Managing Director, Certification & Licensure

POSITION REPORTS TO: SMD, Strategy, Talent, & Operations

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday July 20th , 2026

LOCATION: Texas (Austin, DFW, Houston, RGV, or San Antonio preferred)

WHAT YOU WILL DO

The Managing Director of Certification & Licensure is charged with ensuring that Teach For America Texas corps members are equipped to provide an excellent education for every student, specifically by supporting corps members to fulfill the requirements necessary to receive an educator certificate in the state of Texas.  

You will partner with our educator preparation programs to understand corps member certification requirements, create and manage shared systems for tracking corps member testing completion, and partner with Matriculation Generalists (MDMG), Senior Managing Director Partnerships, and Leadership Development (MDLD) coaches to ensure corps members successfully complete the requirements and earn an educator certificate before the end of their two-year commitment.  Ultimately, this role will spend the majority of their time onboarding, tutoring, and coaching corps members towards the completion of their certification requirements.

To be an ideal candidate for this role, you deeply value the students and community we serve and are passionate about realizing educational excellence in Texas. You love and have strong project management skills and enjoy working collaboratively across multiple internal and external teams to achieve your vision and impact. You are comfortable with ambiguity and are a self-starter who operates with minimal oversight. Additionally, you are detail-oriented and excel at translating your passion for our mission into systems and communications that empower people to fulfill their responsibilities. Finally, you can be responsive and take swift action as we identify and address new opportunities and challenges. 

WHAT YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

Corps Member Certification Onboarding, Support, and Coaching (70%)

• Design and implement a statewide onboarding plan in collaboration with MDMGs that ensures all incoming Texas corps members enroll in a certification program, begin required testing, and are connected to tutoring resources prior to the first day of school.

• Develop an individualized learning plan for each corps member that has not passed required exams by end of preservice, outlining specific tests needed, a realistic timeline for passage, and the support structures required to achieve full certification by the end of year one. 

• Partner with educator preparation program staff (e.g., SMU, Houston ISD ACP, TOPP, ACT-RGV), MDMGs, 240 Tutoring, and partnerships leads to ensure certification milestones are integrated into the broader arc of corps member learning and development from matriculation forward.

• Hold a direct portfolio of 250–350 incoming corps members, serving as their primary certification point of contact and coach for each incoming cohort's certification journey from confirmation through the end of their first year, maintaining continuity of relationship, tracking, and support throughout.

• Coach corps members individually and in groups toward certification completion, helping them understand their certification requirements, navigate program enrollment, interpret test results, and stay on track with their individualized certification plans.

• Directly provide tutoring and facilitate targeted learning sessions for incoming corps members preparing for certification tests.

• Collaborate with educator preparation program partners, MDLDs, and partnerships leads on an ongoing basis throughout the school year to support first-year corps members who are struggling to pass certification tests or fulfill coursework requirements.

Portfolio Management, Systems Tracking, Partnerships, and Communication (20%)

• Build and maintain a comprehensive tracking system that monitors every incoming corps member from confirmation through full certification, capturing testing status, certification pathway, preparation program enrollment, and key milestones.

• Design and manage operational workflows that surface gaps in real time, enabling proactive intervention before and after corps members arrive in classrooms.

• Generate regular reports for MDMGs, partnership staff, and MDLDs that surface corps members at risk of not completing certification within their first year, and monitor individual progress across the portfolio, adjusting plans and escalating concerns as needed.

• Draft, manage, and send all certification-related communications to incoming and current corps members, including guidance on required tests, registration deadlines, preparation resources, updated individual plans, and next