OVERVIEW OF THE POSITION

The K-12 Program Director plays a critical role in leading on select K-12 program development and implementation and coordinates and implements new and emerging activities for K-12 priorities. This work is done through support, collaboration, and partnership with SCORE team members and external partners.

The K-12 Program Director reports to the Chief K-12 Impact Officer and supports SCORE’s leadership team by providing project and portfolio oversight cutting across various workstreams including advocacy, policy, research strategic practice, and innovation. The K-12 Program Director will lead on related new initiatives as they arise, collaborating closely with the entire SCORE team and will play a critical role in ensuring that projects complement each other to maximize impact.

This role will be a good fit for you if you are an ambitious self-starter and excited about building programs from the ground up, including carefully managing details and problem-solving in the moment to move projects forward in a fast-paced and often ambiguous environment. This role requires a great deal of flexibility, drive, creativity, and superb writing and editing skills. The successful candidate will be able to manage multiple priorities, give outstanding attention to detail, and constantly make the connection between the daily work and the big picture. A learning mindset, positive team orientation, and a personal commitment to driving success for all students across Tennessee will be critical to this role.

ABOUT SCORE

“The progress that our students have made in recent years is inspiring – there is no doubt that they are capable of achieving at high levels and leading Tennessee into a bright future. While education stakeholders are already working together in exciting ways in Tennessee, it is our responsibility to redouble our innovative efforts to ensure that we are supporting our students to truly excel and thrive. The future of our state depends on it.”

– Senator Bill Frist, Chairman and Founder, SCORE

Tennessee has been making significant progress in advancing a bold education reform plan over the last decade and is now a leader in the nation in dramatically improving student achievement. Tennessee is among the fastest improving states for student achievement according to the Nation’s Report Card.

While Tennessee has made significant gains, there is much still to do — in public K12 education, in college and career readiness, and in postsecondary completion. The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) plays a critical role in advancing student achievement, aligning K12 and postsecondary, and ensuring that all students can achieve career and life success. We work to monitor statewide progress in support of a prioritized agenda that drives collaboration across the state on policy while generating proof points and providing targeted support for implementation across the state.

SCORE is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization founded by former US Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and is dedicated to the goal that all students can achieve success in college, career, and life. SCORE supports student success in public schools across Tennessee by ensuring all schools and systems meet high expectations; preparing, recruiting, supporting, and retaining excellent teachers and leaders; and aligning K-12 and college with career and life success.

SCORE is based at Vanderbilt University’s John Seigenthaler Center. This role is eligible for hybrid work with the expectation of 15-20 hours per week in the office and the balance remote. For more information on SCORE, please visit www.tnscore.org.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The K-12 Program Director is responsible for three main sets of activities:

Program Development and Implementation (approximately 50 percent of overall time)

• Build and develop detailed and actionable work plans for key K-12 programs and initiatives in collaboration with SCORE programmatic team and Chief K-12 Impact Officer.
• Support Chief K-12 Impact Officer with superintendent and district leadership outreach.
• Design an educator engagement strategy that supports SCORE’s policy and practice goals, including a series of experiences and/or fellowship.
• Lead on the educator engagement strategy by providing planning for high-quality content, collaborating with programmatic team and others on delivery of that content, recruitment of educator participants, and engaging with the participants or cohort members.
• Support implementation and management on K-12 qualitative research projects with clear goals and flexibility to adjust course in partnership with Director of Research and data and research analysts.
• Engage with programmatic team members to develop, support, and lead strategies for effective policy advocacy and stakeholder engagement.

Internal and External Partnerships and Engagement (~40 percent)

• Engage with programmatic team to collaborate on specific K-12 activities and understand how work is connected.
• Build and manage partner relationships associated with K-12 initiatives and broad stakeholder engagement, ensuring strong working relationships, timely follow-through, and strategic alignment by turning connection points into specific recommendations to advance SCORE’s priorities.
• Develop concept memos and work plans in partnership with SCORE leadership team to drive action, implementation, and ongoing evaluation of new K-12 activities.

Strategic Writing and Reporting (~10 percent)

• Develop concept memos and work plans in partnership with SCORE leadership team to drive action, implementation, and ongoing evaluation of new K-12 activities.
• Quickly write and/or synthesize memos and documents and pull relevant information from the field when asked by partners, funders, policymakers, and team members.
• Support SCORE’s communications team by writing blog posts on important K-12 topics and issues.
• Serve as liaison to report to the grants management team, Senior Director of Impact, and external partners by providing comprehensive monthly written updates for K-12 work; determine most relevant, timely, and strategic information to share.

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

SCORE is looking for a K-12 Program Director who:

• Demonstrates commitment to SCORE’s  mission  and  SCORE’s  core  values  of  student  focus, collaboration, optimism, excellence, and innovation.
• Has a deep understanding of K-12 education and with a Tennessee-specific focus.
• Has a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and demonstrated success in project management, specifically in developing, launching, and managing new initiatives.
• Has demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong professional relationships and effectively engage stakeholders to accomplish common goals.
• Possesses comfort and evidence of ability to collaborate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders including both those in education (teachers, principal, and district leaders) and senior level leaders is necessary.
• Has existing relationships in the K-12 education space (preferred).
• Is experienced with managing multiple tasks simultaneously with high attention to detail in a fast-paced, rapid-growth, and intellectually demanding environment.
• Is a strategic thinker with the ability to execute on tasks while ensuring work is targeted and aligned with organizational priorities.
• Has strong analytical skills, with the ability to think in innovative ways and to communicate with a variety of audiences.
• Has a demonstrated track record of being nimble and flexible, with a growth mindset and ability to manage ambiguity and collaborate across an organization.

COMPENSATION

SCORE offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience.

BENEFITS

SCORE deeply values team members and their well-being and is proud to offer a comprehensive benefits plan. All full-time SCORE employees are eligible for benefits, including:

• Medical insurance, including access to a high-quality network with SCORE paying for the majority of medical coverage costs; dental insurance options; vision insurance options; employer-paid disability, life insurance, and EAP benefits; access to Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) benefits
• Paid parental leave time, including paternity, maternity, and adoption leave, available after six months of service
• Paid time off, holiday office closures, and paid floating holidays
• Professional development, including participation in expert-led management workshops
• Eligible for participation in a 401K program with employer match after one year of service
• Free on-site parking

SCORE is committed to providing opportunities for professional growth by providing team members with feedback and opportunities to grow in their work.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

At SCORE, we are committed to creating a workplace where all team members bring their whole selves to work and thrive both personally and professionally. We deeply value collaboration, optimism, excellence, and innovation in our student-centered work and in how we work together and support each other as a team. We also believe that it is important for our team to reflect the rich diversity of students in Tennessee, and that we intentionally create space for diverse viewpoints to meaningfully contribute to our work.

SCORE is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for all roles without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristic or status.