The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) is currently seeking a Director, Policy & Programs to help lead NCTQ’s policy research and spearhead stakeholder engagement. This is a perfect opportunity for someone who is deeply familiar with K-12 teacher policy, skilled at aggregating data to determine broad policy implications, an effective writer, and adept at engaging practitioners and policymakers. The individual right for this role will have a strong commitment to advancing educational equity.
NCTQ believes every child deserves effective teachers and every teacher deserves the opportunity to be effective. We’re placing two big bets on the smartest, surest path to get there: 1) improving teacher preparation, and 2) improving teacher policies and practices to support the recruitment, development, and retention of effective teachers.
We are a nonpartisan, not-for-profit research and policy organization deeply committed to strengthening and diversifying the teaching profession. As an equal opportunity employer, we seek to hire staff that brings diverse perspectives and experiences. Our work is dynamic and fast-paced, and our staff is passionate. This position is 100% remote — just like the entire NCTQ office.
Job Summary:
The Director will be a key contributor to our teacher policy research. This includes analyzing policy data from a variety of sources, identifying important findings, and communicating policy trends through a variety of mediums (like larger reports, data briefs, and blog posts).
As NCTQ aims to include practitioner voices in its work, this individual will also manage stakeholder engagement across multiple projects. This ranges from real-time engagement (like establishing and leading advisory committees and conducting focus groups) to asynchronous engagement (like surveys or soliciting feedback from partners on report drafts).
Responsibilities:
- Contribute to NCTQ publications by leading analysis and writing reports, briefs, and blog posts.
- Strengthen NCTQ’s policy recommendations by (1) generating ideas for data visualization, and (2) identifying states, districts, and teacher prep programs that are exemplary and strategizing creative ways to recognize them in publications.
- Lead external engagement efforts across multiple projects, such as establish and facilitate advisory committees for long-term projects; lead webinars; develop and administer surveys, and facilitate focus groups.
- Support the Chief of Policy and Programs in providing responsive technical assistance to stakeholders seeking additional, customized data sets or guidance on key policy issues.
- Help advance our efforts to strengthen and diversify the teacher workforce by generating new ideas for projects and research.
Qualifications:
- 5+ years of professional experience in education policy
- Experience analyzing data and conducting policy analysis
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Demonstrated ability in engaging key stakeholders (e.g., presentation skills, facilitation, building external relationships)
- Excellent project management skills
- Proactive, independent worker
- Proficiency in Excel a must; comfort with other data programs (e.g. R, Tableau) is a plus
- A passion for promoting equitable access to effective teachers for all students
Attributes of a successful candidate:
- Analytical and creative thinker: is able to zero in on the essence of a problem and devise imaginative and feasible solutions
- Organized: never drops the ball, even with multiple workstreams happening simultaneously
- Sees both the forest and the trees: is interested in finding the nuance in the noise and conducting complex analyses without losing sight of the overall policy implications
- Savvy communicator: this means carrying a message and listening to both internal and external audiences
Salary:
We offer competitive compensation commensurate with experience and an attractive benefits package including full health care coverage, paid vacation, and retirement matching contribution policy.
Our remote work environment is bolstered by virtual and in-person opportunities to connect (pandemic permitting). We hold bi-weekly staff meetings, monthly happy hours, quarterly social outings, and semi-annual in-person retreats to keep our team connected and thriving. We offer stipends to assist with office supplies and cell/internet expenses.
To Apply
Please submit the following materials to jobs@nctq.org with the subject line Director, Policy & Programs by May 21, 2021. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Materials to Submit:
- Resume (titled: LASTNAMEresume)
- Writing prompt (titled: LASTNAMEcover)
Writing prompt instructions: In lieu of a traditional cover letter, please respond to one of the following writing prompts in 400 words or less:
- Prompt 1: Describe a past professional experience where you wrestled with a policy issue. Please include any key decision points where you had to weigh trade-offs and what you ultimately decided to recommend.
- Prompt 2: Describe a past professional experience where you leveraged external engagement to drive a project to success. Who did you engage and why? How did you engage stakeholders and at what points in the process? How did that engagement shape the final outcome?
Learn more here: https://www.nctq.org/about/jobs