Director, Pre-K

Mission

EdReports.org is at the forefront of the curriculum reform movement. By increasing the capacity of educators to identify and demand the highest quality curriculum, EdReports.org is both disrupting a multibillion-dollar market and transforming the way students are taught and ultimately perform. With the firm belief that what is taught matters and that all students deserve high quality materials, EdReports.org publishes free, online, evidence-rich reviews of instructional materials.

Purpose of Position

The Director, Pre-K is a new role at EdReports, responsible for leading the expansion of EdReports.org reviews to include pre-Kindergarten materials. The Director will oversee the development of the inaugural EdReports.org Pre-K review rubric, recruit expert educators to conduct reviews, ensure the highest quality reviews are published on EdReports.org, and collaborate with early childhood leaders nationwide. The Director will play a vital role supporting the Academics office to deliver on EdReports' mission to improve public education.

Ideal candidates have a deep knowledge of early childhood pedagogy from birth to age eight, pre-K standards and Kindergarten readiness skills, and early childhood curriculum development and implementation. We are looking for a mission-focused, seasoned leader who can support the translation of research on high-quality early childhood programs into tools to support the field in understanding how to identify and demand the highest quality curriculum for our youngest learners. They will manage and scale the expansion into pre-Kindergarten curriculum reviews ensuring the timely development of review tools, including rubric and evidence guide, in addition to reviewer training and implementation. The role partners across multiple internal teams to deliver strategic initiatives that raise awareness of EdReports and increase demand for high-quality instructional materials in pre-K-12 settings. The ideal candidate is highly organized, demonstrates strong ownership and critical thinking, enjoys diving deep into components and indicators of high-quality curriculum, and has the creativity to challenge our status quo.

Key Responsibilities

Oversee Early Childhood Review and Special Projects - 60%

• Serve as the early childhood subject matter expert for our organization, sharing expertise and building capacity in others through leadership and experience working in and with early childhood programs;
• Lead the launch of the Pre-K work and Anchor Educator Working Group to define high-quality curricula for pre-K by translating research into a rubric and evidence guide which will be used to review comprehensive pre-K instructional materials;
• Lead the development of training and execute training for expert educators who will serve as reviewers of pre-K instructional materials;
• Lead cross-team, complex projects within early childhood, drawing on the expertise of EdReports staff, contractors, and leaders in the field;
• Schedule and oversee rolling reviews of pre-K instructional materials;
• Work directly with publishers to acquire curriculum series, explain the review process, and use evidence for revisions to ensure all early childhood reports are high-quality, evidence-rich, and well-calibrated;
• Build and maintain relationships with district, state, and non-profit leaders for the purpose of ensuring our review tools and resources are meeting the needs of the field as well as support the use of EdReports reviews during instructional materials selection processes and to build knowledge;
• Represent EdReports at national and local conferences, with partners, clients, and with funders to promote the use of our reports and the importance of high-quality, aligned pre-K-12 instructional materials;
• Seek and develop opportunities (both content-specific and related to EdReports' mission) to build and maintain a national image through engagement with nationally recognized experts in the field
• Define, own, and track KPIs to measure success and ROI; communicate business strategy updates to leadership;
• Serve as the early childhood subject matter expert for our organization;
• Collaborate across the Academics office to design, test, and scale new innovative ideas and communicate results using the data to inform future business decisions;
• Contributes and presents strategy, learnings and recommendations to senior leadership;
• Oversee a $2M+ budget of collective grant funds and ensure deliverables are met;
• Partner with colleagues across the organization to build relationships, collaborate effectively, and inform content;
• Ensure all early childhood initiatives are fully aligned to the 2023-27 strategic plan, and maintain the company's image, identity, and brand voice across all created resources.

Lead Pre-K Team - 20%

• Support team members' growth and development as a coach and supervisor;
• Collaborate with team members to set annual goals for the Pre-K team aligned with the organization's annual goals and 2023-2027 strategic plan;
• With support from the Managing Director, Literacy, oversee team budget and capacity needed to execute on projects, make recommendations for staffing and consulting support, and negotiate contracts with vendors and partners as appropriate.

Organizational Leadership - 10%

• Work with the Content, External Relations, Research and Learning, teams to proactively identify thought-leadership opportunities and organizations with related research interests.
• Ensure all social media and email graphics are in brand;

Organizational Strategy, Cross-Functional Learning, and Continuous Improvement - 10%

• Contribute to the overall strategic direction and effectiveness of the organization;
• Lead and support cross-functional teams on projects as needed;
• Consistently capture and share project learnings across the org, incorporate organizational learning and innovation, and integrate relevant context as the field evolves;

Travel - Up to 15%

National travel will happen occasionally through the year (COVID-19 dependent), as needed for partner relations, review training, service delivery, organizational retreats, and professional learning.

Qualifications

• Passion for EdReports' mission and vision, our core values, and our commitment to Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity;
• 7+ years of demonstrated leadership and innovation in early childhood education or higher education;
• Deep content expertise in early childhood and pre-K curriculum design;
• Experience providing high-quality, engaging adult learning and facilitation;
• Experience in either state or district curriculum decision-making or implementation processes;
• Experience working directly with state, district, or non-profit instructional leaders;
• Exceptional written and spoken communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to build support for current and new initiatives across a diverse range of stakeholders and audiences, such as business leaders, educators, and policymakers;
• Capable of handling multiple projects at once amidst rapidly-changing priorities and comfortable dealing with ambiguity
• Experience managing teams;
• A proven strategic and project management skill set, including the ability to meet ambitious timelines and manage competing demands while continuing to produce high-quality work;
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a virtual work environment;
• Advanced degree in early childhood education, education, or related degree is preferred.

Salary

The salary for this position is $105,000 - $115,000 annually. At EdReports, in determining a final salary for a position, we consider the role and the experience and skill needed while striving to maintain equity in our compensation bands. For this and other reasons, our salary offers are non-negotiable.

Benefits

We know the importance of living a fulfilling, healthy life-both professionally and personally. That's why some of the benefits we offer include:

• 160 hours of PTO that is prorated to the employee's start date,
• unlimited sick time,
• 3 personal days,
• EdReports pays for 90% of health care for both the employee and their immediate family,
• 401k that new hires become eligible for after six months of employment (includes safe harbor, employer match, etc.), and
• 13 paid holidays and two office closures

Physical Requirements

Including, but not limited to standing and sitting for long periods of time; speaking loudly and clearly; seeing and hearing things both near and far away; and reaching, stooping, kneeling, and fine-finger and hand manipulation in use of a computer, chalkboard, dry erase board, or projector. Employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, and extensive reading. This person will travel by car, air, or other transportation (as indicated above) and should be able to physically withstand the demands of frequent travel. Employee may be required to walk for long distances at event venues, conference and training locations, or other relevant sites.

Core Competencies

• COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, BELONGING, INCLUSION, AND EQUITY
  Actively welcome diverse perspectives, center equity in decision-making, foster authentic and inclusive relationships that promote a sense of belonging, confront biases to build understanding, and continuously build knowledge of systemic inequities to inform behaviors that lead to an inclusive organizational culture.
• ACCOUNTABILITY
  Proficiently organize projects aligned with overarching objectives while proactively addressing challenges; ensure timely and high-quality fulfillment of responsibilities.
• COMMUNICATION
  Effectively engage stakeholders, actively listen to others, convey information for desired results, and adapt style to foster relationships and trust.
• CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
  Consistently reflect, seek feedback, and apply new insights; identify and implement solutions that enhance individual, team, and overall performance.
• CORE EXPERTISE
  Possess skills, knowledge, and abilities to perform essential duties; keeps knowledge current; utilize multiple points of view to achieve goals and is a subject matter resource for others.
• ORGANIZATIONAL STEWARDSHIP
  Cultivate external relationships, uphold policies, leverage historical insights, actively participate in organizational improvement, and adapt to align with the needs of the organization.

Manager Competencies

• Empathetic Leadership
  Cultivate and lead an environment of reflection, feedback, clear expectations, and support that drives individual and team excellence; manage with compassion and kindness by adapting leadership style to meet an individual's needs.
• Strategic Management
  Adeptly address complex issues, engage others in decision-making and change initiatives; skillfully communicate information to foster team success; inspire momentum through purposeful direction.
• Resource Management
  Thoughtfully allocate, monitor, and reflect to optimize resource utilization and enhance overall effectiveness.

We Value All Voices

EdReports is committed to equal-employment principles and we recognize the value of committed employees who feel they are being treated in an equitable and professional manner. We strive to find ways to attract, develop, and retain the talent needed to meet business objectives, and to recruit and employ highly qualified individuals representing the diverse communities in which we live, work, and serve. As such, all employment decisions at EdReports are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

We are also committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to our HR department at careers@edreports.org.