Managing Director, Ignite Program Impact

TEAM: Ignite

REPORTS TO: SMD, Ignite Program Impact

LOCATION: Flexible

THE ROLE

As MD, Ignite Program Impact, you will be the primary relationship holder and success partner responsible for ensuring a portfolio of 14-16 schools achieve strong results and value partnering with Ignite. In close partnership with Regional Point(s) of Contact, broader regional team(s), and the Ignite team, you will work to establish strong Ignite school partnerships and steward progress towards Teach For America’s 2030 goal, ensuring that each school partner receives standardized and customized support to maximize the impact of Ignite in their unique local context. The ideal candidate is passionate about working with and supporting both veteran and novice educators in school contexts to achieve strong results with students. In this role, this specifically looks like working with an external, school-based Ignite site leader to build (1) strategic alignment to Ignite’s vision and goals, (2) Ignite site leaders’ investment in leading the program, and (3) Ignite site leaders’ expertise so that they can thrive in the role and lead a highly effective Ignite program in their school contexts. It also involves effectively supporting the Ignite fellows in their schools (including observing tutoring sessions, sharing trends, and coordinating feedback for fellows, implementing fellow policies and procedures, etc.). 

This role may be a good fit if you (1) enjoy being a partner and guide, supporting educators (experienced and novice) to navigate a vast and complex ecosystem; (2) have strong systems-level and critical thinking skills, and thrive in making sense of the moving pieces of a complex ecosystem to maximize learning and impact; (3) are a skillful relationship builder, devoting time and resources to intentionally build and strengthen authentic relationships as an essential part of your role, (4) are experienced, comfortable, and effective in influencing adults to outcomes through layers, and (5) operate with deep respect, humility, and empathy for the challenges and limitations that our school partners may be experiencing, and (6) enjoy working in a fast-paced start-up environment, being creative in building solutions while ensuring sustainable success for Ignite across our national network of partners.

THE PERSON

(80%) Drive Programmatic Impact: Steward a portfolio of Ignite site leaders at ~14-16 schools (external, school-based veteran educators who lead the Ignite program at their school) to leverage the resources and supports they need to achieve programmatic excellence. Serve as primary relationship holder and expert on Ignite programs. Lead Ignite site leaders to achieve meaningful impact with fellows and students throughout the Ignite Fellowship, including: 

• Establishing a strategic vision for partnership with schools and local TFA partners that deeply aligns with each partner’s goals, advances TFA’s 2030 goal, and grounds in Ignite’s conditions for success 

• Investing and engaging school partners, Ignite site leaders, and local TFA leaders in Ignite

• Managing readiness and learning for Ignite site leaders, including connecting Ignite site leaders to appropriate resources, based on individual needs and plans

• Supporting Ignite site leaders to launch Ignite (e.g., set up program operations such as school schedule and student groupings, lead onboarding for a new group of fellows, complete administrative tasks required for launch, etc.)

• Coordinating Ignite site leaders to submit pre- and post-student engagement and academic data, including maintaining up-to-date tracking across portfolio, to measure impact

• Following up with and responding to Ignite site leaders and fellows to problem-solve as needed by listening, learning, and earning credibility with all constituencies, then decisively moving forward to implement agreed-upon solutions

• Facilitating Fellowship issue resolution equitably and in accordance with Ignite’s policies and procedures 

• Driving toward programmatic excellence by maintaining a clear line of sight into day-to-day programs at each school partner (e.g., joining Ignite site leader-led trainings, meetings, check-ins, session observations, etc.), and differentiating support as needed

• Conducting fellow focus groups across the portfolio of schools to deepen understanding of program strengths and opportunities, along with key drivers

• Leverage data to analyze impact with partners to determine recommended supports in service of driving continual learning and impro