MD, Leadership Development
Teach for America
TEAM: National Team - Corps Member and Alumni Leadership Development (CMALD)
REPORTS TO: BOTH SMD, Leadership Development, Kelly Alden, AND Regional Point of Contact, Elise Peck
LOCATION: Must be located in the Bay Area
PRIORITY APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 22, 2025
WHAT YOU’LL DO
As a Managing Director, Leadership Development (MDLD), you will coach a cohort of corps members (CMs) to lead transformational classrooms, grounded in our universal program model and your region’s 2030 vision. You will support CMs from the moment they join Teach For America, helping them grow their instructional practice and leadership identity while navigating the broader ecosystem of schools, partners, and communities. Through deep, individualized coaching, data-informed decision-making, and strong partnerships, you will ensure that every CM in your cohort can drive meaningful outcomes for students today—and emerge from their two-year commitment with clarity about their long-term impact as alumni. No two weeks will look the same, and no job description can fully capture the adaptability, complexity, and depth this role requires. What we can promise: meaningful work, growth, and the chance to support emerging leaders who will help bring about One Day.
In collaboration with regional and national partners, you’ll lead community-building efforts, facilitate coaching spaces, and contribute to the design and execution of practicum experiences. You’ll also partner closely with your regional team to develop a CM placement strategy aligned with 2030 goals and build strong relationships with schools, districts, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment and support. Using tools like CLASS, student surveys, and achievement data, you'll help CMs reflect on their practice and build personalized learning plans that drive both student outcomes and leadership growth. Beyond coaching, you’ll help implement our universal program model by managing key systems and analyzing data across your cohort, region, and national hub to inform strategy and ensure compliance. The ideal candidate is a strong relationship-builder with leadership coaching experience, an impact-centered approach, and a systems-level understanding of the CM ecosystem. You are skilled at managing multiple work streams, using data to drive decisions, and working both collaboratively and independently toward bold outcomes for students and corps members alike.
A WEEK IN THE LIFE
Likely no two weeks in the MDLD role will look exactly the same! As mentioned above, our program is characterized through key milestones over the two year commitment and the typical activities you will be engaging in will vary according to the season of the work and will overlap given you’ll support CMs in both their first and second year of our program. As we begin to welcome our new CMs into our work (in the winter and spring), you could be spending your time talking to prospective CMs and stewarding their acceptance of their offers with TFA. During this time of year, you will likely spend time gearing up for our pre-service experience by designing CM learning experience or supporting work to secure both summer and academic year teaching placements for our CMs. During the summer you’ll likely be onsite at one of our summer teaching practicum sites, observing lessons, coaching corps members, and collaborating with both TFA and external partners to ensure a successful summer experience for both students and CMs. As the academic year gets into full swing, you’ll be meeting with school leaders and other partners, observing your CMs with CLASS, and preparing for and executing leadership coaching conversations and follow up as needed. You’ll be engaging in meetings and collaborative work spaces with both members of CMALD and your region to prepare for and execute meaningful engagements for our CMs and other stakeholders throughout the year. You’ll also spend time gathering, inputting/sharing, and analyzing data and completing administrative tasks to ensure the smooth functioning of our program.
WHAT YOU’LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR
In this role you will:
Set and execute the overall vision and strategy for coaching a cohort of CMs aligned to the universal program model and regional 2030 vision.
Lead the development and cultivation of strong school partnerships across all cohort placements to enhance CM support, development, and retention and to drive student impact.
Collaboratively set and lead the overall vision and strategy for teacher leadership group experiences, ensuring alignment with the universal program model and regional 2030 vision.
Across all workstreams, operate with a deep internalization of our shared programmatic metrics and goals to guide your work, monitor progress towards outcomes, and evolve the vision and strategy as necessary to account for new information and/or current results.
Serve as an “all hands on deck” team member to both Corp Member A Leadership Development team (CMALD) and your regional team by adding capacity to projects and initiatives as they arise.
YOUR EXPERIENCE
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree
7+ years experience, with specific experience in leadership coaching and/or leading adults
Required Training and Certification Upon Hiring: Coaches in this role must complete both the Primary (PreK-3rd) and Secondary CLASS certifications prior to conducting your first CLASS observation which typically happens in October. CLASS certification for each area requires you to complete a 2-3 day CLASS course and successfully pass a certification assessment (this training is provided by TFA). If you start in the role midyear, you will be expected to enroll in a CLASS course within your first month to start the certification process. You will also be expected to renew your CLASS certifications annually. You must also enroll in and successfully complete an Executive Coaching Program (at TFA’s expense) within the first two years in the role, or show proof of previous completion of an ICF-accredited Coaching program.
Willing to work flexible hours with some nights and weekends; willing to travel 1-2 times per year for conferences
Preferred Qualifications
Master’s degree in School Administration/Leadership or another applicable area
Experience as an Assistant or School Principal
Experience coaching and advising capable and competent leaders through complex challenges towards impact
A track record of getting results while managing multiple large-scale projects simultaneously
Skills & Orientations:
Deep investment in TFA’s mission and a commitment to live out our core values and our commitment to people, community, and opportunity for all
Belief that there is a place for both standard and customized approaches to supporting CMs in service of both of universal program model and a region’s contextualized 2030 goal
Strategic thinker able to analyze multiple data sources, conduct needs assessments, and plan effectively across different levels (cohort, region, hub).
Skilled in both high-level visioning and detailed execution, including operational tasks and compliance follow-up.
Strong relationship builder with exceptional interpersonal, communication, and emotional intelligence skills.
Effective at managing up and collaborating with multiple managers to drive development and impact.
Strong problem solver who can independently develop strategies without templates and effectively engage others as thought partners.
Demonstrated ability and enthusiasm for inquiry-based leadership coaching over instructional coaching.
High adaptability, self-awareness, and commitment to accountability and continuous improvement.
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Demonstrated ability to:
work with a significant level of autonomy, and make strategic decisions in varying and nuanced situations
develop and cultivate effective relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders and support them in contributing to a shared goal
listen, learn, and earn credibility with all constituencies, then decisively move forward to implement agreed-upon solutions
manage multiple priorities, prioritize effectively, and alternate fluidly between thinking about the big picture and executing on specific strategies
THE TEAM
As a MD, Leadership Development, you will be a member of both the Teach For America Program team and of the region(s) you support. The Program Team is responsible for defining the type of systems-change leadership required to reach “One Day” and how to best develop that leadership through the act of teaching. We provide, develop, and or connect people to resources and experiences of superior quality, relevance, and efficiency that empower and support regions in optimally developing leadership through the act of teaching in ways that can be adapted to their specific contexts. As a result, our teachers are more likely to feel part of a connected and thriving community, increasingly achieve meaningful and enduring impact, and commit to systems-change leadership in their work for educational equity.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The applicable salary range for each U.S.-based role is based on where the employee works and is aligned to one of 3 tiers according to a cost of labor index in that geographic area. Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of job-related factors, which may include education, training, experience, location, business needs, or market demands. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. The expected salary range for this role are set forth below. These ranges may be modified in the future.
Tier C: $110,100-$141,900
You can view which tier applies to where you plan to work here. If your location is not listed, please click here for additional total rewards information.