Associate Partner

Location: New York, NY and surrounding areas (Due to the frequency of travel and time requirement on the ground, candidates must live in NYC or the surrounding area.)

Type: Full-Time

Team: Professional Education, Customized Coaching & Training

Start Date: As soon as possible

Summary:

Relay Graduate School of Education (Relay) is an accredited not-for-profit institution of higher education serving thousands of educators from across the country, from pre-service teachers to system-level leaders. Our mission is to ensure that all students are taught by excellent educators in order to build a more just world where every student has a clear path to a fulfilling life.

At Relay, we know that great schools require great leaders. As part of the Professional Education vertical at Relay, the Customized Coaching & Training team is deeply committed to developing school leaders with the skills and mindsets to lead their students to academic and character success. The Associate Partner is a unique and challenging opportunity to influence and lead in this work by providing critical coaching and on-the-ground support to sitting principals, principal supervisors, and chief academic officers in Relay Leadership Programs and Relay partner networks and districts. Reporting to and in partnership with the Managing Partner or one of the Partners on the Customized Coaching & Training team, this role involves collaborating with colleagues on instructional preparation, serving as the main contact for network and district leaders through professional learning communities, coaching, and site visits, and delivering feedback to enhance leaders' outcomes-driven practices. Additionally, the Associate Partner will help shape content and lead sessions for professional learning events like the National Principal Academy Fellowship. This position offers the chance to join a dynamic Professional Education and Leadership Programs team, working alongside experts in school leader development.

This role will primarily serve the requirements of the NYC Charter Literacy Consortium (CLC) project. The CLC project aims to support NYC charter schools with the implementation of high-quality literacy instructional materials aligned to the science of reading. Associate Partners assigned to this project will support charter management organization (CMO) leaders, school leaders, and teachers through capacity building efforts focused on increasing their understanding of what excellent curriculum-based instruction looks like, as well as the systems and structures for continuous improvement. 

Role’s Contributions (Duties and Responsibilities): 

The essential responsibilities of this position, while not limited to the following, will include: 

Virtual & On-Site Coaching (~60%)

• Provide exemplary coaching and successful partner support implementation by directly supporting a portfolio of charter schools participating in the CLC
• Use the baseline assessment annually to collaborate with local partners and districts to set goals for coaching engagements aligned to the larger district implementation plan
• Establish systems for quarterly progress monitoring and communication in alignment with the coaching engagement’s set goals; Cooperate with local stakeholders to remove roadblocks to coaching implementation
• Provide individualized weekly or monthly coaching to principals and/or senior level instructional staff
• Facilitate regular data and video review/practice lab protocols as needed to achieve each engagement’s coaching goals
• Facilitate problem solving and action planning consultancies as needed to support content implementation
• Conduct network or district site visits as outlined in partner contracts to observe and gather data and lead site-based action planning to accomplish engagement goals
• Synthesize performance data, track cohort progress and identify gaps in network, district, and participant understanding, implementation, and outcomes

Note: Partner portfolio will be determined annually based on overall team needs and may include onboarding and initiating new partnerships in the Spring and Summer

Designing & Facilitation Professional Learning (~20%)

• Facilitate Relay leadership professional learning sessions as needed
• Design, incorporate feedback, and facilitate professional learning sessions to support individual partners with implementing Relay’s core instructional leadership frameworks and practice

Individual & Team Development (Approximately 20%)

• Collaborate with Professional Education colleagues on a regular basis to collect best practices, artifacts, and videos from current and past program participants to support strong, equity-centered content design across the Leadership Programs team
• Collaborate with manager and Customized Coaching & Training colleagues on a regular basis to develop skills, systems, and strategies to support instructional leaders effectively
• Complete other duties as assigned in support of team and project goals.

QUALIFICATIONS

First and foremost, the Associate Partner must share the Relay community’s commitment to working together to improve student growth and achievement through phenomenal teacher preparation and professional development grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. This includes providing teacher preparation programs that set novice teachers up to succeed in the classroom from day one; leadership programs that train new and veteran school and district leaders to best serve their school communities; and teacher-facing professional education that provides ongoing learning to educators. Additionally, for this position we’re looking for candidates that possess a combination of the following skills:

• A Master’s degree or PhD
• Minimum of three years as a principal or equivalent in a high-needs community with demonstrated K-12 student achievement, including experience with teacher observation and feedback, leading data analysis with teachers, leading school culture, leading professional development, and implementing structured literacy HQIM (required)
• Ability to travel at least 30% (required) (Due to the frequency of travel and requirement of time on the ground candidates must live in NYC or the surrounding area.)
• Demonstrated track record with campus-level leadership systems and practices to support structured literacy curriculum implementation:
• Experience designing and/or facilitating adult learning (including instructional coaching) and the ability to customize materials for the specific needs of an identified audience 
• Comfort with ambiguity and complexity; ability to assess challenges, identify flexible solutions and adapt as necessary
• Working knowledge of the science of reading
• Proficient in designing and managing complex systems with effective organizational skills 
• Committed to fostering a collaborative and inclusive team environment 
• Ability to work collaboratively and adaptively in a dynamic environment
• Effective written and verbal interpersonal communication skills 
• A demonstrated passion for education and closing the opportunity gaps for historically under-resourced communities

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing school leaders and/or network academic and instructional programs as a principal supervisor or chief academic officer, ideally through HQIM implementation efforts
• Ability to travel at least 50% time 
• Experience with Relay leadership programs content, either as a NPAF/NPSA alumnus/alumna or as a leader in a school using Relay leadership program practices
• Certification or formal training in established, evidence-based approaches to reading instruction aligned to the science of reading such as LETRS or Orton Gillingham

Relay prepares teachers and school leaders to teach students of all identities and backgrounds in order to push toward a time when this country no longer faces stark educational inequities. We recruit, develop, support, and retain a diverse staff, faculty, and graduate student body because we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and actively anti-racist institution. We know, and the data supports, that diversity, equity, and inclusion cultivate an environment in which people of all backgrounds can thrive and this is critical to achieving our mission of educational excellence and equity. To fulfill that commitment, Relay encourages applicants of all backgrounds and identities to apply for roles that align with their own interests and career trajectory. If you meet a majority of the qualifications and see yourself in this role, we would love to see your application!

COMPENSATION

Relay is committed to creating and maintaining a compensation and benefits system that supports our ability to recruit and retain a diverse and talented team. As we make decisions about compensation, we will be guided by the following values: clarity, consistency, and internal equity. The salary range for this role is $123,800 - $148,560. New hires will be offered a salary at the starting point of the range, $123,800.00 to allow for an equitable starting salary process and continual salary growth during an employee’s time at Relay GSE.

To ensure internal pay equity:

• Relay does not currently differentiate starting salary offers based on years of experience
• All staff salaries will be capped at the salary range maximum, and
• Relay does not negotiate salary offers.

Relay offers a comprehensive total rewards package. For full-time roles, this includes health insurance benefits, disability and life insurance, retirement plan, professional development, gym reimbursement, adoption assistance, paid time off (PTO), parental leave, etc. To learn more about Relay’s benefits, please visit here.   

WORK LOCATION POLICY

Employees must have a primary work location within the U.S., where they are legally authorized to work. Relay is a registered employer in the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington State and Washington DC. Please note that Relay Graduate School of Education's headquarters are in New York City. Employees who choose to perform work from states not listed here will be subject to NYC state withholdings.

COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY

Relay highly encourages all employees to be fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine. Relay abides by each state’s requirements, and acknowledges those may change over time. If moved forward to the phone screen stage, you will have the chance to ask your recruiter more about this policy. 

Relay Graduate School of Education provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees.