Principal Director, Leadership, Engagement, and Operations (Director III)

Principal Director, Leadership, Engagement Operations

MISSION : The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will improve outcomes for all public-school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

Core Values :

• We are Determined : We are committed and intentional in the pursuit of our main purpose, to improve outcomes for students.
• We are People-Centered : We strive to attract, develop, and retain the most committed talent, representing the diversity of Texas, each contributing to our common vision for students.
• We are Learners : We seek evidence, reflect on success and failure, and try new approaches in the pursuit of excellence for our students.
• We are Servant Leaders : Above all else, we are public servants working to improve opportunities for students and provide support to those who serve them.

New hires, re-hires, and internal hires will typically receive a starting salary between the posted minimum and the average pay of employees in their same classification. Offers will be commensurate with the candidates experience and qualifications and will thoughtfully consider internal pay equity for agency staff who perform similar duties and have similar qualifications. The top half of the posted salary range is generally reserved for candidates who exceed the requirements and qualifications for the role. The maximum salary range is reserved for candidates that far exceed the required and preferred qualifications for the role.

This is a 10-day posting, which will close on December 4, at 11 : 59pm.

Position Overview

The Principal Director, Leadership, Engagement Operations oversees a ~15 member team to manage the strategy and execution of several key areas to ensure the success of the Leadership and Instructional Foundations for Texas (LIFT) program, which focus on supporting Approved Providers supporting school systems in adoption and implementation of High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) alongside aligned instructional systems. Key areas of oversight include approved provider coaching and evaluation, aligned data-driven continuous improvement supports, district engagement supports, and project management and operations in service of 300+ school systems annually. The director plays a key strategic role, collaborating with other division leadership and across the agency to build overall program strategy, create systems to monitor fidelity and calibrate in field, and prioritize areas for ongoing improvement to programming.

The director oversees both the coaching and data analytics teams. The coaching team supports approximately 50 approved providers, both Education Service Centers (ESCS) and external vendors, who provide direct support to districts, actively driving a strategy to grow approved provider capacity for strong technical assistance. They also oversee a data analytics team who establish both a data-driven performance management and long-term research and evaluation plan, and coordinates with other key internal and external partners for delivery on this plan.

The director also oversees the district engagement team and operations team. The district engagement team interfaces with districts throughout the Learning Acceleration Support Opportunities (LASO) and program support process, conveys field feedback back to the broader team to drive strategic shifts, and manages fidelity of implementation tracking and an aligned field visit strategy. The operations team manages vendor contracts, invoicing, and project management for the full division. As a leader on a newly integrated team, the director bears significant responsibility in driving a collaborative, solutions-oriented culture an approach, including proactively designing the best of multiple approaches coming together, and facilitating decision-making and development spaces that incorporate multiple voices and perspective across the LIFT team and with LIFT leadership. The director also leads cross-agency collaboration with multiple teams and offices, incorporating content and perspectives on support for students with disabilities, emergent bilingual students, the division of School Improvement, and leadership coaching from District Strategic Leadership.

Flexible work location within the state of Texas may be considered for qualified candidates. Please note that a resume, tailored cover letter, and short answer responses are required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.

Essential Functions

Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.