About Digital Promise Global
Digital Promise is a global nonprofit working to expand opportunity for each learner. We work with educators, researchers, technology leaders, and communities to design, investigate, and scale up innovations that empower learners, especially those who have been historically and systematically excluded.

Our efforts are multifaceted and grounded in the real-world challenges facing learners and educators—from working to expand K-12 students’ access to high-speed internet, to providing adult learners with opportunities to earn micro-credentials that further their careers and secure their well-being.

About Powerful Learning

The Powerful Learning team ensures all learners have consistent and sustained experiences of powerful learning, thus empowering them to thrive in an increasingly complex and technological world. Our work involves engaging in research that contributes to the field of learning sciences; designing solutions that define, model, and provide examples of evidence-based insights that support the implementation of powerful learning; engaging strategic partners and communities to co-design and advance powerful learning solutions; and mentoring leaders within the education ecosystem. Our team, alongside our broader organization, is well-positioned to respond to the emergent needs of the field.

About the Position

The Director of the Powerful Learning Design Lab will develop and lead a small high-impact team focused on the rapid prototyping of learning assets and experiences that define and model the practice and methods of powerful learning with a focus on how existing and emerging technologies influence the interactions among teachers, learners and content. This team lives at the intersection of insight and imagination, turning research findings and practitioner wisdom into compelling prototypes that make the pedagogy of powerful learning digestible and actionable for practitioners across the educational ecosphere. In this role, you will lead a flexible group of designers through rapid cycles of ideation, design, testing, and refinement grounded in design thinking, design-based research, and co-design methodologies. These processes will incubate insights generated across Digital Promise, to refine and concretize innovative evidence-based practices that cut to the center of interactions among teachers, students, and content and that enable the conditions that advance powerful learning before they are scaled to larger communities of learners. The Director reports to the Deputy Director, Practice.

Responsibilities

Strategy Execution

• Strategically align the body of work of the Incubator to the collective goals of the Powerful Learning team and of Digital Promise in partnership with the Deputy Director of Practice.
• Articulate the goals and methods of the Incubator team to build understanding, collaboration and support internally across the Powerful Learning team, Digital Promise, and externally among partners of other community stakeholders.
• Connect research and practice through close collaboration with researchers and other teams to identify emerging needs, opportunities, and insights related to the practice and methods of powerful learning.
• Lead quarterly goal setting and evaluation, budgeting, and staff allocation for the Incubator’s body of work. Make decisions based on progress toward goals, evaluate tactics, scale what is working and iterate on areas that can be improved.
• Develop and lead the process for identifying and evaluating emerging trends and technologies in education for further exploration and development
• Lead the creative process for translating insights from educators, learners, and research into tangible prototypes for learning experiences, tools, and content
• Provide expertise in Design Strategy, Professional Learning, and Pedagogy in overseeing sprints, workshops, and testbeds, that use design thinking and design-based research methodologies to make insights from research observable, digestible, and actionable for practitioners.
• Create and make clear standards and expectations for process and quality for all programs in the body of work.
• Evaluate and monitor effectiveness of the team’s output and report on progress.
• Foster relationships with funders to support the growth and sustainability of projects.

Team Oversight and People Management

• Lead the Powerful Learning Incubator team, responsible for educational research about emerging technologies, providing coaching, direction, vision aligned to Impact Goals
• Ensure organizational health and cultivate a positive and inclusive workplace culture and employee experience
• Ensure all team members have the knowledge, skills, and attributes needed to fulfill their day-to-day responsibilities; ensure all team members understand their critical role in the overall organization
• Provide direction and support to team members specific to the issues and opportunities that come from their responsibilities; intervene as needed to course-correct
• Support Chief Deputy to hire and develop team personnel
• Oversee and delegate appropriately to a team of project directors, project managers and other cross-functional contributors to projects responsible for executing on
• • Synthesizing and evaluating insights
  • Applying design methodologies to adequately prototype learning solutions
  • Collaborating with practitioners for co-design, feedback, and testing
  • Evaluating prototypes for scalability

Culture

• Contribute positively to the culture of the team, department, and organization

Project Management

• Able to manage multiple competing priorities and rapidly adapt and respond to district and school requests and timeline changes
• Excellent project management skills with an emphasis on attention to detail, timelines, and quality of work
• Lead projects and the development of SOPs as needed
• Engage in Digital Promise projects that promote and advance digital equity and contribute meaningfully to achieving the organization’s impact goals
• Keep key stakeholders in the loop of key action steps needed to drive the work forward
• Influence and motivate others, building connections, anticipating barriers and inspiring action across various contexts to ensure work objectives are met
• Stays abreast of project milestones, weekly project updates, risks and issues

Impact Goals

• Monitor, track, and report progress on relevant goals, for self and direct reports

Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Education

• Education: An Ed.D. or PhD in Education, Education Technology, Instructional Design, or a related field. Equivalent experience will be considered. A background in education is preferred.

Overall 

• Expertise: Demonstrated expertise with education research, design thinking and design based research methodologies, learner-centered pedagogy, integration of technology into teaching and learning, next generation assessments, and the uses of AI and emerging technologies in the learning process.
• Experience: A minimum of 5 years of experience in a role related to design for learning, with a proven track record of leading rapid cycle design processes, and breaking down complex insights from research into digestible and actionable learning experiences

Leadership

• Innovation: Demonstrated ability to envision and lead the conception and implementation of innovative design processes and products, related to teaching and learning with technology, next generation assessments and AI and emerging technologies
• Team Management: 5+ years track record of building and managing multi-functional teams to results, and of coaching and developing direct reports.
• Project Management: Strong project management skills with the ability to lead cross-functional teams through agile design processes, manage budgets, and deliver results on time.
• Collaboration: Proven ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams, including educators, designers, developers, and administrators.
• Strategic Thinking: Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to develop and execute project roadmaps that align to long term goals, and reflect the learning needs of the educator community
• Flexibility: Ability to work as part of a team in a fast-paced, high-energy environment
• Knowledge of functions, features, limitations, and practical applications of the technologies available to support student learning experience and program management (i.e., Asana, Microsoft & Google suites, Salesforce, Qualtrics, etc.)

Analytical and Data Skills

• Experience synthesizing insights from research
• Ability to research, analyze, and provide a solution to newly identified issues
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to be flexible to project situations

Relationship Management

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams, including educators, designers, developers, and administrators.
• Highly collaborative, organized, and execution-oriented with strong presentation skills

Communication

• Experience with communication and customer relationship systems such as Slack, Salesforce, and Asana
• Excellent written and oral communication skills appropriate for role, as well as impeccable interpersonal skills
• Skill in applying principles of active listening, such as focusing on what someone is saying, deferring judgment, and responding appropriately

Lifelong Learning

• A deep passion for education, technology, and the potential of their intersection to transform learning experiences.
• Adaptability to evolving technologies and trends in the rapidly changing EdTech landscape.
• Skill in acquiring new knowledge through professional development activities for one’s self, such as participating in coaching, attending professional conferences, self-directed reading, and monitoring industry trends
• Skill in developing, maintaining, and leveraging networks across a range of people and groups inside and outside the organization, such as influential people and learning and performance experts

At Digital Promise, we also seek candidates with:

• An interest in redesigning learning systems
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional team members to ensure information is shared, projects are completed on time, and goals are reached
• Stellar organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage completing tasks, deadlines, requirement, and decisions
• A team mentality, with a creative and positive, “can-do” spirit

Working Conditions

Digital Promise Global is a hybrid organization. The position is primarily working in a remote environment. Employees are expected to travel at least 4 times a year for in-person meetings and the annual staff retreat. Additional travel may be required based on role and responsibilities.

(a) Travel up to 30%

(b) Physical/Sensory Demands Fast-paced working environment. Extensive computer usage and online engagement & communication. Must be willing to build inclusive relationships and collaborate with employees at all levels within the organization and external partners.

(c) Special Provisions: Occasional work outside of normal business hours, such as weekends and evenings required.

Compensation

We consider candidate experience and location when determining where a candidate may fall within that range. Digital Promise Global offers a competitive total rewards package including coverage of 85% of health insurance premiums for employee coverage and 75% of health insurance premiums for dependent and family coverage, 15 vacation days, 12 sick days, 3% 401k employer contribution, 3% employer 401k match, and a flexible work environment.

The full-time salary range for the position is based on geographical regions, with exact salary depending on relevant experience.

California: $141,398 – $159,073

DC Metro Area & NYC: $128,544 – $144,612

National: $115,690 – $130,151

To Apply

Please apply and submit your resume, cover letter, and salary requirements. Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials as soon as possible. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis until the search is successful.

Digital Promise is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex/gender, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status.