Posted: May 03, 2010

Project Manager – Human Capital Strategy Initiative, Recovery School District
New Orleans, Louisiana

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 Project Manager to manage a diverse portfolio of high-priority projects within the Human Capital Strategy Initiative in partnership with the Recovery School District (RSD) in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Project Manager will be based in the school district office in New Orleans. This position is available immediately.

Human Capital Strategy Initiative, Recovery School District

Research has shown that effective teachers are the solution to increasing student achievement in under-resourced schools. As a result, TNTP has always focused on increasing the concentration of highly effective teachers in high-need classrooms. We have done this primarily by strengthening the pipeline into schools through our Teaching Fellows Programs, Model Staffing Initiatives, and Training and Certification programs.

In order to achieve our vision of a human capital system that revolves around the objective of an effective teacher in every classroom, we not only need to create a supply of effective teachers, but to help school districts and states optimize the effectiveness of the teacher workforce overall. School districts must focus not only on teacher recruitment, selection, training, and certification, but also on components like teacher performance evaluation, compensation, and school-level human capital management (the ability of principals to manage and keep highly effective teachers). In short, all aspects of the human capital strategy within a school district must be focused on the following metrics: increasing the percentage of new teachers that are effective at increasing student achievement, retaining the most effective teachers, outplacing the least effective teachers, and improving the overall effectiveness of the teachers in the district over time.

To help urban districts attain this vision, TNTP is launching a comprehensive Human Capital Strategy Initiative in which we provide consulting and deep technical support to a district on its human capital efforts. Through this initiative, we aim to prove that through comprehensive human capital reform, a district can increase the concentration of effective teachers and substantially improve the academic achievement of students in that district.

Role and Responsibilities

The Project Manager is responsible for effectively managing his/her portfolio of projects, which are critical to the Human Capital Strategy Initiative’s ultimate success. This position offers the successful candidate the opportunity to have a profound impact on schools in New Orleans. Specifically, the Project Manager will be responsible for the following:

• Provide project management planning, execution and issue resolution support to all Human Capital Strategy Initiative teams
• Own and manage execution of specific projects as identified by the Senior Partner and Site Managers, such as:
o Creating and managing a video library for use in ongoing calibration to the teaching competency model
o Managing principal and teacher advisory committees, including participants, meeting schedule, agenda, meeting logistics
o Developing and maintaining on-boarding resources for full-time and consultant staff
• Develop a thorough understanding of the Human Capital Strategy Initiative, and apply that knowledge to project management
• Develop and maintain program management tools and processes
• Track and report on projects’ performance across all teams
• Work closely with key RSD leaders and TNTP Site Managers to ensure coordination across teams and projects
• Design project management resources and tools for TNTP team
• Deliver general operational and logistical support

The Project Manager will report to the Senior Partner and to individual Site Managers on specific time-bound projects, and may manage temporary staff and/or consultants.

Qualifications

We seek detail-oriented, independent self-starters who believe deeply in our organization's mission and who display a record of achievement in challenging situations. Successful candidates will also demonstrate:

• Project management experience
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills
• Extraordinary attention to detail
• A record of setting and achieving ambitious goals
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• The ability to manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously
• Outstanding interpersonal and teamwork skills
• A commitment to producing consistently high quality work
• The ability to learn quickly and work in a fast paced environment
• The ability to identify challenges and actively work to find solutions
• Flexibility
• 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
• Knowledge of the RSD public school system (preferred)
• Experience working with under-performing schools (highly preferred)
• Superior quantitative and computer skills, specifically Microsoft Office suite
• A willingness to work non-standard hours and 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 http://tbe.taleo.net/NA5/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=THENEWTEACHERPROJECT&cws=1&rid=565

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.