Managing Director, National Program Growth

What We Do

At Leading Educators (LE), we know that excellent teaching is the most important driver of student success. The moment a student steps foot in the classroom, their ability to learn depends on how prepared their teacher is to convey complex content knowledge as engaging, student-centered lessons that help students learn deeply and apply their thinking to the real world.

That’s a big lift, and teachers often do this alone. As a national nonprofit, we partner with school systems to overcome persistent instructional challenges, foster intentional collaboration and adult learning by design, and ignite new possibilities through systemic solutions at the intersection of teaching, talent, and technology.

We work shoulder-to-shoulder with educators at every level of the education system to strengthen their instructional and leadership practices, bring a vision for excellent instruction to life with consistency, and ultimately ensure that every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Through direct support, strategic advising, innovation pilots, and best-in-class research, we help educators shape a future where every student can thrive. Learn more about our work at leadingeducators.org.

Position

Leading Educators is seeking a Managing Director, National Program Growth to lead regional partnership growth strategy and secure high-impact, mission-aligned engagements with school districts, state education agencies, and strategic partners. This is a pivotal leadership role for someone ready to expand Leading Educators' national footprint and drive systemic change across K–12 education.

In this role, you'll operate through a consultative business development model—one that moves beyond transactional sales to become a trusted thought partner for senior education leaders. Rather than promoting a fixed product, you'll engage district and state leaders in diagnosing instructional and organizational challenges, clarifying desired outcomes, and co-constructing solutions that fit their unique context and constraints. This requires deep K–12 expertise, strong judgment, and the ability to translate complex system dynamics into actionable partnership strategies.

You'll leverage established relationships with senior leaders across school districts and state education agencies—particularly in California, the broader West Coast, and Texas—to originate new partnership opportunities and position Leading Educators as an indispensable partner in the education sector. You'll own a regional portfolio, manage a Director of Partnerships and Growth, set regional strategy, and ensure strong execution across the entire partnership development lifecycle.

Do you have expertise in…

• Strategic relationship cultivation with senior education leaders (superintendents, state chiefs, and funders) in school districts and state education agencies, particularly in California, the West Coast, and Texas?
• Enterprise-level business development and consultative sales methodologies rooted in K–12 education, nonprofit, or professional services contexts?
• Building and managing high-performing sales pipelines using CRM systems (Salesforce preferred), with demonstrated success in forecasting, pipeline discipline, and revenue accountability?
• Navigating complex educational ecosystems with political acumen, translating system-level challenges into tailored partnership approaches that drive both impact and sustainable revenue?

Do you enjoy…

• Building and expanding partnerships through trusted relationships and networks, while also cultivating new connections in priority regions?
• Engaging in complex negotiations and proposal development, ensuring offerings align with client priorities, organizational capacity, and margin targets?
• Coaching and developing teams to operate effectively in consultative, relationship-driven environments while maintaining high standards for quality and execution?
• Staying informed on policy shifts, funding opportunities, and instructional trends, and leveraging that market insight to position your organization as a sector leader?

If you've answered affirmatively to these questions and meet the following prerequisites, we urge you to seize this opportunity. This role calls for the following:

• Minimum of 10+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, or related roles, preferably within K–12 education, nonprofit, or professional services organizations
• Minimum of 5+ years of direct experience working with school districts, state education agencies, or comparable public sector systems
• Demonstrated success securing large-scale or multi-year partnerships and managing complex opportunities from early cultivation through signed agreement
• Established relationships with senior leaders in school districts and/or state education agencies, with the ability to leverage those relationships to generate new partnership opportunities
• Demonstrated ability to engage senior education leaders as a credible thought partner, diagnose system-level challenges, and develop tailored, consultative partnership approaches
• Experience managing or coaching staff in partnerships, business development, or growth functions
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including experience developing proposals, presentations, and scopes of work for complex engagements
• Strong judgment and ability to navigate ambiguity, manage multiple priorities, and adapt to evolving partner needs
• Experience using CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) to manage pipeline and forecasting, and demonstrated ability to use AI tools to improve work quality and efficiency

Travel Requirements

• This is a remote position requiring frequent travel
  
  • National travel for org retreats, programming, job related travel, or professional development
• Outside of the above mentioned travel, this person will work from a home office that must be located anywhere in California, Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, Washington or Texas.

Questions? We’re here to help.

If you have questions about this role or about our hiring process at any point, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at talent@leadingeducators.org. This inbox is monitored regularly, and we aim to respond within two business days. To ensure your question receives a thoughtful and timely response, we kindly ask that you refrain from emailing individual staff members or members of our HR team directly. The best way to connect with us is always through talent@leadingeducators.org.

Why Work at Leading Educators? 

Imagine being part of an organization where your ideas and perspectives are highly valued. At Leading Educators, we believe in fostering individual strengths, encouraging personal growth, and embracing innovative ideas. If you thrive in a remote working environment, with the added excitement of travel, we're the perfect fit for you. By joining us, you become part of a powerful community of peers nationwide. Regardless of your location, you possess the power to make a significant impact on both students and teachers who rely on us daily. Join Leading Educators and play an integral part in shaping the future of education. 

Learn About Our Mission & Values:

Mission: Leading Educators partners with school systems to sustain the teaching, leadership, and conditions for every student to succeed in school and in life.

Values:

• Build on strengths: We affirm and begin with the unique and collective talents, experiences, and wisdom of ourselves and others.
• Continuously learn: We develop ourselves and others. We apply new learning and deepened self-awareness to our relationships and practices.
• Prioritize people: We build trust and reflect on the impact of different perspectives and experiences.
• Champion success for all: We re-imagine structures, habits, and mindsets to ensure every learner has access to evidence-based learning opportunities.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Hiring

We use artificial intelligence–enabled tools throughout our hiring process, from the moment a candidate applies through the offer stage, to support administrative tasks and the initial review of candidate materials. These tools help us organize, analyze, and surface relevant information efficiently, but they do not make hiring decisions. All candidate materials—including applications, resumes, assessments, and interview feedback—are reviewed and evaluated by people. All hiring decisions, including interview selection, advancement, and offers of employment, are made by humans. We use AI solely as a support tool to assist with early-stage reviews and process efficiency. We do not use AI in ways that discriminate based on protected characteristics, nor do we use ZIP codes or similar data to target or exclude protected groups. Our hiring practices are designed to be fair, consistent, and aligned with equal employment opportunity standards.

Compensation: 

• If hired for this position, the base salary range is $156,808 to $217,686 per year. Most new hires enter the range at a specific point based on their qualifications and the role level. For this position, the standard starting salary is $184,480, which is based on meeting the minimum requirement of 10  years of relevant experience.
• If you have more than 10 years of directly relevant experience, your starting salary may be adjusted higher within the range, up to a maximum starting salary of $196,339. This approach ensures that candidates with additional experience beyond the minimum are recognized in the initial salary offer.
• Compensation for this role will be adjusted using a geographic multiplier based on the candidate’s location within California, Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, or Texas as this role requires residency within one of these states.

Benefits: 

100% paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for individual employees. Additional premium costs are covered 60% by Leading Educators for partners and dependents on medical, dental, and vision plans. 4% matching 401k plan, Flexible Spending Accounts for medical, childcare and commuter expenses, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Benefits are valued at or above $9,000 for employees.

Time Off: 

• First three years of employment, full time staff accrue 22 days a year. 
• Five additional days are accrued after the third and sixth year of employment.
• Leading Educators also offer 16 additional paid days off for various holidays, including three floating holidays staff may use at their discretion.

Equal Opportunity Employment 

Leading Educators is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

Apply: https://leadingeducators.org/careers/opportunities

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