Senior Director of Implementation & Growth

What We Do

At Leading Educators (LE), we know that excellent teaching is the most important driver of student success. The moment a student steps foot in the classroom, their opportunity to learn depends on how prepared their teacher is to translate complex content knowledge, standards, and their knowledge of that student into lessons that help them learn deeply and apply their thinking to the real world.

That’s a big lift, and it often happens alone. As a national nonprofit, we partner with school systems to overcome persistent instructional challenges, foster intentional collaboration and adult learning by design, and ignite new possibilities through systemic solutions at the intersection of teaching, talent, and technology.

We work shoulder-to-shoulder with educators at every level of the education system to strengthen their instructional and leadership practices, bring a vision for excellent instruction to life with consistency, and ensure every student reaches their full potential.

Through direct support, strategic advising, innovation pilots, and best-in-class research, we help educators work toward a future where every student is ready to thrive. Learn more about our work at leadingeducators.org.

Internal and External Candidate Application Deadline: Sunday, September 28th.

Position

At Leading Educators, we're seeking a strategic leader who will be the critical nexus between program implementation, business development, and funder relationship management. As our Senior Director of Implementation & Growth, you'll be the critical bridge between our professional learning programs and their strategic expansion. This role requires a strategic, execution-focused leader with a deep understanding of professional learning, instructional leadership, and specifically, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) landscape. You'll be responsible for not just managing existing relationships, but proactively expanding our footprint, driving contract renewals, and ensuring our programs deliver measurable educational improvements.

The Senior Director's initial scope of work will focus on projects in the Chicago area. Over time, they will also be assigned projects across other sales territories and states as part of Leading Educators' national portfolio. This dynamic positioning means you'll be a key architect of our organizational growth, with the flexibility to lead projects wherever our impact can be most significant.

This is more than a job – it's an opportunity to reshape educational ecosystems by strategically aligning funding, programming, and impact. You'll leverage your deep educational expertise to not just manage programs, but to tell the story of how our work creates transformative learning opportunities

Do you have expertise in…

• Designing and scaling professional learning programs with measurable impact
• Developing comprehensive business development strategies for educational markets
• Crafting persuasive proposals for contract renewals and service expansions
• Conducting complex sales processes across multiple organizational levels
• Leading multi-dimensional implementation strategies
• Identifying and pursuing new revenue streams in educational ecosystems

Do you enjoy…

• Building long-term strategic partnerships with educational leaders
• Prospecting and qualifying new potential district partners
• Creating systems that enable both programmatic excellence and organizational growth
• Leading program implementation frameworks to ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery
• Coaching and developing teams to execute complex educational initiatives with precision and impact

If you've answered affirmatively to these questions and meet the following prerequisites, we urge you to seize this opportunity. This role calls for the following:

• 10+ years of experience in education, instructional leadership, program implementation, or client management
• Proven track record of managing complex, multi-faceted educational initiatives
• Demonstrated success in both program delivery and business development
• Ability to manage team performance while driving organizational growth
• Strategic skill in contract renewals and partnership expansion
• Understanding of instructional leadership and curriculum implementation
• Exceptional project management capabilities
• Data-driven decision-making expertise
• Willingness to travel nationally

Travel Requirements

• This role is based in the Chicago metropolitan area. The Senior Director must reside within the Chicago metro region and will work primarily from a home office. Candidates who live within the Chicago city limits are eligible for a geographic salary multiplier.
  The position also requires national travel for organizational retreats, programming, donor meetings, job-related travel, and professional development.

Why Work at Leading Educators? 

Imagine being part of an organization where your ideas and perspectives are highly valued. At Leading Educators, we believe in fostering individual strengths, encouraging personal growth, and embracing innovative ideas. If you thrive in a remote working environment, with the added excitement of travel, we're the perfect fit for you. By joining us, you become part of a powerful community of peers nationwide. Regardless of your location, you possess the power to make a significant impact on both students and teachers who rely on us daily. Join Leading Educators and become an integral part of driving progress in education. 

Learn About Our Mission & Values:

Mission: Leading Educators partners with school systems to sustain the teaching, leadership, and conditions for every student to succeed in school and in life.

Values:

• Build on strengths: We affirm and begin with the unique and collective talents, experiences, and wisdom of ourselves and others.
• Continuously learn: We develop ourselves and others. We apply new learning and deepened self-awareness to our relationships and practices.
• Prioritize people: We build trust and reflect on the impact of different perspectives and experiences.
• Champion success for all: We re-imagine structures, habits, and mindsets to ensure every learner has access to evidence-based learning opportunities.

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation:
  •  If hired for this position, the base salary range is $127,487 to $172,483 per year. Most new hires enter the range at a specific point based on their qualifications and the role level. For this position, the standard starting salary is $149,985, which is based on meeting the minimum requirement of 10  years of relevant experience.
  • If you have more than 10 years of directly relevant experience, your starting salary may be adjusted higher within the range, up to a maximum starting salary of $159,627. This approach ensures that candidates with additional experience beyond the minimum are recognized in the initial salary offer.
  • The role is location specific: Chicago. The range below  reflects a 3.3%  geographic adjustment, resulting in a salary range of approximately $131,694.07  to $178,174.94, with an entry point of $154,934.50 and a maximum entry salary of $164,894.69.   
• Benefits:
  •  100% paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for individual employees. Additional premium costs are covered 60% by Leading Educators for partners and dependents on medical, dental, and vision plans. 4% matching 401k plan, Flexible Spending Accounts for medical, childcare and commuter expenses, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Benefits are valued at or above $9,000 for employees.
• Time Off: 
  • First three years of employment, full time staff accrue 22 days a year. 
  • Five additional days are accrued after the third and sixth year of employment.
  • Leading Educators also offer 16 additional paid days off for various holidays, including three floating holidays staff may use at their discretion.

Equal Opportunity Employment 

Leading Educators is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

Apply: https://leadingeducators.org/careers/opportunities