational category” that corresponds with the state classification in this job posting title.

This position requires the applicant to meet Agency standards and criteria which may include passing a pre-employment criminal background check, prior to being offered employment by the Agency.

No phone calls or emails, please. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not accept telephone calls and cannot reply to all email inquiries. Only candidates selected for interview will be contacted. Please add "capps.recruiting@cpa.texas.gov" and "@tea.texas.gov" to your safe senders list to ensure you receive email notifications from our talent acquisition team and/or hiring division regarding your candidacy.