Director of Educator Development

BACKGROUND:

The Educator Academy was founded in 2016 to make a high quality education experience a reality for all students. To do that, we focus on teachers. We focus on teachers because we know that teacher quality has the greatest impact on student success. We work towards our vision by preparing new teachers, retaining teachers, and developing instructional leaders. Our work manifests in a variety of ways, from our teacher certification pathways including the teacher residency and teacher fellowship programs, to our annual conference The Summit, to individualized development for school partners. All the work we do is in aim of improving the educational outcomes of students by supporting the teachers in local classrooms.

ROLE SUMMARY

The director of educator development will ensure that educator development programs are effective, sustainable, and drive measurable participant success. They will also establish and maintain collaborative partnerships with school leaders in the community in the development of EA graduates and any participants of EA programming. Additionally, as a member of the senior leadership team, they will support the entire EA organization in establishing, monitoring, and achieving org-wide impact goals

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Educator Development

• Effectiveness Collaborate with other program department leaders on a continuum of success in order to set vision.
• Monitor participant performance across all programmatic requirements in accordance with national and EA standards for completer professional growth, quality program practices, and program engagement in K-12 systems improvement.
• Maintain accurate program participant data which includes progress towards EA performance benchmarks and overall performance.
• Collaborate regularly with the program department leadership, management and additional stakeholders as needed to ensure the quality and effectiveness of both internal and external development of instructional leaders.
• Ensure alignment between program improvement initiatives within educator development and across the program department.
• Develop and implement high quality professional development including curriculum for group and individual learning in the areas of effective teaching and instructional leadership.
• Develop, implement, and manage project plans for external consulting and development.
• Regularly assess the effectiveness of internal and external mechanisms for teacher development, teacher retention, and development of instructional leaders.
• Provide professional development for internal staff and external participants.
• Review all program participant policies and revise handbooks annually.
• Make all necessary resources available (within reason and budget) to ensure the educator development team members and participants can effectively execute on their work.
• Ensure educator development team members receive explicit and job-embedded development enhancing coaching, facilitation, instructional practices, and content design.
• Ensure that effective support strategies are implemented for program participants.
• Oversee the creation and implementation of participant support plans.
• Develop targeted retention initiatives to support program participants.
• Regularly assess participant satisfaction and respond timely and in alignment with EA values.

Partnerships and Client Engagement

• Serve as a representative of the organization with building-level leadership.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with school leaders in support of graduates and participants being developed through contractual engagement.
• Coordinate the goals and execution of project plans as they apply to contractual engagement.
• Manage scheduling, planning, and execution of regular partnership meetings with host school sites.
• Collaborate with the admissions and prep teams to ensure that school sites are aligned with organizational mission and values.
• Regularly assess partner satisfaction and respond timely and in alignment with EA values.

Organizational Leadership

• Actively participate in decisions & discussions as a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
• Advise senior leadership on trends in educator development to inform programmatic pivots and innovation.
• Monitor outcome data and organizational context in order to propose next steps to meet goals.
• Ensure team members are aligned on purpose, structures, and responsibilities to maximize team impact,
• Foster effective intra-team and cross-team collaboration including effectively resolving conflicts in order to ensure strong staff satisfaction.
• Monitor team performance and support growth through coaching, feedback and professional development opportunities.

People Management

• Foster strong, trust-based relationships among team members and across departments to enhance collaboration and teamwork.
• Motivate team members to perform their best and stay engaged with the organization’s mission.
• Conduct performance reviews as directed, provide frequent constructive feedback, and proactively address issues as they arise.
• Serve as hiring manager for needed positions by coordinating a hiring team, conducting interviews, evaluating candidates, and making hiring decisions.
• Ensure new hires are properly onboarded and integrated into the team and organization.
• Nurture the skills and capabilities of team members through coaching, training, and professional development opportunities.
• Promote a healthy work-life balance and foster a positive work environment that supports employees' well-being, job satisfaction, and engagement.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree is preferred
• Minimum of two years of work experience required, preferably K-12 leadership experience in a school setting; previous coaching or administrative experience (highly preferred)
• Experience in public schools, with a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges within that dynamic environment, is preferred

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES NECESSARY

• Strong collaboration, situational awareness, and relationship-building skills
• Excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills
• Diplomatic, active listener with strong communication skills
• Skilled in managing stakeholder relationships
• Ability to set performance standards, evaluate outcomes, and drive improvements
• Strong project management across planning, execution, monitoring, and closing projects
• Self-aware, adaptable, and resilient in high-pressure situations
• Innovative, growth-oriented mindset
• Ability to navigate and adapt to the evolving education landscape

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The Educator Academy staff works in a collaborative working environment at our main office in the Crossroads neighborhood of downtown Kansas City. While our instructional courses and other programming are often at the office, other work takes place at our partner school sites or remotely from home. To encourage a balanced approach to work, our staff embraces a hybrid environment. The amount of time in the office vs. at home varies depending on the role, time of year, and workflow. For this role, you can expect to spend 2-4 days on site, and 1-2 days at home.

WORK LOAD

The Educator Academy we prioritize a 40-hour work week across a Monday to Friday schedule for full time employees. There are events and requirements outside of normal business hours that averages around 3-6x per year per staff member, with variance depending on the role and project assignments.

TRAVEL

This role requires reliable transportation and willingness to travel to and from partner sites. Occasional overnight travel is required for training purposes.

TO APPLY

• Interested applicants can apply for this position by completing an application and submitting a cover letter and resume. Submit your materials on The Educator Academy webpage at www.educator-academy.org/careers/