Thursday, August 19, 2010

Site Manager – Pittsburgh Teaching Fellows, The New Teacher Project - Pittsburgh, PA

Posted: 8/19/10

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 seeking a Site Manager to lead the Pittsburgh Teaching Fellows Program.  The Site Manager will be TNTP employee based at the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) district office in Pittsburgh, PA.  This position is available on October 1, 2010 with the potential to work on projects on a part-time basis prior to October 1. 

The Program

The New Teacher Project has established a partnership with the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) to support the city’s schools by helping to systematically increase the concentration of high-quality teachers in the city’s lowest performing schools. The Pittsburgh Teaching Fellows program will launch in the fall of 2010 with the goal of recruiting, selecting, preparing, and certifying new teachers. As a high quality alternate route into the classroom, the program will offer outstanding recent college graduates and career changers the opportunity to teach math, science, and special education in the schools where they are needed the most. This program will serve as a cornerstone of a multi-faceted strategy to close the student achievement gap in Pittsburgh by closing the teacher quality gap.

Role and Responsibilities

The Site Manager will work on-site in the Pittsburgh district office and is responsible for ensuring the successful execution of the program.  Specifically, the Site Manager is responsible for the following:

• Designing and implementing recruitment strategies that attract high-quality alternate-route teachers from diverse backgrounds to apply to teach in district schools
• Managing a rigorous selection process to ensure that individuals accepted into the program meet our high-quality standards
• Designing and implementing effective strategies to match these individuals with schools in the district where they will fill high-need vacancies and receive on-site support
• Managing a high quality pre-service training institute
• Ensuring current Fellows receive a high level of program administration services
• Building effective relationships with district leaders, school administrators, and other key stakeholders within the community
• Creating management tools to monitor project progress and report effectiveness
• Making data-driven decisions that advance both the program and TNTP’s organizational knowledge
• Generating innovative solutions to program challenges

This position reports to a Partner and will manage a two-person team.

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
• Superior leadership skills
• A record of setting and achieving ambitious goals
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• The ability to manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously
• Previous experience managing and developing staff (strongly preferred)
• Outstanding interpersonal and teamwork skills
• Exceptional client management 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
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills
• Extraordinary attention to detail
• 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
• Public-speaking abilities, including the ability to inspire others
• Knowledge of the Pittsburgh 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 $70,000 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=550

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.

Please mention that you heard about this opportunity from Dewey & Kaye Jobs Watch in your cover letter when applying for this position.

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