Education Specialist

Job Description

This position is open to Alaskan Residents only. Please check out the residency definition to determine if you qualify. What You Will Be Doing: Under the general direction of the Administrator 2 for the AK Reads Team, this position serves as a statewide reading specialist responsible for reviewing and supporting district reading improvement plans; guiding implementation of evidence-based instructional practices; and assisting teachers, schools, and districts in delivering high-quality, standards-based reading instruction and curriculum. The role includes conducting data analysis, promoting data-informed decision making, and providing ongoing technical assistance to strengthen literacy outcomes across the state. Mission and Values/Culture: This position supports DEED's mission by strengthening early literacy and ensuring high-quality reading instruction for all Alaska students. It reflects our values of respect, integrity, accountability, and collaboration through consistent, evidence-based support to districts and educators. By promoting effective instruction and data-informed decision making, this role advances student learning and long-term success statewide. Benefits of Joining Our Team: The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development offers a competitive salary, excellent state benefits, and the opportunity to work with a collaborative, mission-driven team dedicated to supporting continuous improvement in Alaska's schools. The State of Alaska provides a generous benefits package and retirement plan (see: EED's core values—integrity, excellence, and respect—guide our work, and we seek candidates who demonstrate strong judgment, professionalism, and a commitment to serving educators and students statewide. The Working Environment You Can Expect: This position is part of a small, high-functioning team and is eligible for telework for qualified candidates. The successful candidate may choose to work in person at either the Juneau State Office Building or the Anchorage Atwood Building—both centrally located downtown with ample parking, public transit access, and nearby restaurants, coffee shops, and retail options. Who We Are Looking For: We are interested in candidates who possess some or all of the following position specific competencies: Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences. Education and Training: Knowledge of teaching, training, research, making presentations, lecturing, testing, and other instructional methods Teaching Others: Helps others learn through formal or informal methods; identifies training needs; provides constructive feedback; coaches others on how to perform tasks; acts as a mentor Special Notice: This position is occasionally required to travel to remote school districts for training and technical assistance. This may require travel by fixed-wing aircraft, boat, and snow machine. Some districts do not have hotel accommodations. Incumbent may have to sleep on the floor in the school. Attending conferences requires the incumbent to travel with luggage filled with supplies for districts, which may exceed 25 or 50 pounds. If you envision yourself in this role and are ready to start an exciting career with us, apply today!

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college and four years of professional experience in education, one year of which was as a staff advisor/specialist, administrator, supervisor or consultant in planning, developing and maintaining standards and evaluating educational and vocational curricula or educational programs in a specialized field. Substitution: Appropriate graduate study may be substituted on a year-for-year basis for the non-specialized experience to a maximum of two years. Special Note: Due to the duties assigned to a majority of these positions, applicants may be required to possess an Alaska Teacher Certificate at the time of employment and be required to maintain certification as a condition of employment. Specific endorsements may also be required. Documentation is included in the file of affected positions. Individual positions in this class may require expertise in a particular educational specialty. Recruitment and selection will be on the basis of these requirements.

Additional Required Information

At the time of application, please submit the following: Cover letter At the time of the interview, please provide the following: Three (3) professional references, whom we may contact by phone, are required. One (1) of these references must be your current or most recent supervisor, if not already provided in the application. Current performance evaluation, if available. A copy of academic transcripts (unofficial is okay; please ensure that the institution name/URL is listed on the transcripts) is used to verify that you meet the minimum qualifications. Please read the information below carefully. This applies to your application submission. COVER LETTER A cover letter is required as part of your application. In your cover letter, please describe how you possess the position specific competencies listed in the "Who We Are Looking For" section and how your skills will be of particular benefit to the position. We request your cover letter be no more than two to three paragraphs and limited to one page. EDUCATION To verify education is being used to meet and/or support the required minimum qualifications/competencies, you must fill in the Education section of the application If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials used to meet or support the minimum qualifications/competencies for a position and are required with each application (Unofficial is okay; please ensure the institution/URL name is listed on the transcripts) Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or provided at the time of interview; if not, transcripts will be required before employment. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION If education is completed in a foreign college or university, it may be used to meet the above requirements, if applicable. If utilizing this education, you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. The omission of the required documentation listed will result in an incomplete application, and you will not receive further consideration. WORK EXPERIENCE When using work experience not documented in your application, please provide the employer's name, job title, employment dates, and whether you worked full-time or part-time Applications will be reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and if minimum qualifications are met Work experience needed to meet the minimum qualifications must be documented in the application If the application does not support minimum qualifications, the applicant may not advance to the interview and selection phase of the recruitment. A resume will not be used to determine that the minimum qualifications have been met for the position you are applying for. Noting "see resume or CV" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination that your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting. The State of Alaska does not provide VISA Employer sponsorships. APPLICATION NOTICE You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or via a hard copy application. If you accessed this recruitment bulletin through a job search portal such as Alaska Jobs or another database, you MUST use a Workplace Alaska online or hard-copy application to apply successfully. Instructions on how to apply with Workplace Alaska may be found on the Workplace Alaska "How to Apply" webpage, found here: Questions regarding the application process can be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at View phone number on click.appcast.io (toll-free) or View phone number on click.appcast.io. If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure that your email address is correct on your application and that your spam filter will permit emails from the 'governmentjobs.com' domain. For information on allowing emails from the 'governmentjobs.com' domains, visit the Lost Password Help page at EEO STATEMENT The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities who require accommodations, auxiliary aids, or services, or alternative communication formats, please call View phone number on click.appcast.io in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or View phone number on click.appcast.io or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at P.O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal-opportunity employer.

Contact Information

For specific information about the position, feel free to contact: Diane Ditton Education Associate 2 View phone number on click.appcast.io View email address on click.appcast.io

Careers with the State of Alaska offer MANY benefits

The following information describes typical benefits available to employees of the State of Alaska. Actual benefits received may differ by bargaining unit or branch of government, position type, or be prorated for other than full time work. For a quick breakdown of the insurance, health, and retirement benefits available for State Employees you can view an orientation video from Division of