What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Strategic Projects - Remote position at Zearn?
The purpose of Zearn
Zearn is the nonprofit educational organization whose mission is to inspire all kids to love learning math. Everything we do is driven by our belief that every kid is a math kid.
Our top-rated learning platform is designed to catch kids up and move them forward in grade-level math. And it works. Large-scale efficacy research shows students who use Zearn make significant gains in math proficiency, including the students who start multiple grade levels behind.
The vital importance of learning math today is hard to understate, and yet today, it is common to think that only some are born to achieve in math. Math learning is often disparaged and feared (e.g. I'd rather go to the dentist than do algebra) or viewed as a special interest or luxury (e.g. if kids don't have a passion for math that is okay, maybe they have a passion for pottery). We don't look at learning to read the same way. Zearn exists to help create a world where all children love learning math.
As a nonprofit, all of our work is driven by what is best for kids. At the same time, we operate as an intense and fast-moving technology company, inclusively solving hard problems that will impact current and future generations. The problems we solve require expertise in pedagogy, software development, persuasion, psychology, design, writing, video production, problem solving, and countless other disciplines. As an organization that is always stretching to get to the next level of impact, every single person owns mission critical work. If you’re ready to join our Team of problem solvers, and own work that will drive us to achieve impact at scale, we are looking for you.
Learn more about us at https : / / about.zearn.org / .
Zearn is seeking a high-impact strategic leader to partner with the VP of Strategy and the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) at a pivotal phase of growth, driving initiatives that will scale Zearn’s implementation and user engagement to achieve measurable impact on math achievement. As the Director of Strategic Projects , you will collaborate closely with the CEO and ELT to lead high-visibility, transformative projects, refine core operational processes, and scale key experiments that shape the future of education. This role is ideal for a candidate with a top-tier management consulting background looking to transition into a dynamic operating leadership role, where your expertise will directly influence Zearn's strategic direction and growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Design and lead high-priority experiments to drive deeper implementation and impact of Zearn
- Evaluate and codify existing implementation processes and deployment models (e.g., training and coaching)
- Define shortlist of high-potential experiments that could inflect implementation beyond experience to date
- Work closely with partnerships, academic and product teams to support the delivery and intervention to partners
- Reflect and evaluate the experiments to determine continued areas of improvement
- Lead experiments that don’t naturally fit into a function until proven
- Play a leading role in Zearn’s strategic planning process, helping to set in-year goals, initiatives, and target metrics across teams
- Partner with VP of Strategy to finalize 10-year strategic vision and develop communication plan for Board, Funders, and full Zearn team
- Drive annual strategic planning process to build multi-year and annual operating plans (e.g., linking product and GTM roadmaps)
- Translate internal operating plans to external facing multi-year business plans that will be used to pitch and engage funders
- Define and manage cross-functional initiatives that support Zearn’s long-term and in-year strategic priorities (as output from annual planning process). Example projects include :
- Leading initiative to understand and build org-wide AI capabilities
- Partnering with third party research organizations to develop a robust fact base on how Zearn is being implemented across classrooms today
- Leading GTM initiatives for top-priority markets
- Drive continuous improvement of how Zearn operates as a business by identifying opportunity areas and working with relevant teams / stakeholders to address them. Example projects may include :
- Refining company and function-specific key metrics dashboards
- Designing and rolling out refreshed executive leadership team / key initiative meeting process
- Designing company-wide communication cascade, e.g., all-hand meetings / updates
The Next Problems for this Role to Solve
The Skills You Will Use in this Role
To achieve immediate impact in this role, The Director of Strategic Projects should possess a strong foundation in these skills, along with a genuine passion for continuous growth and development through coaching and hands-on learning.
Potential Markers of these Skills
Location
This role is remote and can performed in any of the following states :
CA, CT, FL, IL, LA, MA, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI and Washington D.C.
Compensation and Benefits
The compensation range for this role is $135,000-$185,000 per year. We offer a competitive benefits package, including comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, 401K matching, parental leave, a generous Holiday policy and a flexible PTO policy. We also offer a collegial and passionate culture and the potential to positively impact the lives of millions of children.
Salary : $135,000 - $185,000
