Senior Program Manager

About the role 

TEACH New Mexico is seeking a Senior Program Manager to lead the launch of a new statewide initiative aimed at improving the quality and diversity of New Mexico’s teacher pipeline, primarily by building and maintaining relationships with multiple stakeholders: the lead partners (TEACH and the New Mexico Public Education Department), 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 New Mexico’s education landscape. 

About TEACH New Mexico

TEACH New Mexico is a partnership between TEACH and the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) with a mission to improve the perception of and attract more talent into the teaching profession. With a focus on closing the representation gap, TEACH New Mexico is committed to increasing the number of Black, Brown, and Indigenous educators across the state and reducing vacancies in subject shortage areas, like Special Education. The initiative will inspire prospective teachers to explore the profession and provide 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.

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, North and South Carolina, San Diego, and now, New Mexico.

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 New Mexico initiative, driving collaboration and coordination amongst all involved stakeholders, in order to meet key milestones and targets.

● Develop excellent working relationships with the stakeholders at NMPED to ensure their satisfaction with the initiative, to coordinate all efforts, to support follow-through, to make appropriate connections to the NM education landscape.

● Build and manage relationships with EPPs, LEAs, and other stakeholders to support them in successfully meeting TEACH New Mexico partner commitments.

● 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 New Mexico to enable them to execute to achieve all the goals and targets. 

● Represent TEACH New Mexico 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. As this will be TEACH New Mexico’s launch year, 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 New Mexico’s educational ecosystem and have prior experience in education (PK-12 and/or higher education). 

● Education level: Bachelor’s degree required. 

● Location/Travel: Must be located within the state of New Mexico. While the position is predominantly remote, candidates should be able to attend in person meetings with partners with some regularity (on average, 1-2 times per month). 

Position & compensation 

● This is a full-time, salaried position, including a generous benefits package.

● We expect to make a salary offer in the $84,000 - $88,000 range; 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 January 6, 2025. 

● The hiring process includes three rounds of interviews and will begin in November 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. 

This search is managed by our Talent Partner at WorkTogether Talent Consulting (formerly WorkMonger).