Development Lead

Title of the position: Development LeadReports to: Vice President of Content Department: Product Development Development & Social Impact

Type of Position: Project-based FTE (1/2/24-11/30/24)Hours per Week: 30

Pay: Salary Level: Individual Contributor II

Company Overview:

Do you enjoy making a difference in a child's life, transforming education, and evolving learning? Come join Teachstone, the interaction company! Teachstone® was founded in 2008 to deliver the Classroom Assessment Scoring System® (CLASS®) nationwide and around the globe. Developed through years of research, the CLASS observation tool measures the interactions between teachers and children, which have been shown to drive learning and lifelong achievement. Teachstone helps organizations conduct classroom observations and provides professional development so that teachers improve, and children learn more. Our online subscription service, myTeachstone, simplifies CLASS implementation by combining observation data with a robust library of CLASS resources and professional development.

At Teachstone, everything we do is about improving the ways teachers interact with their students. We train coaches and observers, build and deliver online support programs, design professional development – all of it grounded in one proven fact: the interactions teachers have with students have a lasting impact on their academic and developmental success. By helping educators describe, measure and improve their interactions and relationships with students, Teachstone is transforming education nationwide, one interaction at a time.

Role Overview:

The Development Lead will lead the conceptualization and development of products and services that are reflective of the assets and perspectives of the people, programs, and communities we serve, and that are informed by current research, drive impact, and aligned to Teachstone's values, strategic principles, and product strategy.

The Development Lead will work in collaboration with cross-functional teams and report to the Vice President of Content Development & Social Impact, in the Product Development department.

Role Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Vice President of Content Development & Social Impact and other Development Leads to support conceptualization, development, and implementation of coaching and improvement projects
• Communicate and collaborate with internal stakeholders, such as the Product, Content, Professional Services, and Revenue teams, to ensure that proposed content is meaningful, impactful, and child-centered
• Seek and listen to the voices and perspectives of our external stakeholders and clients to ensure that the development and innovation of content is equitable and responsive to their realities, with an emphasis on the perspectives of historically marginalized communities, groups, and individuals
• Maintain authentic community partnerships and lead communication with programs and educators from racially, ethnically, culturally diverse backgrounds and communities serving children who are experiencing poverty
• Support piloting and testing of new coaching and improvement products, including recruiting and onboarding pilot participants from racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse communities servicing children who are experiencing poverty
• Provide ongoing technical assistance and coaching guidance to facilitate pilot participants' continuous quality improvement efforts, and serve as the primary point of contact for pilot participants' questions and concerns
• Contribute to coaching and improvement content enhancements based on input and feedback from stakeholders, including educators, coaches, leaders, partner sites, community members, and researchers
• Coordinate media-sourcing efforts, collaborating with community partners and practitioners to capture images and video-footage to use in Teachstone's training offerings and resources
• Collaborate with Subject Matter Experts and contractors to signal boost external expertise, as well as to effectively elicit actionable insights and feedback, and incorporate it into content
• Ensure that Teachstone's values, competencies, and strategic principles are reflected in our products, services, and processes, with an emphasis on equity
• Find, interpret, synthesize, and translate research to ensure that our content, processes, and guidance (both internal and external) is reflective of current, evidence-based practices
• Support the dissemination of learned best-practices, including preparation of substantive reports, papers, and briefs, as well as the preparation and facilitation of webinars, presentations (including at national conferences), and trainings
• Support the knowledge-building, depth of understanding, and enablement of our internal teams
• Support in project planning, including the defining scope, project requirements, and deliverables, as well as estimating timelines and anticipating resource needs.
• Track and communicate progress toward department, team, and project goals, and KPIs
• Manage all aspects of a project, including tracking and communicating project status, including progress, timeline, utilization of resources, accomplishments, blockers, and next steps, to peers and leaders
• Identify, monitor, and analyze indicators to determine project success
• Support the measurement and reporting of the impact of our products, services, projects, and initiatives
• Continuously embrace and uphold Teachstone's values in everyday interactions with colleagues, external partners & clients, and in work products
• Other duties as assigned.

Role Qualifications:

Master's degree (or higher) in education, research, or related field

• 7+ years professional experience in the field of education, including experience in providing support to education professionals through coaching, developing professional development resources, and facilitating professional development sessions
• Experience in engaging in intentional collaboration with partners/stakeholders to develop interventions for education professionals (e.g., human-centered design)
• Experience in establishing and maintaining research-practitioner partnerships in the education community
• Experience in developing and delivering interactive professional support for educators, coaches, and leaders through multiple modalities (including in-person and online training session and modules)
• Experience in reading and synthesizing research, and preparing written reports
• Experience with adapting and piloting education measures
• A strong belief in education efforts that promote equity for children, families, and education professionals
• Experience conducting semi-structured interviews/focus groups to inform development of educational measures and tools for practitioner use
• Ability to provide feedback through multiple stages of project development in a constructive and solution-oriented way
• Proficient in Google suite, Microsoft office, web-conferencing, statistical analysis, team management, and database and data management applications
• Thorough understanding of the CLASS tool and its application across multiple aspects of continuous program improvement (e.g., observation, reporting, data-driven decision making, teacher support)
• Outstanding communication skills, both oral and written
• Exceptional interpersonal skills that allow you to work with internal and external stakeholders including senior and junior staff, funders, clients, and partners
• Exemplary meeting design and facilitation skills

Role Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience implementing evidence-based coaching
• Experience working in partnership with Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs
• Experience in training and supporting instructional coaches or other education staff who are in mentorship roles (e.g., curriculum specialists, education coordinators, mentor teachers)
• Experience in developing tools (e.g., web-based platform) to engage teachers in cycles of observation and reflection
• Bilingual/multilingual

Teachstone is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic data, political affiliation, or any other status protected by law. We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture.