Research and Policy Manager, Social Emotional Development
Job Description
Manager, Social Emotional Development
Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) is seeking a Manager, Social Emotional Development to join CEI’s implementation team. This role will support Colorado school districts through Social Emotional Development (SED) projects to help equitably, predictably, and reliably produce graduates with academic, personal, professional, entrepreneurial, and civic competencies.
The ideal candidate for this role has significant experience working in and with schools and/or districts to design and implement social-emotional development opportunities for students and is skilled at high-quality project design and project management. Additionally, this candidate must be competent at building and leveraging relationships with CEI’s school and district partners and in coaching for project success. This person enjoys working with teams of district, school, teacher, and student leaders to design and implement social emotional skill-building aligned to CEI’s Social Emotional Ecosystem.
The candidate is excited to join a team grounded in the CEI mindsets: dream big, act small, and pivot quickly; constant learning and adaptation; flexible, nimble, and purposeful; and partnership and service orientation. In addition to the qualifications described throughout this description, the candidate will exhibit belief in and comfort with the CEI Design Commitments, including change management; diversity, equity, and inclusion; youth activation; family and community partnership; social emotional development; and leadership. This position will report to the Director, Implementation and Partnership.
About Colorado Education Initiative
CEI is at the forefront of improvement, innovation, and change in Colorado’s public education system. CEI is a statewide nonprofit organization that invests time, expertise, and dollars in K-12 public education. For 15 years, CEI has worked with educators as an inspired and supportive partner on the ground in over 150 urban, suburban, and rural school districts. CEI works as an implementation expert, innovation thought leader, and statewide convener in public education. Our mission is to accelerate improvement and innovation in Colorado schools. Our vision is a future in which every student in Colorado is prepared and unafraid to succeed in school, work, and life, and ready to take on the challenges of today, tomorrow, and beyond. We currently partner deeply in over 80 Colorado school districts. In addition to our field implementation work, we engage in important policy and innovation agendas in Colorado. Our success is driven by a passionate team of diverse individuals who truly enjoy working together.
We are committed to prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the work we support across Colorado. We seek to identify and embed equity-seeking practices in our culture and talent systems and have made a focused set of investments in the related professional development of our team. We believe our work demands this because of the historic and current experiences in the school systems in which we operate and because we believe the outcomes we seek for students require the prioritization of equity. In all roles, we welcome candidates who are eager to participate in and contribute to this work and whose lived experiences deepen our perspectives on the education system.
Responsibilities
Implementation of Social Emotional Development (SED) Initiatives
- Build, document, and maintain a knowledge base in current and emerging best practices in SED.
- Support CEI staff and field implementation partners in building knowledge about and implementing current and emerging best practices for SED.
- Collaborate on project design and management of initiatives related to SED and organize teams to do their best work.
- Support district and school partners in creating and progress monitoring of implementation plans related to SED initiatives.
- Coach school and district teams to successful outcomes.
- Work with systems to promote equity in SED for students furthest from opportunity.
Content Development and Facilitation
- Support design and execution of convenings and events to support district and school implementation of SED initiatives.
- Create templates, tools, and professional development opportunities to support districts in designing and implementing SED systems and structures.
- Identify technical assistance and professional development needs through both systematic assessments and informal discussions with district partners.
- Facilitate professional learning networks for district- and school-based staff to deepen expertise of SED, integrate best practices that promote equitable student outcomes, and facilitate best practice sharing.
Learning and Collaboration
- Learn new approaches and processes and apply them within and outside of personal areas of expertise to advance the work of CEI and our partners.
- Actively and eagerly partner with internal and external colleagues to advance shared goals and increase the capacity of the K12 ecosystem.
- Provide a culture of positivity and customer service internally and externally.
Qualifications
A successful candidate will have at least five years of experience in education or a related field with a proven track record of designing and implementing SED in the K-12 ecosystem, including demonstrated understanding of SED concepts and programs and integration in learning experiences and school systems. They will have skills and experience in working with diverse groups of people, coaching across lines of difference, and empowering local leaders to create change. They will be a strong facilitator in both in-person and virtual contexts and have a working knowledge of adult learning techniques. They know how to work across organizations to build relationships, develop collaborative work products, and take responsibility for the outcomes. They will have a record of working with humility and persistence to serve partners and teams to which they are accountable. They will be organized, detail-oriented, an outstanding verbal and written communicator, and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously. The person in this role must be available and willing to travel across the state as needed, approximately 30 percent of working days.
Competencies
This position requires strong project design and management, facilitation, coaching, interpersonal communication, collaboration, relationship building, and multi-tasking skills, and the ability to anticipate and take initiative to predict and solve problems.
Compensation
- Full-time position
- Annual salary commensurate with experience in a range of $65,000 – $80,000
- Competitive benefits package
- Hybrid work environment that includes some flexible scheduling and work-from-home options
- CEI’s headquarters are in Denver, but if you live elsewhere in Colorado, we would love to talk with you.
CEI is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity in the workplace. CEI strives to be an inclusive organization, and as such takes affirmative action to ensure that discrimination does not occur against an employee or applicant on the basis of race, creed, color, age, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual identity, sexual orientation, religious or political affiliation, disability or any other classification considered discriminatory under applicable law.
