Associate Director, Integrated Strategies, Transitions

Partners for Rural Impact • Lakewood, OH

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

Partners for Rural Impact’s (PRI) ultimate goal is for an America where all kids are successful, regardless of zip code, income, background, or ability. At PRI, our focus is on ensuring that all children in rural places achieve success. Partners for Rural Impact was born out of our place-based partnership in Appalachia, where we’ve worked for 25 years to create student opportunity and success. The Associate Director, Integrated Strategies, Transitions is a full-time position that reports to the Director of Integrated Strategies. The Associate Director, Integrated Strategies, serves as both a content-area leader and cross-functional contributor responsible for advancing whole-child, cradle-to-career strategies across PRI’s service area. This role leads the design and implementation of high-impact strategies within a defined content area while operating as a flexible “utility player” across Integrated Strategies initiatives. Engagement is embedded across all aspects of the role, serving as a foundational element of how strategies are designed, implemented, and sustained within the whole-child, cradle-to-career framework. The Associate Director partners with internal teams, grants, and community stakeholders to ensure alignment, scalability, and continuous improvement of PRI’s work.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred
• At least five years of experience in teaching, consulting, instructional leadership, educational research, training, communications, or a related field required with a Master’s degree
• At least five years of experience in teaching, consulting, instructional leadership, educational research, training, communications, or a related field required with a Bachelor’s degree
• Clear understanding of research and evidence-based programs, practices, and pedagogy
• Demonstrated knowledge of the whole-child approach of creating environments that are supportive, engaging, safe, healthy, challenging, and empowering to help students thrive
• Experience implementing initiatives in rural schools and communities
• Experience building positive, welcoming, and inclusive school culture
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Effective interpersonal, collaboration, and organizational skills
• Demonstrated ability to design and deliver training aligned to whole-child principles
• Project management skills, including planning, coordination, and execution
• Working knowledge of key content areas, including arts integration, academic support, mentoring, student voice and leadership, wellness, and attendance
• Ability to design and facilitate engaging, high-impact programming for students and stakeholders
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and general computer applications
• Commitment to a growth mindset and inclusive approaches to school culture and whole-child development
• Strong attention to detail, particularly in planning and executing events, conferences, and summits
• Access to reliable transportation
• Successfully complete pre-employment background check
• Ability to work in a high energy office
• Ability to accurately communicate and exchange information with partners, stakeholders, and/or meeting participants
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs
• Ability to travel independently by car and plane regionally and nationally
• Ability to operate standard office equipment

Nice To Haves

• Hybrid or remote work may be considered.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of transition programming across key milestones (early childhood, middle school, high school, postsecondary)
• Develop and scale strategies related to family engagement, student voice, and whole-child engagement
• Integrate transition strategies with academic, attendance, and wellness priorities
• Design and deliver engaging, high-impact programming and training for students and stakeholders
• Apply and scale best practices in transitions across PRI communities
• Lead the design, development, and implementation of high-impact strategies within the assigned content area aligned to whole-child, cradle-to-career priorities
• Serve as a subject matter expert, identifying and scaling evidence-based practices that improve outcomes for children and families
• Develop and communicate models, frameworks, tools, and training materials to support consistent implementation across PRI communities
• Lead content-specific initiatives aligned to grant goals, organizational priorities, and funder expectations
• Conduct research and site visits to identify exemplary practices and translate findings into scalable resources
• Ensure fidelity of implementation for content area strategies across PRI-supported communities
• Contribute to Integrated Strategies priorities beyond the primary content area
• Collaborate with team members to integrate the assigned content area with other priority areas into cohesive strategies
• Support the development of shared frameworks, tools, and approaches across content areas
• Flex across projects and initiatives based on organizational priorities and grant needs
• Identify opportunities to connect content area strategies to broader cradle-to-career systems
• Strengthen team effectiveness by contributing to cross-functional planning and coordination
• Serve as a strategic advisor and thought partner to project teams, district leaders, and community stakeholders
• Facilitate planning sessions, Results-Based Facilitation engagements, and professional learning experiences
• Build partner capacity through coaching, facilitation, and training to support effective implementation
• Develop and maintain strong relationships across PRI’s service area
• Communicate strategies and concepts clearly through presentations, facilitation, and written materials
• Implement and model results-based accountability and continuous improvement frameworks
• Use data to inform strategy, decision-making, and program improvement
• Monitor implementation progress and outcomes, identifying opportunities for refinement
• Collaborate with data and evaluation teams to support measurement and reporting
• Apply systems-thinking approaches to improve performance, efficiency, and scalability
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, grant requirements, and risk management protocols
• Serve as an active member of the Integrated Strategies Leadership Team
• Collaborate with team members to strengthen alignment and shared ownership of outcomes
• Contribute to the development of internal structures, tools, and processes
• Share knowledge and best practices to support team effectiveness
• Participate in team planning, reflection, and continuous improvement efforts
• Support broader organizational priorities and initiatives as needed
• Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist and support in the attainment of our mission, All Rural Students Succeed.

Benefits

• Comprehensive insurance plans including medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage.
• Flexible spending accounts, plus an employee assistance program.
• Life and long-term disability insurance and retirement plan.
• Generous paid time off work options including vacation, sick leave, and annual holidays, in addition to paid parental leave.
• Tuition assistance and professional development for employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level