Research and Policy Illinois Manager, Policy and Community Engagement (Remote in Illinois)
Job Description
What We Do
Teach Plus is a national nonprofit whose mission is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. At the heart of our work is developing teacher leadership and voice in pursuit of student outcomes.
We believe that investing in our most talented teachers—developing them into well-informed, persuasive leaders—gives them deep leverage in elevating the most pressing education issues facing students, teachers, and communities while advancing opportunities for students. Learn more at teachplus.org.
About Teach Plus Illinois
Teach Plus Illinois envisions a future where every student—especially those farthest from opportunity—attends a school with the resources, leadership, and supports needed to thrive. We work to create the conditions for Illinois’ improvement-status schools to become the fastest-improving schools in the state.
Grounded in the belief that teacher leadership is a critical driver of school improvement, Teach Plus partners with educators, school leaders, and policymakers and advocates to strengthen systems serving schools in greatest need. Through educator leadership development, policy advocacy, and cross-sector collaboration, we advance policies that ensure equitable K–12 funding, build strong, sustainable educator pipelines, and build accountability and support systems that promote continuous improvement.
Our theory of change is clear: when policies and systems are designed to adequately resource schools, support educators, and focus improvement efforts where the need is greatest, schools can deliver stronger outcomes for students who have historically had the least access to opportunity.
The Role
Reporting to the Illinois Policy Director, the Illinois Manager, Policy and Community Engagement will expand Teach Plus Illinois’ capacity to achieve ambitious, long-term policy goals by activating and mobilizing educators, alumni, and partners into coordinated advocacy and organizing efforts.
In this role, you will lead Illinois’ coalition strategy—representing Teach Plus within external coalitions, launching and managing coalitions that Teach Plus leads or co-leads, and aligning coalition efforts with organizational policy priorities. You will also design and steward a statewide alumni engagement strategy that activates Teach Plus alumni as advocates, organizers, and coalition leaders.
You will play a key role in shaping and executing Teach Plus Illinois’ policy and advocacy strategies; represent the organization with policymakers, agency leaders, coalition partners, and media; support the delivery of the Illinois Policy Fellowship; coach Senior Fellows leading policy working groups and provide direct support to one or more working groups; and serve as a trusted source of policy and political expertise for staff and fellows.
If successful, this role will enable Teach Plus Illinois to:
- Mobilize broad grassroots and grass-tops networks of educators and advocates
- Sustain and grow coalitions aligned to strategic policy priorities
- Activate alumni as ongoing policy leaders and organizers
- Increase organizational visibility and influence at the state and district levels
- Secure deeper, more impactful policy wins that improve outcomes for students in Illinois’ highest-need schools
Key Responsibilities:
Coalition Building & Community Organizing
- Lead, grow, and sustain policy coalitions in support of Teach Plus Illinois’ strategic policy goals
- Organize educators, alumni, and partners within targeted communities to build local education ecosystems aligned to the Illinois strategic plan
- Design and execute regional organizing strategies and contribute to statewide organizing efforts
- Coach teacher leaders and fellows to take on leadership roles within coalitions and organized advocacy campaigns
- Align coalition work with Policy Fellows’ advocacy priorities and engage fellows in coalition activities
Alumni Engagement
- Design and manage a statewide alumni engagement strategy that activates alumni as advocates, leaders, and organizers
- Create structures for meaningful alumni participation in policy advocacy, coalition leadership, and legislative action
- Plan and facilitate alumni convenings, trainings, and engagement opportunities
Policy Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement
- Grow and leverage Teach Plus networks to support Policy Fellows’ advocacy goals and campaigns
- Represent Teach Plus in Springfield by building relationships with policymakers, agency leaders, and key stakeholders
- Track, attend, and participate in education policy meetings, hearings, and briefings (virtually and/or in person)
- Coordinate coalition advocacy actions (e.g., budget requests, witness slips, letters, and public testimony)
- Conduct secondary research and prepare internal and external policy materials
- Contribute to policy strategy development in collaboration with the Illinois policy team
Program Leadership & Capacity Building
- Design and facilitate high-quality learning experiences and programming for teacher leaders—including virtual training, in-person retreats, and other activities—to support teachers’ growth in leadership and policy competencies and achieve policy impact at the district or state level
- Coach Senior Fellows in coalition leadership, organizing, policy development, and advocacy strategy, and support one or more Fellow working groups directly
- Ensure rigorous and equitable recruitment and selection of a diverse, high-quality cohort of teacher leaders aligned with Teach Plus IL goals
- Drive continuous program improvement through data collection, analysis, and reflection to strengthen program effectiveness and impact year over year
- Set clear milestones and monitor progress toward policy impact, partnering with the Illinois Policy Director to ensure accountability and results
What You’ll Need to be Successful
Required Qualifications:
- Asset-based belief in the power of communities of people taking collective action
- Ability to build trusting relationships with diverse stakeholders
- Understanding of power dynamics and stakeholder mapping
- Deep understanding of organizing strategies and how to deploy them for impact
- Excellent oral and written communication that inspires action
- Strong project management and organization skills
- Ability to lead effective, results-oriented meetings
- A distributive leadership approach that empowers others and builds shared power
- Strategic mindset with the ability to translate goals into action while managing multiple initiatives
Preferred Qualifications:
- Demonstrated success in community organizing, coalition leadership, policy advocacy, government relations, political strategy, and/or communications, especially in education
- Experience leading large projects and/or teams
- Familiarity with the Illinois education policy landscape and stakeholders, and with the diverse communities across the state
- Subject matter expertise in key issues or areas important to Teach Plus strategy (e.g., school accountability systems, teacher pipeline, teacher leadership, literacy and numeracy, early childhood, and Chicago education policy
- Strong adult learning facilitation and coaching skills to develop teacher leaders
- Ability to synthesize and apply policy information
- Experience teaching storytelling and advocacy skills
- Successful experience as an educator and/or participation in Teach Plus programs
Location, Travel, and Commitment
Although this remote position will be conducted virtually (primarily from a home office), candidates must reside in Illinois. Required travel within Illinois will vary seasonally, and may range from 20-50%. Ability to attend in-person meetings in Springfield is a plus, particularly during the legislative session (February – May).
This role requires flexible work hours, including nights and weekends (up to 4-8 evenings per month and 2-3 weekends per year) to meet with teachers and policymakers and facilitate learning for teacher leaders.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is between $85,000 and $95,000. The salary offered will be determined based on the selected candidate’s specific qualifications, years of relevant experience, specialized knowledge, and internal equity. Teach Plus offers a comprehensive benefits package and time-off, including 15 vacation days, 3 personal days, 5 sick days, 13 holidays, July break, Winter break, paid parental leave, and a 4-week paid sabbatical after every 5 years of service.
