Director, Program

Moonshot edVentures • Denver, CO

4d • $91,000 - $96,000

About The Position

Founded in 2017, Moonshot is recognized nationally as a model for a place-based, culturally responsive approach to identifying a diverse pipeline of educators and accelerating them to found and/or lead innovative solutions co-created with students and families most on the margins in education. As one of the only organizations designed to develop and support BIPOC and LGBTQ+ educational leaders in the Rocky Mountain region, Moonshot is currently training our eighth cohort of Fellows, running several alumni programs, managing a nonprofit coworking space, and continuing to grow our alumni network and services. To date, Moonshot’s successes include: 110+ leaders in our alumni network, 86% BIPOC and 65% women or non-binary 35 new schools or educational programs that center the needs of students and families of color Over 7,000 students served each year through Moonshot pilots and ventures in Metro Denver Moonshot is in the beginning stages of executing on our next five-year plan, which includes revising and codifying our proven programmatic model, developing a robust data and evaluation strategy, and exploring opportunities for expansion either state-wide or nationally. You can learn about our programs on our website . Moonshot edVentures seeks a Program Director who will steward the Moonshot Fellowship and potential future programs, and serve as an ambassador for the core of our mission to identify, develop, and support diverse leaders designing for youth on the margins. The Program Director will be a key partner for the Managing Director of Schools & Programs and the Program & Operations Manager in running Moonshot’s core programming. This role is highly strategic and relational: balancing program vision and innovation with day-to-day execution. They hold deep instructional coaching relationships with Fellows, alumni, and youth-serving ecosystem partners that reflect Moonshot’s values of equity, authenticity, and community. The Program Director will facilitate group-learning workshops and deliver individualized coaching to Fellows that focuses on the efficacy of a Fellow’s solution, identifying specific community needs, and connecting them to the right people or opportunities. The Program Director will be based in the Metro Denver area and must be available to deliver in-person programming on evenings and weekends with overnight retreats throughout the year. This role will report directly to the Managing Director of Schools & Programs.

Requirements

• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in K-12 education (including educational nonprofits), leadership development, and/or start-ups with proven results in instructional and coaching experience.
• Deep understanding of how strategic goals translate into curriculum design, instructional practices, and coherent curricular scope and sequences; ensuring programming is aligned, rigorous, and purpose-driven.
• Strong alignment to the Moonshot vision and mission with the ability to align individual Fellow needs with Moonshot’s broader goals.
• Track record of successful adult facilitation and coaching, particularly rooted in human- and equity-centered leadership
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to communicate to others with widely varying understanding of issues
• Exceptional at project management, with the ability to produce high-quality work in a fast-paced and deadline-driven environment
• Excited about a collaborative, start-up environment and eager to learn and take on new challenges
• An empathetic leader aligned to our mission & values with a deep commitment to racial and social justice and a drive to help students of color to excel and succeed.
• A representative who acts with professionalism, warmth, and integrity across diverse community spaces, acting as a trusted ambassador of our mission.
• A diversity equity and inclusion centered leader adept at engaging liberatory practices to examine structures of oppression, white supremacy culture, and bias at a systems level. Actively centers liberation, equity and inclusivity in management, coaching and development, and decision making.
• A strategic and visionary leader who is able to manage ambiguity in start up, sustaining and scaling environments.
• An exemplary operator and manager who implements strategy with fidelity and effectively directs projects characteristic of many moving pieces through strong management of self, directly reporting staff, and indirectly reporting contractors/volunteers while facing competing priorities, resource/time scarcity, and ambiguity.
• A highly organized leader who is both adept at adopting new systems and practices and who has their own organizational systems in place to ensure success in a fast-paced environment.
• A highly relational and collaborative leader with the capacity to build strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders both in service of Moonshot’s goals and as a responsible and equity-minded steward of the broader ecosystem. Proven ability to build authentic, deep, and abiding relationships across lines of difference.
• A self-directed learner who is eager for feedback, proactively seeks opportunities for growth, and takes initiative to implement and apply learnings to their own work and practices.

Nice To Haves

• Depth of knowledge about the skills, mindsets, and knowledge it takes to launch a charter or innovation school, nonprofit organization or community initiative
• Experience supporting early-stage founders (supporters of school founders or other education entrepreneurs preferred) and/or emerging school and program leaders
• Experience developing and delivering curriculum and instruction (e.g. classroom teacher, nonprofit program development)
• Knowledge of and relationships within the Metro Denver community and/or Colorado

Responsibilities

• Program Implementation & Management
• Lead the Moonshot Innovation Space fellowship as the primary facilitator to ensure coherence of the fellowship experience for approximately 20 Fellows
• Coach and develop Fellows to develop high-quality solutions to positively impact youth across a variety of sectors through Fellowship workshops and 1:1 support
• In collaboration with the Program Team, translate organizational strategy into aligned curriculum, instructional design, and facilitation plans that build toward clear, measurable Fellow outcomes.
• Manage the complex, multifaceted project of Fellowship, including:
• Create and manage project plans to ensure high-quality execution and results around Fellow satisfaction, learning, and results
• Identify and support panelists and outsourced workshop facilitation
• Infuse values of liberation, diversity, equity, and inclusiveness into programming
• Solicit necessary feedback from team, speakers, Fellows, and external experts to revise curriculum appropriately
• Adapt fellowship programming dependent on Fellows’ needs
• Build and refine operational systems that streamline program delivery, identify inefficiencies, and implement continuous improvement practices.
• Manage budget and track expenses for the fellowship, in line with the approved program budget and strategic plan
• Support the recruitment and selection process of Fellows through 1:1 outreach and serving on the Selection Committee
• Manage potential future programs as applicable, which could include an Entrepreneur or Executive in Residence program
• Build a cohort culture that is aligned to organizational core values and rooted in strong, culturally-responsive management practices
• Engage contractor relationships to provide meaningful and impactful supports to fellows and alumni using high-quality feedback cycles and accountability
• Program Evaluation & Storytelling
• Develop, manage, and improve a data and evaluation system for the fellowship aligned to broader organizational data strategy. This includes tracking formative and summative Fellow satisfaction and development data, solution design and growth to inform curriculum revisions and continuous improvement, setting and tracking key goals and impact indicators, investing and managing team engagement, and reporting out metrics and stories
• Craft and communicate the narrative of impact internally and externally to support Moonshot’s ability to raise funds and resources to support the fellowship
• Support Moonshot’s marketing and communications strategy by identifying and curating stories of impact from the fellowship
• Team-wide Responsibilities
• Attend weekly team meetings and manager check-ins, quarterly step backs and an annual retreat; complete team-wide responsibilities and asks as needed (e.g., providing input for strategic planning)
• Work to achieve meaningful outcomes, contribute to building a strong team and culture, and commit to own learning + development aligned to Moonshot Core Values.
• Serve as an ethical and responsible organizational steward of Moonshot both internally and externally

Benefits

• We offer flexible paid time off with no cap on hours, 27 office black-out days, a 401k matching plan, short and long-term disability, and a yearly wellness fund.
• We believe people are our most precious resource, and dedicate time, resources, and capacity towards the learning and development of each staff member. Managers undergo continuous training to grow their coaching and management practices. Each staff is allocated a yearly allocation of Professional Development Funds. We also engage in ongoing full-team professional development.
• By working at Moonshot, each staff plays a role in building a robust, diverse education ecosystem and supporting BIPOC and historically marginalized leaders in actualizing their dreams. Our mission drives our work and is what brings people to our team.
• Staff have the option to work from our office or from home with the exception of in-person team meetings and programming.
• Program staff are encouraged to use flex time to offset evening, weekend or overnight retreat hours worked during the Fellowship and course of the year.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed