Strategy and Support Specialist (Education Specialist IV)

Agency Information

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) oversees primary and secondary public education in Texas and is committed to improving outcomes for all public school students by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems across the state.

Core Values

• We are Determined: We are committed and intentional in pursuing our primary purpose of improving outcomes for students.
• We are People-Centered: We strive to attract, develop, and retain committed talent that reflects the diversity of Texas, with each individual contributing to our shared vision for students.
• We are Learners: We seek evidence, reflect on outcomes, and continuously improve in pursuit of excellence for students.
• We are Servant Leaders: We are public servants committed to improving opportunities for students and supporting those who serve them.

Job Description

Position Overview

The¿Texas Education Agency¿s Office of Governance (OG)¿is¿driven by a powerful mission:¿to proactively support school systems, keep students safe, and uphold Texas education law with integrity, objectivity, and excellence. Our core workstreams¿Field Support and Compliance & Investigations¿focus on strengthening governance, fostering a culture of accountability, and promoting continuous improvement across Texas schools. By working closely with school systems and agency teams, we help ensure every Texas public school student has access to a safe, high-quality education.

The Division of Compliance and Inquiries¿plays a vital role in supporting¿accountability and integrity¿across Texas¿schools. This¿team manages and responds to¿written¿complaints¿from a¿wide¿range of¿stakeholders,¿including parents,¿educators, students, vendors,¿and¿public¿officials, ensuring concerns are addressed¿thoroughly and with care.¿

The Strategy and Support Specialist ensures the coordination and quality assurance of timely responses to requests and inquiries from the public. The Strategy and Support Specialist performs complex (journey-level) consultative and technical assistance work in support of the division related to the jurisdiction review and strategy and inquiries units. This work involves supportive operations such as assisting the Office of General Inquiries and the Jurisdictional Review Unit, preparing and distributing correspondence and documents; answering and routing phone calls; compiling and editing charts and graphs; monitoring correspondence; and assisting with the division¿s mail. Works under the general supervision of the Manager of Strategy, Support, and Inquiries Unit and is required to use initiative and independent judgment.

Flexible work location in Texas may be considered for qualified candidates.

Please note that a resume, cover letter, and short answer responses are required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.

Essential Functions

Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.

1. General Inquiries: ensures high level of coordination, timeliness, and accuracy when responding to the public regarding questions and concerns relating to local public-school districts or public charter schools

2. Process Improvement and Optimization: establishes and refines processes, maintains data tracking sheets, tracks data to identify trends and ways to mitigate risk, and implements feedback; identifies areas for improvement and recommends strategies to enhance the overall impact and efficiency of the program

3. Stakeholder Engagement: cultivates and maintains strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to support accurate and helpful responses to inquiries

4. Quality Assurance Program Effectiveness: ensures all work products such as correspondence, internal memorandums, and other documentation related to the complaints are of high quality, both in content and presentation; ensures information is accurately processed and in accordance with FERPA and other applicable laws and rules; and ensures all communications, written or verbal, meet professional standards and are responsive to stakeholders' needs

5. Risk Assessment and Analysis: identifies risks that may arise from general inquiries and assesses the impact of those risk factors; establishes protocols for accurate and appropriate responses; provides training for staff; establishes procedures and protocols for the office staff

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Graduation from an accredited two-year college or university

Experience: At least four (4) years of experience in in a field relating to the agency education program, including experience in researching local, state, and federal laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Texas Education Code, Texas Administrative Code, and FERPA

Substitutions: Education and experience may substitute for one another on a year-for-year basis

Other Qualifications

• Share the belief that all Texas students can achieve at high levels and are able to succeed in college, career, or the military
• Effective and appropriate use of technology, including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook), Microsoft Teams, Smartsheet, and Zoom
• Ability to adapt to and effectively engage with diverse individuals and stakeholders
• Ability to organize, effectively manage time, and determine priorities while working independently on multiple complex projects and tasks simultaneously to meet deadlines
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to actively listen to acquire facts and write detailed reports
• A desire to self-reflect, give/receive feedback, and continuously improve
• Willingness to work as a contributing member of a team and foster positive and effective working relationships with a variety of individuals (including executive leadership) and groups, internal and external to TEA
• Willingness to seek efficiency in a teleworking/hybrid environment; stay organized and prioritize tasks to achieve goals and objectives; eager to deliver requirements to internal/external customers and contribute to the agency's priorities
• Experience in public education is preferred

New hires, rehires, and internal hires will typically receive a starting salary between the posted minimum and the average pay of employees within the same classification. Offers are based on the candidate's experience and qualifications and consider internal pay equity across employees performing similar work.

The top half of the posted salary range is generally reserved for candidates whose qualifications exceed the role's requirements. The maximum of the range is typically reserved for candidates who significantly exceed the required and preferred qualifications.

Benefits

TEA employees receive a comprehensive benefits package through the State of Texas and the Employee Retirement System of Texas (ERS), supporting health, financial security, and work-life balance.

Benefits include:

• Retirement through ERS and employer-paid health insurance for eligible employees
• Optional dental, vision, and dependent coverage
• Paid state holidays, vacation leave, sick leave, and longevity pay
• Wellness programs, employee assistance programs, and professional development opportunities
• Eligibility for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program

To learn more about benefits available to State of Texas employees, please review the State of Texas Employee Benefits brochure and visit the TEA Compensation and Benefits page .

Military/Veteran Information

Applicants eligible for Military Employment Preference will be considered in accordance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations.

To explore how military experience may align with this role, applicants may review Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes within the State's Position Classification Plan. Please refer to the Military Crosswalk and select the occupational category that most closely corresponds with the classification listed in this job posting.

Additional Information

TEA is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal and state nondiscrimination laws. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or veteran status.

TEA does not sponsor or assume sponsorship of employment visas.

This position requires the applicant to meet Agency standards and criteria which may include passing a pre-employment criminal background check, prior to being offered employment by the Agency.

To learn more about working at TEA, including hiring timelines, process details, and candidate resources, please visit the Careers at TEA page .

Due to the high volume of applications, we are unable to accept phone calls or respond to all email inquiries. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

To help ensure you receive updates regarding your application, please add [email protected] and @tea.texas.gov to your safe sender's list.

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