Operations / Administration STEM Program Manager
Job Description
ExpandED Schools is a national nonprofit dedicated to closing the learning gap by increasing access to enriched education experiences. In 1998, we were founded as The After-School Corporation. In our first decade, we created the nation’s first citywide system of K-12 after-school programs and leveraged more than four dollars in private and public spending for every dollar of our founding grant. Today, we continue to reimagine learning time – in school, after school and during the summer – seeking to ensure that all kids have opportunities to discover their talents and develop their full potential. We develop scalable and sustainable models that provide more learning time. We:
- EXPAND the school day: We add more time each day to help close the learning gap by up to 450 hours each school year.
- ENGAGE the community: We bring additional passion, talent, child development expertise and role models into the classroom.
- ENHANCE the learning: We balance the curriculum with the arts, movement and personalized hands-on enrichments such as robotics, book clubs, knitting, debate and salsa dance.
ExpandED Schools is seeking a Program Manager to manage multiple partners to bring design-based learning to students in afterschool programs across the city. ExpandED Schools’ STEM initiatives seek to provide youth with opportunities to engage in sophisticated inquiry in programs that center youth identities and needs, provide them with authentic choice, are purposefully driven by STEM content and embrace excitement, youth interest, and fun. Reporting to the Director of STEM Opportunities, the Program Manager will work closely with school and community partners to provide professional development to achieve these goals, support and coach schools involved in STEM initiatives, and oversee the unique implementation of programmatic characteristics at over thirty sites city-wide. In addition, the Manager liaises with internal and external research teams to support data collection activities. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a environment of continuous improvement, as this person will play a pivotal role as ExpandED Schools translates lessons from existing STEM programming into next steps for middle school students in New York City.
Responsibilities:
Manage and implement Design2Learn:
- Work closely with project partners, including school principals and teachers, afterschool Site Directors and educators, education staff from the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) and evaluators to implement Design2Learn, a development grant from the United States Department of Education’s (USDOE) Investing in Innovation Fund (i3). This initiative utilizes a three-year randomized control trial to improve STEM education for middle schoolers in afterschool.
- Coordinate and conduct support and coaching visits to schools to provide instructional coaching, on-site support, and to observe program quality; meet with school teams (principal, community partners, and educators) to support program implementation.
- Collaborate with New York Hall of Science to develop and facilitate professional development workshops, including two Saturday workshops throughout the year
- Work deeply with project partners and evaluators to discuss program implementation and quality, seek improvements, and operationalize new program enhancements
- Participate in reporting and technical assistance activities for the US Department of Education
- Contribute to the fiscal management of the initiative by overseeing contracts to partners, participant stipends, and payments to partners.
- Work closely with Data Entry Specialists from all participating schools, external evaluators, and ExpandED Schools’ Research Department to collect data from thirty participating schools including: family and student consent forms, student enrollment and attendance data, pre- and post- surveys, observation visits, and educator surveys.
Other:
- Work closely with ExpandED Schools Communication Department to document and disseminate best practices including blog posts and communication briefs, as needed.
- Serve as a knowledge-base by providing anecdotal data to shape ExpandED Schools policies as well as the growing field of expanded learning time.
- Collaborate on adjacent STEM initiatives, as needed.
Qualifications:
- Commitment to educational equity
- At least two years of experience related to formal or informal science education required. Experience working in NYC public schools or afterschool strongly preferred.
- Experience building and supporting partnerships between schools, community organizations and cultural institutions, particularly in a coaching capacity
- Excellent communication and facilitation skills, including the ability to clearly communicate complex programs to program partners, to share our work during conferences, and to lead high-quality professional learning for educators
- Excellent planning and organizational skills with a proven ability to execute tasks efficiently and with strong attention to detail
- Knowledge of the Next Generation Science Standards a plus
- Flexibility, adaptability and comfort with complexity and change
- Creative thinking coupled with a sense of humor, strong interpersonal skills, and the desire to work collaboratively
- Computer skills in Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel
- Willingness and ability to travel to New York City Public schools 3-4 days per week during afterschool hours;
- Willingness to travel outside of New York City as needed
This position requires regular use of public transportation and regular work in school buildings that may require climbing stairs.
Benefits:
ExpandED Schools offers a generous benefits package which includes:
- Full-time and eligible part-time employees receive medical, dental and vision plans for employees and dependents, largely subsidized by ExpandED Schools
- Health, dependent care and transit pre-tax accounts
- Employer-paid life insurance and supplemental disability coverage
- A generous paid time off package which includes 20 vacation days, 8 sick days, 4 personal days and 12 paid holidays (prorated for part-time staff)
- 403b retirement plan with eligibility for employer contribution of 5% of annual compensation after one year of employment (no match requirement)
- Commitment to work-life balance
- Partial tuition reimbursement offered to employees after one year of service
- Professional development opportunities, including funds to participate in external training and coaching opportunities
