Program Manager

About the role

TEACH Connecticut is seeking a Program Manager to lead an established and successful statewide initiative aimed at improving the quality and diversity of Connecticut’s teacher pipeline, primarily by building and maintaining relationships with multiple stakeholders: the lead partners (TEACH and the Connecticut State Department of Education), Education Preparation Programs (EPPs), Local Education Agencies (LEAs), and other partner organizations.  

 

The ideal candidate is an impact-driven person who excels at building relationships with multiple stakeholders, possesses strong project management skills, deploys creative problem-solving, and has significant knowledge of Connecticut’s education landscape. They will have the unique opportunity to lead a new era of the TEACH Connecticut initiative, which was first launched in October 2018.

 

About TEACH Connecticut

TEACH Connecticut is a partnership between TEACH and the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) with a mission to improve the perception of teaching and attract more talent into the profession. The initiative inspires prospective teachers to explore the profession and provides free support for the steps they need to take to enter the profession.

 

About the organization

TEACH is a national nonprofit founded by the U.S. Department of Education. Our mission is to end the national teacher shortage and diversify the teaching profession. We are further committed to specifically increasing the number of Black and Latinx teachers in the workforce.

 

TEACH partners with state education agencies, school districts, educator preparation  programs, and other like-minded organizations to increase the quantity, quality, and diversity of the next generation of teachers. Our expanding list of partner regions include: Dallas-Fort Worth, Colorado, Connecticut, Houston, New York, North and South Carolina, San Antonio, and San Diego.

 

TEACH is a virtual organization that welcomes talented teammates from all over the United States. Our core values include:

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: We are committed to increasing the diversity of the teacher pipeline and providing a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment. 
• Mission and Impact: We are dedicated to our mission to improve the teacher pipeline and are driven to maximize our progress towards achieving that mission.
• Care and Support: We care for and support each other and that ethos of care and support is reflected in our organizational policies and practices. 
• Learning and Growth: We invest at the individual, team, and organizational level in the culture, mindsets, and opportunities that lead to learning and growth.

 

Job responsibilities

• Lead the TEACH Connecticut initiative, driving collaboration and coordination amongst all involved stakeholders, in order to meet key milestones and targets.
• Maintain excellent working relationships with the stakeholders at CSDE to ensure their satisfaction with the initiative, to coordinate all efforts, to support follow-through, to make appropriate connections to the CT education landscape.
• Build and manage relationships with EPPs and LEAs to support them in successfully meeting commitments to the TEACH Connecticut partnership.
• Lead communications for the initiative, which involves motivating and inspiring all stakeholders; generating their buy-in and understanding about the value of the initiative; regularly convening partners to report on progress and collaborate on ways they can contribute to its success; and managing all partner communications.
• Liaise between the TEACH team and all the other stakeholders of TEACH Connecticut to enable them to execute to achieve all the goals and targets.
• Represent TEACH Connecticut at local events / conferences.

 

Qualifications

• Relationship-building and partner management. Demonstrated track record of developing and maintaining strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders. Previous experience effectively gaining buy-in and motivating others, including those in leadership roles, to follow-through on their commitments.

• Facilitation skills. Outstanding meeting planning and facilitation skills in a variety of settings, with an eye towards soliciting collaboration and actionable follow through.

• Project management skills. Can simultaneously oversee multiple projects without dropping balls, plans backwards and anticipates obstacles, identifies and involves stakeholders appropriately, strategically prioritizes work based on effort and impact.

• Adaptable and nimble. This person needs to be able to strive in a flexible, sometimes ambiguous, start-up environment that requires a mix of independent and collaborative work. 

• Communication skills. Ability to tailor written and verbal communication to a variety of stakeholders in a way that results in achieving shared and desired outcomes. 

• Creative and data-driven problem-solving. Leads from a place of curiosity, is capable of analyzing data to propose solutions and deliver results.

• Commitment to equity and inclusion  Understands their own identity as it relates to the work and is willing to continue learning about race, power, diversity and equity. 

• Ideal candidates will also possess one or more of the following skill sets: shared lived experience with prospective teachers, experience in early-stage organizations, teaching, education policy (at the local/state level), talent recruitment, relationship management, public-private partnerships, and/or online products and services.

 

Background & logistics

• Experience: 5 - 7 years of experience, preferably in the education sector. 

• Candidates must possess knowledge of Connecticut’s educational ecosystem and have prior experience in education (PK-12 and/or higher education). 

• Education level: Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s preferred.

• Location: This person can work remotely from anywhere within the state of CT. They will attend up to 2 in person meetings a month within the CT state, as needed, to meet with EPP partners, LEA partners, and other stakeholders. 

 

Position & compensation

• This is a full-time, salaried position, including a generous benefits package. 
• We expect to make an offer between $84,000 - $88,000; final amount to be determined based on experience.
• We are an equal opportunity employer, and we make a particular effort to recruit people of color to apply for open positions.

 

Timeframe

• The ideal start date for this position is on or before October 1, 2024. 
• The hiring process includes three rounds of interviews and will begin in September 2024.

 

Anti-discrimination policy

At TEACH, we value all employees and job candidates as unique individuals, and we welcome the variety of experiences they bring to our organization. As such, we prohibit unlawful discrimination and believe everyone should be treated equally regardless of race, sex, gender identification, sexual orientation, national origin, native language, religion, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law.