Leadership Development Contractor

Commonwealth of Massachusetts • Everett, MA

21h

About The Position

The Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) is seeking a Leadership Development Contractor to support the Office of Educational Leadership Development’s (OELD) Leadership Development, Recruitment, and Retention workstream. This role will broadly focus on overseeing and facilitating training and support for educational leaders in Massachusetts, building leadership pipelines, and providing coaching and mentoring to increase retention, especially for underrepresented leaders. The contractor will work closely with DESE staff, school and district leaders, education advocacy groups, and research organizations within the Commonwealth. Key initiatives include developing culturally responsive leaders, leadership diversification pipelines (e.g., Influence 100, Aspiring Principals Fellowship), alumni engagement, professional development, coaching, mentoring, training for school and district leaders, and developing guidance materials on strategic resource allocation and budget decision-making. The role also involves leading professional learning cadres for school leaders to enhance instructional leadership and improve academic success. Travel may be required based on assignment.

Requirements

• At least 15 years of full-time or equivalent part-time, supervisory or managerial experience in public administration or education management
• Of the 15 years of experience, at least 5 years must have been in a managerial capacity

Nice To Haves

• A master's degree in education or another relevant field
• Deep knowledge of schools and school districts and how they function across states
• Demonstrated track record of setting ambitious goals and driving results
• Energetic, entrepreneurial, and self-motivated with the judgment, temperament and skills required to make strategic decisions based on equity and outcomes for all children
• Ability to develop high-quality written products, including communication, and presentation skills
• Excellent relationship builder with demonstrated experience managing change and teams
• Disciplined, data-driven approach to decision-making and problem-solving
• Passion for MA DESE’s mission
• Unwavering belief in the ability of all children to learn at high levels
• Passion for attaining ambitious goals in service of Massachusetts students and educators
• Efficient and organized; able to coordinate various projects simultaneously
• Improvement mindset; desire to coach, be coached, receive feedback, and continually improve

Responsibilities

• Overseeing and facilitating, where needed, training and support for educational leaders in Massachusetts
• Building leadership pipelines
• Providing coaching and mentoring support for new school and district leaders that will increase retention, especially for leaders underrepresented at each level of leadership
• Developing culturally responsive school and district leaders
• Developing school and district leadership pipelines focused on leadership diversification, such as Influence 100 for aspiring superintendents and Aspiring Principals Fellowship for aspiring principals
• Managing alumni engagement efforts and support for Influence 100 alumni
• Providing professional development, coaching, and mentoring for new school and district leaders
• Working with MASC, MASS and MSAA on training for school leaders, district leaders, and school committees to strengthen leadership decision-making and strategic planning at all levels of leadership
• Supporting vendors with Instructional leadership training for new and current school leaders
• Supporting vendors with Instructional leadership training for new superintendents
• Developing and implementing guidance materials on strategic resource allocation aligned to district goals/priorities and cross-role (school committee, district leaders, and school leaders) budget decision-making frameworks, as well as online modules aligned to those guidance materials and frameworks
• Leading, in collaboration with stakeholders and vendors, a set of professional learning cadres for school leaders that bring together schools from specific regions of the Commonwealth to learn from one another, build their instructional leadership skills, and plans to improve the academic success of their school
• Performing other duties as assigned
• Serving as a liaison to the Urban Superintendent’s Network (USN), Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS), Massachusetts School Administrators Association (MSAA), and Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC)
• Supporting the Department’s continued planning and implementation of the Influence 100 program, including programmatic aspects like developing monthly fellow sessions, quarterly leadership sessions, a comprehensive coaching model, and an alumni engagement strategy
• Designing and implementing online sessions with Influence 100 alumnae to build their readiness for assistant superintendent or superintendent positions
• Supporting the Department’s continued planning and implementation of the Aspiring Principals Fellowship program, including programmatic aspects like developing monthly fellow sessions, quarterly leadership sessions, a comprehensive coaching model, and an alumni engagement strategy
• Supporting the Department’s efforts to develop a new principal leadership development program, with an emphasis on supporting Accelerating Achievement school leaders, including developing opportunities for school leaders to build and refine skills through case study reviews, observations, and discussions of effective structures and practices

Benefits

• Contracted employees are not paid for the twelve scheduled holidays
• Contracted employees do not receive any paid, vacation, personal leave benefits
• Contracted employees do not contribute to the State Retirement System or Social Security
• Must participate in direct deposit
• Must contribute towards the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Alternate Retirement Plan ('OBRA Plan')

What This Job Offers

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