Posted: March 09, 2011

Senior Operations Manager – Louisiana Practitioner Teacher Program
New Orleans, LA

The New Teacher Project (TNTP) helps school districts and states fulfill the promise of public education by ensuring that all students—especially those from high-need communities—get excellent teachers. A national nonprofit organization founded by teachers, TNTP recognizes that although teachers matter more than any other school factor in student success, the nation’s education systems are not aligned with the goal of an effective teacher in every classroom. In response, TNTP develops customized programs and policy interventions that enable education leaders to diagnose their teacher quality challenges and find, develop and keep great teachers. Since its inception in 1997, TNTP has recruited or trained approximately 33,000 teachers—mainly through its highly selective Teaching Fellows™ programs—benefiting an estimated 4.8 million students. TNTP has also released a series of acclaimed studies of the policies and practices that affect the quality of the nation’s teacher workforce, most recently including The Widget Effect: Our National Failure to Acknowledge and Act on Differences in Teacher Effectiveness (2009). Today TNTP is active in more than 25 cities, including Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, New Orleans, New York, and Oakland, among others. For more information, please visit www.tntp.org.

We are currently seeking a Senior Operations Manager for our Louisiana Practitioner Teacher Program. The location of this position is New Orleans, LA. This position is available to start immediately.

The Program

In 2001, at the request of the Louisiana Department of Education, The New Teacher Project launched the Louisiana Practitioner Teacher Program (LPTP) as the first non-university certification provider in Louisiana. The goal of the program is to provide rigorous, relevant training to new teachers, which maximizes their impact on student achievement in high-need schools. The program, now in its tenth year of operation, has been extremely successful, certifying over 1000 new teachers in 10 districts in the Shreveport, Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas, including the Recover School District (RSD) and New Orleans charter schools.

Participants are recruited and selected by program partners – Teach For America, Teach Baton Rouge, and teachNOLA. Following a rigorous summer training institute, participants teach full-time with a Practitioner License while participating in LPTP’s Teaching for Results certification seminar series.

The seminars prepare new teachers to raise student achievement by helping them become effective at understanding the content their students must master, delivering focused instruction, and using assessment tools and data to set goals, inform instruction and gauge student progress so all students meet or exceed grade-level standards.

According to an ongoing state-sponsored study of teacher preparation providers, teachers who went through LPTP were found to be more effective than experienced teachers at raising student achievement in the areas of math, reading, English Language Arts and science. More information on this study is available on the Louisiana Board of Regents website. http://www.regents.state.la.us/Academic/TE/Value%20Added.htm

For more information about LPTP, go to http://www.lptp.org.

Role and Responsibilities

The Senior Operations Manager will oversee program logistics and operations and will coordinate key functions within the program to ensure high program quality and customer service. Specifically, the Senior Operations Manager will be responsible for:

• Working with the team to ensure that LPTP meets programmatic goals around teacher effectiveness, instructor quality, and client satisfaction
• Managing two Operations Managers, providing coaching and feedback
• Developing strong working relationships with district and school-based staff, and other internal or external stakeholders
• Coordinating operations related to the planning and execution of the Teaching for Results seminar series for new teachers
• Managing administrative processes that apply to teachers including, but not limited to, enrollment in LPTP, applying for state licensure, and tuition collection
• Maintaining and improving upon the processes and technology used to facilitate applicant tracking
• Serving as the primary point of contact for teachers, including fielding routine and high-level inquiries via phone, email, and walk-in, and facilitating Information Sessions
• Communicating directly with teachers regarding program updates and requirements
• Maintaining accurate teacher and Seminar Leader files and records (both paper and electronic)
• Planning and coordinating the logistical aspects of portfolio evaluation, assessor training, and Seminar Leader training
• Assisting in the coordination of all LPTP events
• Managing day-to-day program operations
• Managing and organizing various data collection efforts essential to the successful implementation of the effectiveness screening process for Fellows
• Generating innovative solutions to program challenges
The Senior Operations Manager will report to the Site Manager of the Louisiana Practitioner Teacher Program. This position offers the successful candidates the opportunity to have profound impacts on how new teachers are prepared to teach in Louisiana Public Schools.

Qualifications
We are seeking candidates who believe deeply in our organization's mission and who display a record of achievement. Successful candidates will demonstrate:
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• Extraordinary attention to detail
• The ability to effectively manage others
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to effectively prioritize and manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously
• A commitment to producing consistently high quality work
• The ability to set and achieve ambitious goals
• The ability to learn quickly, work in a fast paced environment and multi-task effectively
• Excellent event planning and time-management skills
• The ability to identify challenges and actively work to find solutions
• Flexibility and comfort with ambiguity
• Outstanding interpersonal and teamwork skills
• The ability to work well independently and with others
• Experience with Louisiana public schools, or other urban school districts (preferred)
• The ability to work effectively with others at all levels of an organization and to consistently display a high level of professionalism in all interactions
• Strong computer skills including database management and Microsoft Word and Excel
• A willingness to work non-standard hours and/or occasional weekends
Compensation

The annual salary for this position is $55,000 or commensurate with experience in a similar position. We also offer a motivated team of colleagues, a collegial atmosphere that values professional development, a comprehensive benefits plan effective on the first day of employment – including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, and a 403(b) plan with matching – as well as the opportunity to impact the direction of a growing, mission-driven company that is committed to the success of our nation’s children.

To Apply

Please submit your resume and tailored cover letter online at:
https://tbe.taleo.net/NA5/ats/requisitions/RequisitionView.jsp?act=show&id=811

We review applications on a rolling basis – so it is to your advantage to apply as soon as possible. We will not consider applications without a cover letter tailored to this position, which can be addressed to the Human Capital Team. The New Teacher Project is committed to fostering and capitalizing on the diversity of our organization. We are an equal opportunity employer and seek individuals of all ethnic and racial backgrounds to apply to this position. If you would like to learn more about our mission, please visit our web site at www.tntp.org.