Manager, Instructional Support

Job description

Anywhere within the 48 continental United States, with up to 50% travel.

What You’ll Do:

The Managing Director, Instructional Support’s (MDIS) primary responsibility is to improve instruction and student learning in our partner systems in their region through coaching and support of Directors of Instructional Support (DISes). MDISes are responsible for the coaching and development of DISes, strengthening their skills to identify the root causes of instructional challenges for our partners, develop strong, effective action plans, and track the progress to goals for our partnership teams.  Because they will be working regularly side-by-side with their teams in systems and are experts in system support, MDISes will be able to keep a close eye on what schools and systems need and the larger problems we’re seeing in the field. They will leverage this perspective to inform our larger organizational work including providing recommendations and feedback on tool and resource development in partnership with the Partnership Design & Support team. They will also play a critical role in ensuring continued work with our current partners and expanding our work with new partners in each state in your region. Additionally, MDISes have primary responsibility to develop and maintain a big-hearted and inclusive team culture, with a deep focus on the team experience and living out our core values in our team interactions and partner work.

Responsibilities:

Team Leadership

• Lead a team of 12-15 team members to provide high-quality instructional and leadership support to a portfolio of partners with focus on developing and supporting a strong and joyful culture that is in alignment with the organization’s core values
• Supervise and coach each DIS as she/he leads our work with partners, including on-site supervision and participation to ensure quality
• Plan for and monitor the growth and development of all team members, in partnership with DISs and Senior Content Leads (SCLs)
• Support full-time staff prospect identification and cultivation and lead DIS selection, hiring, and onboarding for your team
• Model and hold team members accountable to Instruction Partners’ culture and core values, vision of team experience, and commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion

Program Delivery Management

• Provide feedback and coaching on all aspects of partner service-delivery including theories of action and short cycle action plans
• Maintain direct relationship with the senior instructional leader (such as the superintendent or Chief Academic Officer) for larger system partners and advise on instructional improvement strategies in partnership with the DIS
• Manage partner contracts and deliverables to achieve partner goals based on instruction and student achievement and manage team capacity with the ED
• Work directly with a small number of school and system partners to identify areas for improvement and create and support the implementation of action plans

Program Quality & Innovation

• Actively participate in Program-Partnership learning meetings to monitor and continuously improve the implementation of our core service model
• Facilitate cross-team and cluster learning experiences in collaboration with Program Services based on team learning priorities
• Collaborate with other MDISs to share suggestions, strategies, and resources with each other and across clusters (example action plans, scopes of work, cluster meeting agendas, team member goals, etc)
• Coordinate with SCLs to identify opportunities for role-alike team members to observe each other or collaborate on key work
• Lead and support continuous reflection across teams to determine what is working, not working, and determine solutions moving forward.

Business Development

• Work closely with the Engagement team and the Executive Director to identify and vet potential new partners in each state and play a supporting role in closing contracts and kicking off the relationship
• Support DISes in contract renewal strategy with current partners and conduct renewal conversations with a portfolio of partners
• Conduct regional presentations and training sessions for potential new partners and develop/maintain relationships with state educational agencies, regional superintendent associations, and other key influencers in each state in your regions

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of educational experience and 5+ years of system-level instructional leadership, either in a charter school network or traditional district
• Experience leading instructional improvement at the school level for a charter system and/or district, with a track record of improving student achievement
• Excellent project management and operational leadership skills and experience with large-scale program delivery projects
• Convincing public speaking and facilitation that engages and inspires; ability to articulate a compelling educational vision that leads others to follow
• Quick ability to understand the assets, needs and personalities of a school system in order to help develop plans that will work for their context
• Strong instructional instincts and experience across content domains
• Strong management skills and experience developing team members, including those managing others
• Great communication skills both verbally and in writing, with an ability to develop quick rapport and build trust
• Data-driven orientation and a commitment to whatever works best rather than attachment to particular theories or ideologies
• Versatility and a total learner mentality; comfort learning about new content areas and approaches to work
• Willingness and ability to travel 40% of time each month for management and business development, with preference for individuals living in the Western United States.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Hiring

At Instruction Partners, we know that difference enhances, transforms and strengthens our ability to serve students and schools. We invite and celebrate diversity of all perspectives, and we are deeply committed to ensuring equitable access and voice throughout our organization. Instruction Partners is proudly an equal opportunity workplace, and we value the inclusion of persons who have experienced poverty and/or for whom English is not their first language, and every race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, culture, ancestry, religion, national orientation, age, marital status or Veteran status. Join us, and let’s work together to support great teaching and accelerate learning for every student.

Compensation:

The salary for this role is $166,000. Detailed information about the organizational compensation philosophy can be found here. Competitive benefits and private retirement investment options are available, as well as a generous vacation policy. See our detailed benefits package here: 2023-2024 Benefits in Brief Overview.

Our Vision

All students experience an excellent education that prepares them to contribute to their community, achieve economic security, and pursue their dreams.

Our Mission

We strengthen instructional leadership in schools, school systems, and states to ensure teachers have the support they need to improve learning experiences and learning outcomes for students - with attention to students of color, students experiencing poverty, multilingual learners, and students with disabilities.

Our Core Values

Live Big-Hearted

We care deeply about ourselves, each other, our work, our partners, and the students we serve. We value the differences each other brings to the table because we know diversity of voice, thought, and experience makes us better. We operate joyfully and without ego, collectively focused on the broader good.

Choose Optimism

We believe that, with the right support, every student can succeed. We have the courage to lean into challenges and believe in the possibility of overcoming obstacles while holding a high bar for ourselves, partners, educators, and students. As we advance antiracist actions, our path may not be smooth, but we will walk it anyway because we have faith that the journey will make our team and our education system better.

Advance Antiracism

We create and uphold space for all team members, partners, and students so they are seen, valued, and heard. We lift the voices and experiences of Black, Latinx, Native, and Asian American and Pacific Islander people. We actively look for and confront patterns and systems that cause inequitable harm in order to create more equitable outcomes within our organization and with partners. We embrace diverse expressions of excellence that make our team more inclusive and effective.

Be Honest

We are open, authentic, and truthful with ourselves, teammates, and partners. Our trust in each other and our work gives us the courage to lean into difficult conversations, put forth new ideas, and give and receive feedback through the lens of equity of voice and experience. We understand the intense and gripping nature of our work, so we name our needs to ensure we are practicing self-care and love within our beloved community.

Get Practical

We believe support should be thoughtful by meeting people, schools, and systems where they are. We leverage the voices, strengths and stories of families, educators, partners and teammates to find answers, because we know there isn’t a “one size fits all” solution to the challenges of our education system. We always look for ways to work smart, focus on the most relevant impact, and reduce friction to make it easier to take action while grounding our progress in equity.

Keep Learning

We know and love that we don’t yet have all the answers because we are nerds for learning, even when it’s hard or ambiguous. We actively pursue new knowledge, research, and evidence so that we can leverage the latest insights and best practices in our work, then we put that knowledge to work in partnership with our team, our partners, and the students and communities we serve. We respect the learning that springs from our own anti racist journeys, and vow to activate our knowledge in pursuit of equity and excellence.

How We Work

Instruction Partners is a nonprofit organization dedicated to excellent instruction for all students, with a focus on students in poverty, students with disabilities, students learning English, and students of color. We keep one foot in practicality and the other in evidence-based best practices, because we believe that leveraging high-quality, grade-level content and providing just-in-time supports will accelerate learning for all students.

Instruction Partners spends time getting to know the needs of the educators, leaders, and systems it serves, allowing the team to custom-build service plans to support partner goals. Partnerships include on-the-ground support, and partnership team members serve as thought partners to the school systems they serve, a team educators can reach out to and feel supported by.

Instruction Partners provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Instruction Partners complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

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