Managing Director of Program Success
Who We Are
Gradient Learning is a nonprofit organization guided by the vision that educators should be empowered to meet the needs of all of their students. Gradient Learning is rebuilding education together with communities, schools, and educators. We are committed to meeting the holistic needs of every child while fostering success for all. We lead Gradient Learning and Along products.
The Gradient Learning Program offers schools a whole-student system to help schools realize their vision for whole-student growth. Our whole student system is a curated and integrated suite of research-based tools and resources, including rigorous curricula, teacher and leader resources and trainings, whole student assessments and data displays, as well as ongoing, customized coaching for school leadership teams. The program is utilized by hundreds of schools across the U.S. to fuel their whole student work.
Along is a free, interactive video journal that helps teachers guide their students to reflect and grow all year long--whether they’re back in the classroom or learning remotely. Along brings skill-building resources and efficient communication into a dedicated space where every student feels seen and heard.
At Gradient Learning, our work is guided by a set of core values as well as our belief in the possibility of change and appreciation for the power of partnership and dedication to fostering an equitable and inclusive environment for all.
Managing Director of Program Success
Position Overview
The Gradient Learning Program offers schools a Whole Student System (aka a “School in a Box”) to help schools realize their vision for holistic student growth. The system contains a curated and integrated suite of research-based tools and resources, including rigorous curricula, instructional tools & resources, and a data insights tool, all housed on a customized learning platform (powered by Canvas). This suite of tools and resources is supplemented by multi-year coaching for school leadership teams and ongoing teacher training.
We seek a Managing Director of Program Success to own the successful implementation of the Whole Student System (aka a “School in a Box”) across our network of partner schools via multi-year coaching of school leadership team members as well as ongoing account management efforts.
Specifically, the Managing Director of Program Success will:
Ensure the successful implementation of the Whole Student System across all partner schools by
- Working closely with the Chief Program Officer and the MD of Program Delivery to identify the key outcomes for the academic year and quarter for partner schools
- Designing a set of partner experiences, inclusive of coaching, account management, training operations, etc, that is required to deliver on those outcomes
- Leading the Program Success team to successfully deliver on outcomes
Develop and continually evolve a vision for School & District Support aligned with an evolving program vision and sector best practices by
- Deeply understanding and contributing to the evolving program vision
- Bringing deep expertise about sector best practices as it relates to school leader coaching, data-driven instructional planning and execution, change management, and account management to our evolving approach to School & District Support
- Reflecting on which practices or approaches provide the best return on investment and prioritizing approaches with the highest ROI
- Continually looking to evolve our approach based on feedback from partner schools, internal feedback, external best practices, and alignment with future direction
- Ensuring our coaches are consistently improving and evolving their practice in line with the vision
Serve as the voice of partner schools across the organization by
- Maintaining a pulse on what partner schools are experiencing through school visits, conversations with coaches and school leaders, etc
- Sharing partner school needs, experiences, and perspectives in relevant spaces, especially in discussions about the evolution of the program model
Manage the Program Success Team by
- Maintaining a safe, inclusive, and joyful team culture where all individuals feel like they belong
- Ensuring team members have an opportunity to learn and develop
- Ensuring team members have clarity about what is expected of them and are executing with excellence
The Managing Director of Program Success will report to the Chief Program Officer.
The Ideal Candidate
We are looking for a leader with a history of leading diverse, inclusive teams to deliver and refine programs with notable impact on student outcomes.
Key qualifications and characteristics include:
- Instructional Expertise
- Deep understanding of how to improve academic outcomes
- Deep expertise in school leadership team coaching, data-driven instructional planning and execution, change management, and/or curriculum implementation
- Deep experience in the implementation of holistic development programming or strategies
- Strategic Thinking
- Strategic thinking skills that support the capacity to understand and lead in a complex, dynamic environment that involves maintaining partnerships.
- Demonstrated evidence of utilizing high-quality research and data analytics to support the development and refinement of strategy
- Effective communication skills to convey program visions, operational demands, and success criteria to various stakeholders
- Systems Thinking
- Experience in setting and refining systems and structures across teams and organizations to deliver outcomes
- Team Leadership
- Demonstrated ability to develop and retain a diverse group of team members, recognize and leverage their talents in a way that inspires commitment, cohesion, and a collaborative, high-functioning culture
- Experience supporting managers to hold their teams accountable to a shared set of goals and outcomes
- Leader Mindsets
- An entrepreneurial and flexible approach to problems and challenges that balances established principles and user needs
- Commitment to giving and receiving low-inference, constructive feedback that reflects a growth mindset and supports continuous improvement
- Deep comfort with change and ambiguity, learning and continuous improvement, and approaching the work with humility
Click here to learn more about this role and the hiring process at Gradient Learning.
Location: Our work is national in scope, and our team is virtual. Location for this role is flexible within the continental United States.
Qualifications:
- Commitment to uphold Gradient Learning values.
- Bachelor's degree in a related field (preferred).
- 5 years+ of experience in school or district leadership, educational coaching or consulting, program management, and/or account management is required. Experience doing this work within a K-12 education setting is required.
- 3 years+ of people management experience is required.
- A proven track record of impact on student outcomes is strongly preferred.
- Proficiency in Google Platforms, i.e., Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Docs, and Google Slides.
- A clear health and background check.
- An ability to travel 30–40%.
What You Can Expect From Us:
Gradient Learning offers full-time employees competitive salaries and benefits. The beginning range for this role is $162,000-$177,000, with candidates typically starting at the beginning portion of the range; this enables the employee's growth in the range over time. The actual placement of the range depends on the candidate's qualifications, internal equity considerations, and the budget earmarked for this role.
Candidates living in the following areas will receive a cost of labor increase of:
- SF Bay Area: +10%
- New York Metro Area: +5%
Gradient Learning values transparency and internal equity in our compensation system and decisions. To support these goals we share and adhere to defined scales for each job class and do not negotiate salaries.
To learn more about our benefits, visit our careers website at www.gradientlearning.org/careers/
Application Deadline: June 13, 2025
Gradient Learning’s employment practices are in accordance with the laws that prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran’s status, marital status, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by applicable law. We will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.
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