Director of Education, K-12

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation•Seattle, WA

About The Position

The Director of Education, K–12 is a rare opportunity to shape the future of learning at a pivotal moment for education. This leader will serve as the visionary integrator for the next generation of K–12 learning, advancing a bold AI-enabled strategy to dramatically accelerate student outcomes, particularly in math, with the ambition of enabling up to 1.6 years of learning in a single year through high quality instructional materials, tutoring, and other solutions and supports that enable teachers and student learning. The Director will bridge research, product innovation, and real-world delivery at scale. They will oversee a dual-track portfolio that both: Strengthens and scales proven, high-impact approaches, and, Drives the frontier of AI-enabled, product-driven innovation capable of transforming instruction in and beyond schools. Over time, the ambition is to bring these tracks together – ensuring that AI-enabled systems solve previously intractable challenges in equitable and responsible ways. The Director must combine entrepreneurial curiosity with disciplined management, delivering measurable impact now while stewarding a 20-year vision aligned to the foundation’s 2030 and 2045 goals.

Requirements

Advanced degree with 15+ years of senior leadership experience in K–12, postsecondary, education technology, or related systems.
Proven success designing, scaling, or investing in digital or AI-enabled learning products or platforms.
Experience leading R&D or innovation pipelines from concept through scaled adoption.
Deep understanding of the K–12 ecosystem, including curriculum, instruction, assessment, instructional materials, data systems, and educator professional learning.
Demonstrated ability to embed inclusive design and equitable impact considerations into product development, partnerships, and investment strategies.
Experience applying a Targeted Universalism framework or similar approach to strategy and grantmaking.
Strong experience managing complex portfolios and making disciplined investment decisions that balance risk, scale, sustainability, and equity.
Track record of leading diverse, high-performing teams in matrixed environments.
Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence senior leaders and represent the organization externally with credibility and clarity.
Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position is located.
The Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. This includes direct company sponsorship and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (eg: H-1B, O-1, L-1, E, OPT, STEM-OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.).
Employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Nice To Haves

Visionary Integrator: Synthesizes ideas across research, policy, product, and practice to create coherent, future-ready strategies.
Product & Solutions Expert: Lives at the intersection of technology and learning, guiding investments that translate innovation into measurable gains.
Transformational Thinker: Balances bold aspiration with disciplined execution; comfortable leading at the edge of change.
Evidence-Driven Investor: Uses analytics and predictive insights to allocate capital toward highest-impact opportunities.
Collaborative Leader: Builds trust, aligns diverse stakeholders, and inspires action across sectors.
Adaptive Change Agent: Thrives amid ambiguity; pivots quickly based on learning and data.

Responsibilities

Lead the foundation’s K–12 math strategy, driving measurable progress toward ambitious 2030 and 2045 goals with clarity, focus, and accountability.
Set and evolve a long-term vision for AI-enabled instructional materials and tutoring grounded in evidence and equitable outcomes.
Guide strategic planning, investment strategy, and the learning agenda for the K–12 portfolio.
Anticipate and adapt to shifts in artificial intelligence, data science, workforce demands, and education policy that influence how students learn and teachers teach.
Ensure strong alignment across U.S. Programs, including Postsecondary, Pathways, Enablers, AI Infrastructure and Data, and Charters.
Represent the K–12 strategy internally and externally, articulating priorities, progress, and results with clarity and credibility.
Advance a bold AI-centered strategy anchored in clear teacher and student use cases to improve math instruction and learning outcomes at scale.
Oversee a dual-track portfolio that balances scaling proven approaches with advancing innovative, product-driven solutions.
Lead R&D and innovation pipelines from concept to scaled adoption, incorporating user-centered design and iterative improvement.
Balance investments across AI ecosystem development, product innovation, commercialization, and system implementation.
Use disciplined portfolio governance, analytics, and impact accounting to evaluate tradeoffs across risk, scale, cost-effectiveness, and equitable impact.
Partner with data and impact teams to define predictive metrics and embed continuous measurement and learning into funding decisions.
Cultivate deep relationships with educators, researchers, technologists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and funders to accelerate innovation and adoption.
Influence the direction of AI and learning technologies by articulating clear educational needs, values, and guardrails in collaboration with partners.
Serve as a trusted external voice on the responsible and equitable use of technology in public education.
Align peer funders and cross-sector leaders around next-generation delivery models and co-investment opportunities.
Lead and develop a high-performing, multidisciplinary team of strategists, program officers, and technical experts.
Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, curiosity, and belonging.
Translate strategic objectives into actionable priorities and measurable outcomes.
Provide regular coaching and feedback to direct reports and support the growth of future leaders.
Model inclusive leadership practices and ensure diverse perspectives inform strategy and decision-making.
Ensure disciplined fiscal and operational stewardship of people and budget resources