Program Director

Reading Partners is changing the education landscape. We are a leader in working to solve the literacy crisis in our country by leveraging community volunteers in under-resourced schools. Our diverse and expansive volunteer base provides one-on-one and small group tutoring to students twice weekly, and our program is proven to help children master the reading fundamentals they need to unlock their potential as successful, happy, and confident readers in school and in life. Our people are our heartbeat and our greatest resource; we are all passionately rallied around our mission to help children become lifelong learners by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction that truly works. Join our stellar, committed team leading the charge to deepen our impact and expand our service. Watch this video to learn more about the mission and core tutoring work of Reading Partners.

The high level:

The Program Director (PD) provides strategic leadership, development, and oversight of a national portfolio of regional programs and reading centers, ensuring the successful implementation of Reading Partners' program with fidelity and excellence. The PD plays a pivotal role in guiding and managing regional Program Managers (PMs) through coaching, training, and performance management. This role requires close collaboration with regional Executive Directors (EDs), who are the regional leaders, to achieve programmatic goals and uphold the highest standards of student impact. Program Directors are passionate about professional development for AmeriCorps members, program managers (PMs), and tutors, working to ensure that each is able to oversee, manage, and implement the program to the highest standards and maximize outcomes for students. The PD for this position will manage our Minnesota and Mid-Atlantic (Baltimore and DC) program implementation, progress to program goal, and program staff. As the organization reimagines direct service programming, the PD will be responsible for a portfolio of regional program managers ensuring they can meet their program goals for students and program professional development for a variety of team members.

• The PD reports directly to the Managing Director of National Program and is a member of both the local regional team and the National Program team. The PD will directly supervise four Program Managers in their regions, working closely with EDs to ensure program performance is met.
• Oversee regional program implementation across multiple regions and sites to ensure enrollment, quality, and impact goals for the program are met. The PD is ultimately responsible for programmatic regional outcomes across their portfolio.
• Approximately 30% of the PD's role is supporting program projects and the work to support the national organization through the National Program team.

The PD is a resource mobilizer and relationship-building expert and is savvy at leading and leveraging people, processes, and policy. They will work within a team of three PDs supporting up to two regions each. This role will entail periodic travel to regions.

This position is remote but requires candidates to reside within one of Reading Partners' operating locations, including North Texas (Dallas and Fort Worth), Tulsa, OK, Charleston, SC, Twin Cities, MN, Baltimore, MD, Washington, DC, or New York City.

What you'll do:

Lead a team of Regional Program Managers focused on quality regional implementation of the Reading Partners program, yielding measurable results for regional impact, including serving as a regional literacy program expert, conducting student data analysis and action planning, and directly managing Program Managers.

• 85% of students in portfolio meeting their literacy growth goal
• Meet the student enrollment and student served goal for the portfolio
• 85% of portfolio sites meet quality standards objectives at key intervals throughout the year
• Meet the session goal of students served on average receiving 30-32 sessions delivered to students across portfolio of regions
• Provide feedback and direct course correction when a region is not meeting programmatic goals for implementation or student outcomes
• Meet weekly 1:1 with each PM in portfolio across multiple regions
• Meet regularly 1:1 with each ED in portfolio across multiple regions, meeting is an agreed upon cadence between ED and PD as regional needs shift throughout the year
• Facilitate monthly meeting with each PM and their ED in portfolio across multiple regions
• Facilitate bi-weekly meeting with PM team in regions where there is more than one PM
• Conduct quarterly skip-level meetings with ACMs in each PM portfolio across multiple regions

Lead data analysis and progress monitoring across sites in a portfolio of regions that translates to student outcomes and school satisfaction with Reading Partners programming

• Lead data-driven conversations with each PM in the portfolio and across a community of practice that result in PMs effectively translating data into action for student learning and effective communication with school leaders.
• Act as a literacy coach for EDs to help them understand the literacy data in their regions for ED led school and district communications
• Data monitoring of regional trends, data completion, IRP implementation, progress monitoring, progress towards internal and external goals and program benchmarks

Other duties as needed.

How you'll do it:

Education Expertise:

• Have a deep understanding of Reading Partners' program models, literacy trends, and the current educational climate.
• Understand how to assess, diagnose, and develop support plans to coach regional program staff in all areas of program implementation and quality.
• Demonstrate a deep passion for social justice and the educational success of all students.
• Be the program, literacy, and curriculum expert for PMs and EDs in a portfolio of regions
• Demonstrate an ability to assess student performance using observations, analyze data, and create subsequent strategies aimed at increasing student learning and achievement.
• Create impactful and collaborative action plans with regional stakeholders to move the needle on learning outcomes.

Relationship Development and Communication:

• Demonstrate ability to quickly garner influence, and to build deep, trusting relationships both locally and remotely with peers, direct reports, managers, and EDs
• Be able to set up strong systems for communication and messaging, tailor communication to audiences, and contextualize messaging.
• Demonstrate an ability to break down complex topics for a variety of audiences and ensure they are able to communicate these topics without you present.
• Model highly effective communication practices that ultimately lead to achieving results through others.
• Demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively in all modalities and settings ranging from phone calls to webinars to in-person training sessions.
• Effectively convey needs, outcomes, and next steps all aimed at supporting regions to implement our programs and curriculum with high fidelity.

Leadership and Management:

• Provide ongoing coaching, support, and training to a portfolio of regions to ensure strong student outcomes and regional programmatic goals are met or exceeded.
• Provide timely feedback in remote management settings that address successes and challenges across regional portfolios.
• Ability to manage in all directions and partner with regional ED leadership for program accountability and action.
• Work with Regional Operations to create a program action plan as needed for regions identified as off track or needing improvement.
• Develop and maintain scalable training and knowledge bases for one-time and on-going training.
• Work with MDNP to share aggregate data and feedback, recommend changes or needs related to program, curriculum, lessons, books, RP Connects platform, quality standards, and fidelity guidelines based on regional use of the tools.

What we offer:

Reading Partners' compensation and benefits programs are designed to attract, motivate, engage, and retain top talent to propel our mission forward.


Compensation: This is a full-time, exempt, and salaried position. The pay range for this position is $109,613 - $122,508 per year and is contingent on geographic location. After applying, candidates who move forward in the hiring process are provided with the salary for their geographical location. We aim to set salaries based on objective, external, high-quality market data. Our salaries are adjusted for candidates in different geographic regions. We do our very best to ensure that we're bringing our best offer - therefore we do not engage in salary negotiations.

Our benefits: We offer a comprehensive benefits program intentionally crafted to support employees and their families with physical, mental, and financial health:

• Health & Insurance Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance with substantial employer contributions toward both employee and family premiums; life and disability insurance at no cost to employees; and a free Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Pre-Tax Medical Support: Significant pre-tax employer funding to help offset employees' out-of-pocket medical expenses, including providing first dollar coverage for some plan options.
• Mental Health Support: Spring Health for easy access to therapy, coaching, and wellness resources, including six sessions provided at no cost to employees.
• Inclusive Health Support: Carrot for guidance and support related to hormonal health, fertility, family-building, and gender-affirming services.
• Retirement Benefits: 403(b) retirement plan with immediate eligibility to participate and to receive employer matching contributions.
• Paid Time Off: Flexible Paid Time Off (Unlimited PTO) and Paid Parental Leave for up to 8 weeks for birth and non-birth parents.
• Holidays & Office Closures: 14 paid holidays annually, plus one week of office closure in early July and two weeks in late December.
• Culture & Growth: A dynamic, mission-driven culture with a strong commitment to employee development and career growth.

The other things you need to know:

• This role is remote-based
• Travel: This position requires consistent travel to our Mid-Atlantic (Baltimore, DC) and Minnesota sites.

What's Next?

If you're interested in joining our Reading Partners team, please submit the following application materials to our online job posting :

• A cover letter describing your interest in Reading Partners and how your past experience has prepared you for this role.
• Resume

Reading Partners is an Equal Opportunity Employer

About you!

You'll be successful in this role if you:

• Have 3+ years as a leader in an education organization, and 2+ years working with elementary-aged students in an educational setting
• Have 1-2 years of direct people management experience related to literacy work in schools.
• Experience managing a layered team toward achieving literacy or educational outcomes in a dotted line or direct management role.
• Demonstrates knowledge and experience in interpreting literacy assessment data to inform instructional decision-making and strong student outcomes. Applies data analysis practices to identify regional trends, monitor student progress, and inform programmatic decision making across the region.
• Have excellent computer skills, including Google applications and data management
• Are committed to improving education equity and access.
• Have excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrate a commitment to fostering a dynamic and collaborative work environment.
• Display a deep belief in our mission and root your work in our core values.
• Ability to prove eligibility to work legally in the U.S. and that you are at least 18 years of age.

Bonus Points if you:

• Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or other national service alum/alumna
• Have experience working in launch or growth phases of organizations
• Have been an elementary classroom teacher