Posted: June 14, 2010

Program Operations Manager – teachNOLA
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 Program Operations Manager for our teachNOLA programs in New Orleans. The Program Operations Manager will be a TNTP employee based in New Orleans. This position is available immediately.

The Program

teachNOLA is a cooperative partnership between New Schools for New Orleans, the Recovery School District and The New Teacher Project to bolster the strength of the teaching force in New Orleans. teachNOLA’s highly selective Teaching Fellows program is an alternate route program that recruits, selects and trains committed individuals without a traditional background in education to teach in New Orleans public schools. In addition to its Teaching Fellows program, teachNOLA also recruits certified teachers on behalf of the city’s public schools via its Master Teacher Corps program. Teaching candidates undergo a rigorous selection process and, for alternate route candidates, train in an intensive Training Institute over the summer. Since its inception in 2006, teachNOLA has placed more than 400 teachers in public schools in New Orleans. At present, 90% of open enrollment public schools in New Orleans have at least one teachNOLA teacher on staff. Please visit our website for additional information about the program at www.teachNOLA.org.

Role and Responsibilities

The teachNOLA Program Operations Manager will work alongside other teachNOLA staff and will be responsible for working with the teachNOLA Site Manager to ensure that the goals and deadlines of the contract are met. The Program Operations Manager will develop and implement recruitment and cultivation strategies to ensure high caliber teachNOLA teacher applicants complete the rigorous application process, manage the process for selecting candidates into the program, and manage candidate communication. Specific responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Working with the Site Manager and TNTP’s central recruitment team to design and implement a candidate recruitment and cultivation plan (based on data and trend analysis)
• Encouraging candidates to progress through the teachNOLA application process using different media such as mass e-mails, website management, information sessions, community outreach, college campus recruitment, referrals, internet postings, webinars, etc.
• Ensuring high quality messages are delivered to teachNOLA candidates in all communications (e-mails, newsletters, information sessions, etc.)
• Assisting in the planning and implementation of recruitment, selection and hiring events
• Assisting in all aspects of the selection process including recruitment and hiring of selectors, coordination of selector training and identification of interview event locations
• Assisting in the management of the Ambassador team, made up of experienced teachers who help teachNOLA recruit, including the distribution of Ambassador assignments and delivery of feedback to Ambassadors
• Processing and reviewing candidate applications and maintaining records of all candidate documents and requirements
• Participating in extensive candidate file review after each interview event and delivering feedback to selectors
• Representing the program and speaking publicly at program events
• Managing day-to-day operations, including maintaining the applicant database and responding to candidate communications in a timely manner
• Managing the program’s various information accounts (e-mail, phone, etc)
• Assisting in various data collection efforts essential to the successful implementation of the partnership
• Leading the implementation of district hiring plans to match teacher candidates with school-level positions
• Developing and implementing a district hiring communication plan for schools, Fellows, and central district staff
• Monitoring district hiring status and addressing specific needs and concerns of candidates
• Developing and maintaining relationships with district administrators and other hiring staff in New Orleans, particularly at schools that have historically experienced staffing shortages
• Assisting in the operations of the summer Training Institute for Teaching Fellows, as well as Master Teacher professional development events
• Working with the client and teachNOLA Site Manager on additional projects as necessary

Qualifications

We are seeking candidates who believe deeply in our organization's mission, who thrive in an entrepreneurial and dynamic environment, and who demonstrate a record of achievement.

Successful candidates will also demonstrate:

• Outstanding interpersonal and teamwork skills
• A commitment to producing consistently high quality, detailed work
• The ability to learn quickly, work in a fast paced environment and multi-task effectively
• The ability to identify challenges and actively work to find solutions
• Strong communication and writing skills
• 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
• Excellent event planning, organizational and time-management skills
• Extraordinary attention to detail
• Flexibility
• The ability to work well independently while collaborating with others on meeting common goals
• Public-speaking abilities, including the ability to inspire others
• Knowledge of the New Orleans school system (strongly preferred)
• Experience working with underperforming schools (preferred)
• Excellent skills working with computers, including a strong working knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite
• A willingness to work non-standard hours and/or occasional weekends

Compensation

The annual salary for this full-time position is $50,000 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=595

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.