Instructional Support STEM Coach
Job Description
The Urban Assembly is seeking a STEM rockstar to join our Academics and Leadership Team.
Organization Mission & Background
The Urban Assembly (UA) is a non-profit organization providing leadership and programmatic support to unique, small public secondary schools in high-needs neighborhoods in NYC. Our schools are open to all students, and our goal is to prepare 100% of our graduates for success in the 21st century economy through rigorous college preparation and cutting-edge career and technical education.
The UA team develops and provides high-quality ongoing coaching and resources to UA school staff in the areas of leadership, academics, college access, career readiness, and social-emotional learning, so that they can support UA students to succeed in school and beyond.
In 2018, the UA serves over 10,000 students. Our 21 NYC schools serve over 8,000 students across three boroughs, and UA staff directly supports 2,000 recent alumni spread across the country as they pursue their postsecondary goals. UA students, a predominantly low-income population that is 94% African American or Latino, recently achieved an overall high school graduation rate over 80% – outpacing NYC’s overall rate of 74.3% and far exceeding the rates for Black (70%) and Hispanic (68.3%) students.
The Urban Assembly is proud to be a data-informed organization, continually evaluating and monitoring progress and success as we iterate and innovate alongside our schools and our partners.
Position Summary
As a member of the Academics & Leadership team, the STEM Coach will provide coaching in high school and middle school math and physics to participating schools, collaborate closely with UA’s Math Program Manager to inform program development, and plan and facilitate professional learning across multiple schools. This is an opportunity to join a mission-driven staff and to take part in the vital process of improving the lives of NYC students. This position will involve travel across Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx to a selected cohort of our 21 schools, opportunities for remote work when not school-based, and a home base in Urban Assembly’s newly renovated central office in Manhattan’s Financial District.
Key Responsibilities
- Coach school staff: Provide thoughtful, responsive, goal-driven support to school staff.
- Lead professional development: Design and provide excellent, high quality learning experiences for school staff. Approach professional development with a facilitative stance, providing opportunities for community members to learn from each other.
- Collaborate: Partner with UA’s Math Program Manager, Academics and Leadership team members, UA central staff and school staff. Believe strongly that collaboration with these teams makes the work richer.
Key Competencies
- Flexible and dynamic: You are eager to work in an organization that values learning, growth and change. You are comfortable with rapid iteration and the knowledge that the job you were hired for will change and grow alongside our evolving organization.
- Growth mindset-oriented: You have a relentless belief in the ability of adolescent and adult learners to grow and achieve success, no matter where they start.
- Self-motivated: You like to self-manage time, deadlines and outcomes. You are excited about a job that involves managing multiple priorities at once. You probably have a system that you swear by to help you manage your priorities and keep you focused on your goals.
- Data-driven: You use data to make analysis and interpretations. You are comfortable using multiple data sources to inform decisions. You are familiar with basic data visualizations and help-seek if you do not understand.
- Excellent STEM Content Knowledge: You possess conceptual and procedural understanding of middle and high school mathematics AND a high comfort level with physics instruction, including a belief in the efficacy of physics first as a viable change strategy in schools.
- Believer in adult change: You are familiar with and comfortable employing coaching principles; you have research-based ideas about how to manage adult change and impact adult development as well as a toolkit of resources including protocols, coaching prompts and strategies at your disposal.
- Collaborative and communicative: You thrive on the sharing of ideas, practices, challenges and successes, and are committed to actively engaging as a member of several teams across the UA and its network of schools.
Qualifications
- A demonstrated track record of instructional success
- Strong content knowledge in middle and high school math and physics
- Bachelors of Arts or Sciences
- Master’s Degree in Education
- 5+ years teaching
- Prior experience coaching adults
- Familiarity and comfort with urban and/or traditionally underserved student populations
- Knowledge of and experience with NYC public schools preferred
