Pennsylvania Program Director, Project TEAM

Pennsylvania Program Director, Project TEAM

(Philadelphia, PA)

What We Do

Teach Plus is a national nonprofit whose mission is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. At the heart of our work is developing teacher leadership and voice in pursuit of student outcomes.

Teach Plus PA’s work is grounded in an ambitious goal: to make Pennsylvania the fastest-improving state in the nation in 4th-grade reading. Working across equitable funding, educator workforce, and early literacy, we lead coalitions, support teacher-led advocacy, and lead local programs to accelerate student opportunity and change systems through teacher leadership. Learn more at teachplus.org/pa.

About Project TEAM

Teach Plus PA, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), and Public Impact are collaborating to launch Project TEAM (Team-Based Educator Advancement & Mastery), a three-year pilot program to test the power of strategic staffing models and expanded teacher leadership roles in a set of schools in Pennsylvania’s largest urban school district. The project will implement the Opportunity Culture model and Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL)-led teams across two cohorts of SDP schools, with Public Impact providing technical assistance around district and school redesign, and Teach Plus PA providing coaching and support to principals and MCLs around instructional leadership, coaching, and curriculum implementation. The project is intended to extend the reach of excellent teachers in order to improve teacher retention and effectiveness, with a goal of further scaling the program if effective.

What You’ll Do

As the Program Director, you will be responsible for ensuring the success of this pilot program, ensuring high-quality execution, seamless collaboration across partners, and the creation of effective learning structures for educators. You will be responsible for the following:

• Strategic Project Management & Stakeholder Engagement: You will ensure that the project stays on schedule and on track for impact by developing strong project plans, working relationships, MOUs, and meeting cadences with all key stakeholders. This includes SDP leadership, Public Impact, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, other district partners (such as Leading Educators and ANET), and other relevant stakeholders. You will ensure that the right people are at the table to make key decisions and secure buy-in, including troubleshooting when barriers arise.

• District & School-Level Design: While Public Impact will take the lead on facilitating the district and school-level design processes, you will be the lead project manager, ensuring the process stays on schedule and includes all necessary stakeholders.

• Systems Implementation & Alignment: Support the implementation of new structures and policies needed to implement the Opportunity Culture model successfully across budgeting, scheduling, collective bargaining, hiring, professional learning, and strategic planning processes through project management, communication, and strong collaboration.

• Professional Learning & Coaching: Develop detailed scopes and sequences for coaching and professional learning specifically tailored to school leaders and MCL educators.

  • Provide high-impact coaching to MCLs from participating schools.

  • Provide coaching and consultation support to school leaders to support the implementation of the Opportunity Culture strategic staffing model.

  • Plan, design, and facilitate professional learning for MCLs and school partners, including cohort meetings, Summer Institutes, and other sessions as needed.

  • Collaborate with other district staff and partners such as assistant superintendents, professional learning specialists, the Office of Professional Learning, Leading Educators, and ANET to align professional development and coaching across providers and ensure MCLs receive strong curriculum-based professional development opportunities.

  • Ensure professional learning aligns with equitable teaching practices and evidence-based continuous improvement cycles.

• Data Review & Continuous Improvement: Lead data review sessions with Teach Plus staff and district partners to evaluate progress, inform instructional strategies, and ensure program goals are met.

• Team Management: Beginning in October 2027, recruit, hire, onboard, and supervise an Education Leadership Coach (to be hired in year 2 of the program), supporting their professional learning and leadership development. The Education Leadership Coach will work directly with cohort 2 MCLs and school leaders. In this role they will focus on coaching while the Program Director continues to lead the program through Strategic Project Management & Stakeholder Engagement, District & School-Level Design, Systems Implementation & Alignment, and Data Review and Continuous Improvement.

What You’ll Need to be Successful

• Experience as a school and/or district leader with a proven track record of driving student achievement gains.

• A minimum of 3-5 years of coaching experience, ideally including experience in leadership coaching.

• A minimum of 3-5 years of designing and delivering professional learning, ideally including professional learning specifically for school leaders.

• Strong relationships and established credibility within the Philadelphia education space.

• Exceptional organizational and strategic planning abilities, with the capacity to manage complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives.

• Strong focus on data, using analysis to inform instruction and drive continuous improvement.

• Commitment to educational equity and belief in the power of teachers to improve outcomes for all students.

• Preferred:

  • Experience with Opportunity Culture models or other strategic staffing models.

  • Experience implementing high-quality instructional materials (HQIM), with a strong preference for individuals with previous experience using EL Education and/or Illustrative Mathematics.

Start Date and Term

The target start date for this position is July 2026. This is a three-year, grant-funded position, contingent upon the program’s continued funding, organizational needs, and annual performance.

Location, Travel

This is a hybrid position that combines in-person and remote work, with the majority of responsibilities performed on-site at partner schools. Most planning, coaching, and professional learning activities will take place in-person, while many meetings with stakeholders outside of SDP will be conducted virtually.

Commitments

Evenings and weekends may be required to support educator sessions or accommodate teacher schedules. Attendance is mandatory at the following events unless pre-approved by a manager:

• Professional learning sessions, Content planning meetings, and Cohort meetings

• Summer Institute, national & regional retreats, and the annual regional fundraiser

This role is ideal for individuals who are energized by strategic initiatives, collaboration, responsive coaching, and building strong partnerships within schools and across a coaching team.

Total Rewards

The starting salary for this position is $108,000. This reflects where new hires are placed within our Director salary band. To promote fairness and consistency, Teach Plus uses a structured compensation approach and does not negotiate starting salaries. All offers are determined using job-related criteria and alignment to our established salary framework.

At Teach Plus, we believe the people advancing our mission deserve meaningful support in their work and in their lives. We offer competitive salaries and a strong benefits package designed to support well-being, professional growth, and long-term sustainability. Our benefits include generous paid time off, shared summer and winter breaks, Summer Half-Day Fridays, comprehensive health coverage, retirement contributions with immediate vesting, paid parental leave for all caregivers, and a four-week paid sabbatical after five years of service. See Teach Plus’ Benefit Summary for more information.

How to Apply

Please complete the online application found below. Teach Plus will receive applications until the position is filled.

Additional Program Information

This three-year grant-funded initiative project will launch in summer 2026 and follow the timeline below:

• Year 1 (2026-27): Design & Alignment

  • District design process (led by Public Impact)

  • Five pilot schools in cohort 1 go through school design process

  • Teach Plus PA coaching begins for principals in spring 2027

  • First cohort of MCLs recruited and selected in spring 2027

• Year 2 (2027-28): Launch & Expand

  • Summer Institute for principals and MCLs in cohort 1

  • Cohort 1 (5 schools) moves into implementation

  • Teach Plus PA begins coaching of MCLs

  • Cohort 2 (9 schools) enters design phase

• Year 3 (2028-29): Scale & Sustain

  • Cohort 1 expands number of MCL teams within schools

  • Cohort 2 (9 schools) moves into implementation

  • All schools receive validation and Opportunity Culture certification