Manager of Career and Technical Education (CTE) - YES Prep System Office (IMMEDIATE OPENING)

POSITION: Manager of Career and Technical Education (CTE) 

REPORTS TO: Director of Program Initiatives (18-19) and Managing Director of Academics (19-20 and beyond) 

POSITION TYPE: 12-month 

LOCATION: Houston, Texas 

THE CHALLENGE 

Across the nation, only half of all students from low-income communities graduate from high school and only 10% earn a college degree. Even though 85% of our students are economically disadvantaged, YES Prep provides evidence that different outcomes are possible. Eighty-seven (87%) of YES Prep alumni matriculate to college within one year and alumni like Eddie Zapata are earning their college degrees at five times the rate of their peers with similar socioeconomic backgrounds. How do we do this? Each of YES Prep’s 18 campuses serves 6th-12th graders like Monique Bowie. Students typically enter YES Prep one or more grade levels behind, but quickly find themselves on a different life trajectory. This is a result of transformative relationships with teachers and leaders, and access to excellent educational opportunities. 

As the first minority-majority city, Houston’s schools cannot keep up with demand from students like Eddie and Monique. Houston is the 4th largest city (on track to become the 3rd), and this booming population translates into 2,000 families on YES Prep’s waitlist. YES Prep’s student enrollment is estimated to grow 31% between now and 2023 (from just over 13,000 students currently to 17,000).  

THE OPPORTUNITY 

YES Prep needs a dynamic Manager of Career and Technical Education, with a diverse set of experiences, to make our mission a reality. As a YES Prep employee, you will achieve jaw-dropping results, create pathways to opportunity for our students, build transformative relationships, and eliminate educational inequities to advance social justice.  

To put it simply, you will drive YES Prep’s strategic vision for Career and Technical Education for the next five years to ensure we have a rigorous, student-outcome-focused, compliant CTE program. You will manage the project in all aspects including the development of strategic CTE pathways; the creation of curriculum for two core CTE courses and the support in creation of others; the communication and coordination of CTE budgets and CTE state compliance measures; and the frequent data analysis and proposal-of-action for CTE academic programming in relation to career data and industry market trends.   

THE ROLE 

When you join the YES Prep team, some of the exciting work and responsibilities will include: 

• Creating and managing YES Prep’s CTE program with a strategic plan detailing program growth on a 5-year and 10-year scale 

• Ensuring compliance in our CTE program with all state and federal laws, local board policies, administrative guidelines, and the Texas Educators’ Code of Ethics 

• Developing and managing YES Prep CTE Pathways through a standard curriculum and teacher professional development 

• Informing the organization of funding strategies related to revenue generated by CTE ADA and Perkins funds 

• Providing system alignment, coherence, and articulation, including ongoing and structural regional or local partnerships with industry and postsecondary education institutions, documented through formal written agreements 

• Informing decision-makers on regional or local labor market demands and focusing on current or emerging high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupation 

• Working to create industry-recognized credentials, certificates, and appropriate post-secondary education, or employment pathways 

• Promoting the CTE programs through outreach, marketing, and communications 

• Additional duties as assigned 

THE PERSON 

We seek staff with diverse backgrounds, talents, interests, and ideas. Certain traits consistently shine through for our most successful employees: passion for the mission, drive for results, care for students, resilience, and humility. Other traits needed and desired for this role are:  

MUST HAVES 

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year educational institution 

• 3 to 5 years of professional experience with proven ability to develop strategic programming and/or managing system-wide projects. 

• 1 to 3 years of professional experience in teaching CTE courses or coordinating CTE programming 

• Experience coaching and developing others 

• Ability to identify and communicate challenges and propose mission-aligned solutions 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills 

• Outstanding data analysis skills with the ability to make data-driven business decisions 

• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core values of YES Prep Public Schools 

• Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback 

• Demonstrated ability to work on a team 

• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once 

• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress 

BONUS POINTS 

• Experience in developing and executing on standards-aligned curriculum 

• Organizational and strategic leadership experience in either Higher-Ed or Secondary 

• Track record of success in change management in an educational organization 

THE PERKS 

• Compensation – This position is an exempt, salaried position; salary offers commensurate with experience. 

• Health and Supplemental Insurance –  A $0.00 medical option that includes $600 towards a Health Savings Account, in addition to a variety of supplemental benefits including Dental, Vision, Short and Long Term Disability, Pet Insurance, Life, etc. 

• Retirement Plans – Participation in Teacher Retirement System of Texas and a 457 Retirement Plan 

• Paid Time Off – 15 days of Paid Time Off in addition to the system closures of our Academic Calendar 

• Paid Leave Programming – In the event you need to be out due to a medical reason, YES Prep offers up to 12 weeks of full paid leave 

• Professional Development - YES Prep values longevity and performance over time through our Commit to Five program. We invest in developing leaders through high-quality programs, effective coaching, and ongoing professional development.  

• Award Winning Culture – The strong cultures of our campuses and Home Office are just one of many reasons we were named Houston’s Best Place to work in 2018. We won the 2012 Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education and were a 2016 finalist as well.  

WE ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO EQUITY & DIVERSITY 

YES Prep strives to recruit a diverse team of leaders. We believe there is a transformative academic and social benefit for students when their teachers and leaders reflect a diversity of backgrounds. Ninety-seven percent (97%) of staff members agree that the organization provides a welcoming environment given their background and identity according to our latest system survey. 

YES Prep is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. 

THE NEXT STEPS  

If this sounds like your just right job, please apply here. 

If you are not sure this opportunity is for you, are simply curious, or know someone who would be perfect, please reach out to our Talent Acquisition team to be connected to a recruiter at [email protected].