Managing Director of Programs

Black Men Teach • Full-time • Hybrid in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States • $110,000 - $130,000 / year • 1m ago

Fast Facts

Join Black Men Teach as the Managing Director of Programs, where you'll lead efforts to recruit, prepare, and retain Black male educators, ensuring a diverse teaching workforce in Minnesota's elementary schools.

Responsibilities: Oversee programmatic initiatives, lead a team of program leaders, develop strategic partnerships, and ensure alignment with the organization’s mission and goals.

Skills: Strong program strategy development, project management, communication skills, a deep understanding of Black male culture and K–12 education systems are essential.

Qualifications: Experience in educational leadership, proven ability to navigate ambiguity, and a commitment to equity and cultural authenticity are preferred.

Location: The position is based in St. Paul, MN, United States.

Compensation: $110000 - $130000 / Annually

About Black Men Teach:

The Black Men Teach Mission is to recruit, prepare, place, and retain Black male teachers in elementary schools.

The Black Men Teach Vision is a community in which all students have the opportunity to attend schools staffed with racially and culturally diverse teachers and leaders, reflecting the students’ race, ethnicity and cultures, creating an environment that affirms students for who they are.

Minnesota’s education system is a paradox. Minnesota is considered to have one of the best public education systems in the country, but at the same time it is one of the most inequitable. The graduation rate for Black high school students in Minnesota ranks 50th among 50 states. Minnesota has the second largest Black-White education achievement gap in the nation, and Black students are suspended or expelled at eight times the rate of their White counterparts.

Research and experience reveal that a diverse teacher corps improves student outcomes for all children, especially children of color. For example, Black boys in elementary school who have just one Black male teacher are 29% less likely to drop out of school. Those who have two Black male teachers are 32% more likely to enroll in post-secondary education. Black Men Teach focuses on closing the teacher gap and is seeking to do this by building a robust pipeline that recruits, develops, supports, and helps retain Black men in elementary classrooms. Within six years, the organization is committed to seeing 20% of the teacher pool in its partner schools as Black men.

Position Purpose:

The Managing Director of Programs (MDP) serves as a key member of BMT’s leadership team and is responsible for the vision, strategy, and execution of all programmatic initiatives. Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, the MDP ensures that all programs are high-impact, measurable, and fully aligned with the organization’s mission and strategic priorities.

This leader brings a balance of visionary thinking and disciplined implementation—someone who can connect the “why” to the “how,” ensuring that programs are grounded in excellence, equity, and sustainability. The MDP directly supervises four high-performing program leaders and works cross-functionally to strengthen systems, collaboration, and alignment across the program portfolio.

Principal Responsibilities:

This role is approximately:

80% Internal Leadership & Integration: Program leadership, system building, aligning teams to execute the vision.
20% External Partnerships & Strategic Collaboration: Representing BMT with partners, funders, and community organizations as needed.

How You’ll Spend Your Time (not limited to the following):

Strategic Leadership & Execution
Translate BMT’s organizational vision for the program into actionable program goals, milestones, and performance metrics.
Align all programmatic work with the organization’s mission, ensuring that efforts advance the recruitment, preparation, placement, and retention of Black male educators.
Collaborate closely with the executive team to maintain cross-departmental coordination and strong communication channels.
Program Development & Impact
Be accountable for improving BMT’s core program outcomes, including:
Retention of teachers and college participants
Placement of student teachers and full-time teachers
Teacher effectiveness and college participants readiness to teach
Use data, participant feedback, and partner insights to continuously refine and strengthen program design.
Lead program innovation aligned with BMT’s strategic plan and growth trajectory.
Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement
Cultivate, maintain and advance relationships with school districts, universities, community organizations, and funders.
Represent BMT externally at conferences, coalitions, and partnership meetings to advance thought leadership and visibility.
Partner with the Chief Advancement & Marketing Officer to align program outcomes with funding priorities and reporting requirements.
Team Leadership & Development
Lead direct reports providing clarity, accountability, and coaching for success.
Build a culture of belonging, feedback, and professional growth across the program team.
Lead with empathy, equity, and cultural awareness to foster collaboration and inclusion.
Support professional development and equitable growth pathways for program staff.
Systems Building & Organizational Infrastructure
Strengthen systems that support program planning, implementation, and data-informed decision-making.
Partner with HR and People & Culture to align job descriptions, performance reviews, and professional growth structures.
Collaborate with cross-functional leaders on initiatives related to program innovation, evaluation, and scaling.

You should apply for this role if you see yourself as:

Entrepreneurial Builder: You are comfortable stepping into a newly created role and navigating ambiguity. You take initiative, solve problems creatively, and move work forward without needing perfect conditions.
Program Designer & Innovator: You can identify unmet needs within a program ecosystem and design responsive, high-quality programs that meet participant and organizational goals.
Continuous Improvement Mindset: You are not satisfied with “good enough.” You use feedback, data, and reflection to continuously improve programs and can systematize the program development and refinement process.
Operational Excellence: You design and implement systems, structures, and workflows that increase efficiency, consistency, and performance across teams and programs.
Data-Informed Leader: You translate data into actionable insights that drive decision-making, learning, and measurable improvement.
Execution-Oriented Strategist: You can take a clear vision and turn it into actionable plans, timelines, and accountability structures that lead to results.
Equity-Centered Leader: You lead with a deep commitment to equity, belonging, and cultural authenticity, ensuring programs and systems reflect the communities they serve.
Collaborative & Accountable Partner: You build trust, navigate tension productively, and hold yourself and others accountable in ways that are clear, human, and effective.

What skills and experience do you NEED?

Program Strategy & Portfolio Leadership: Demonstrated ability to translate organizational vision and strategy into executable program plans, milestones, and outcomes.
Comfort in Ambiguity: Experience working without all the information and being able to drive clarity with partners or resources to move work forward; proven experience navigating in the gray
Communication: Ability to build internal and/or external partnerships. Ability to drive awareness or change with a diverse audience through various communication vehicles. Ability to present ideas to all levels of the organization.
Deep Understanding of Black Male Culture: Demonstrated understanding of the cultural, historical, and contemporary experiences of Black men and boys, particularly as they navigate education systems and professional spaces.
Strong Understanding of K–12 Education & Teacher Preparation Pathways: Strong understanding of K–12 education systems, with particular attention to elementary education and the conditions that support teacher effectiveness and retention.
Project Management: Ability to manage multiple priorities, tight deadlines, and special projects with minimal direction. Ability to interact with and manage stakeholders in varying roles and levels.

What skills and experience will you GAIN?

Systems-Building & Scaling Expertise: Design and refine systems that support growth, sustainability, and measurable outcomes across multiple programs and partners.
Deep Exposure to Education Change Work: Work at the intersection of K–12 education, higher education, workforce development, philanthropy, and community organizing.
Partnership & Influence Skills: Build and steward high-level relationships with district leaders, funders, policymakers, and national partners.
Equity-Centered Leadership Practice: Strengthen your ability to lead with cultural clarity, empathy, and accountability in a mission-driven, values-aligned organization.
National Visibility & Thought Leadership: Contribute to a model that will be looked to as a blueprint for diversifying the educator workforce.
An opportunity to work on highly impactful and fulfilling work!

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.
The person in this position needs to be able to move about inside and outside different facilities (e.g., schools) or offices throughout the workday.
The candidate is expected to attend conferences, meetings and training sessions both virtually and in-person.

Work Environment

Reports to work Monday-Friday and some weekends.
Typical office environment or virtual space with frequent interruptions.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary range: $110,000–$130,000. Final salary is determined by BMT based on years of experience, educational background, and level of expertise. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. Black Men Teach also provides a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

Reimbursement for a portion of your health care insurance premium.
401k plan with company match.
Paid time off (PTO) which will accrue at the rate of 15 days per year.
Nine paid holidays per year: New Year’s Day, MLK Day, Good Friday or other religious holiday your choice, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and Juneteenth

Join Us!

If you’re passionate about reimagining systems and creating lasting impact, we invite you to bring your ideas and energy to BMT. Together, we’re not just transforming education — we’re transforming possibility.

Deadline: The job will remain open until filled

Black Men Teach is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from diverse candidates. All decisions regarding recruiting and hiring will be made without unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, pregnancy, disability, work-related injury, covered veteran status, political ideology, genetic information, marital status, or any other factor that the law protects from employment discrimination.