Careers

The Southern Education Foundation (SEF), located in Atlanta, GA, seeks outstanding candidates to fill a Director of Leadership Development position. This position is dedicated to the advancement of a comprehensive, proactive leadership development strategy that furthers the mission and goals of SEF to advance creative solutions to ensure equity and excellence in education for low-income students and students of color in the south. The Director will use knowledge of leadership best practices, pedagogy, racial equity, DEI, and data analysis to create content for and facilitate leadership development workshops and professional learning offerings. This individual will lead the development of the SEF’s current fellowships, as well as be the thought-leaders on expansion opportunities. Also, the Director will provide leadership and support, through supervision, project and budget management, and engagement with partners, practitioners, and other education stakeholders. To be successful, this individual must be a team player and a proactive manager of processes and people with stellar interpersonal skills.

This position reports to the Chief Operating Officer and is the point of contact for SEF’s Leadership Development strategy.

Candidates interested in this position should possess a robust understanding of racial equity, public education, education equity, and education policies and practices across the P-20 continuum and working to ensure that education is the vehicle by which all students get fair chances to develop their talents and contribute to the common good.

For more than 150 years SEF has made outsized contributions to improving education at all levels, from pre-kindergarten through higher education. SEF works to improve equity, excellence, and opportunity in education nationally. Research, policy analysis, advocacy, and programs are the primary means through which SEF pursues its mission.

A bachelor’s degree is required. Master’s degree is preferred. Candidates should: be able to organize and prioritize workload to effectively complete multiple assignments; have experience in designing programs with developing professional communities leveraging multiple approaches (e.g., virtual, cohort-based, networked, etc.); effectively communicate and embody the value, belief, purpose and mission of the organization; have experience working both independently and in cooperation with other staff members while displaying a positive, cooperative attitude; and exhibit sensitivity to and respect for differences in personal, professional and business relationships on behalf of the Foundation.

TYPICAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Development and ownership of leadership development offerings, including curriculum, scope and sequence of the program, and programmatic outcomes.
• Amplify leadership development efforts and strategic programming of SEF through partnerships with national nonprofits, local education agencies, philanthropic organizations, universities, press, think tanks, and community partners.
• Provide leadership, strategic direction and financial oversight of the leadership grants and funds.
• Manage and coordinate all related program logistics for fellowships.
• Design interactive curriculum that addresses the integrated foci of our Leadership Development strategy.
• Organize and facilitates meetings with fellowship participants, Leadership Development team, Design Team members, external partners, and/or key program stakeholders.
• Recruit, manage and retain a cadre of high-quality prospective fellows in support of the leadership development curriculum.
• Develop in partnership with Communications Director and manage all leadership development marketing and communications efforts, especially with an eye for recruitment of fellowship participants.
• Build relationships with education equity and social justice experts, faculty and national thought leaders to develop and enhance SEF’s leadership development programming and agenda.
• Establish and maintain relationships with key contacts, program participants and partners.
• Prepare oral and written summaries on projects, including the development of progress reports, presentations, briefs, and background or research papers.
• Curate relevant resources, documents and materials to be accessible to participants and faculty.
• Work collaboratively with the program team to develop tools and resources that will help to refine and enhance the SEF’s leadership development curriculum and programs, and support SEF’s other strategy areas.
• Devise a sustainability plan, including identifying additional resources and evaluation.
• Additional duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s Degree is required; a master’s degree is preferred in education or a related field
• At least 5 years of relevant work experience in designing and implementing professional learning engagements or fellowship programs
• Organizational, project, and priority management skills for planning, executing, and following up on issues, tasks, and daily responsibilities to meet established deadlines in a changing, highly collaborative environment
• Possess a keen understanding of (and demonstrated experience with) the impact drivers of racial inequity, as well as the interplay of identities, biases, assumptions, power and privilege, and educational opportunity.
• Deep commitment to educational equity and high achievement for all students, particularly for students of color and students from low-income families
• Exceptional written, oral, and electronic communication skills, able to reach diverse external audiences are essential
• Proven ability to work with colleagues and partners across multiple departments in a collaborative and cooperative spirit
• Experience in developing and maintaining relationships with staff, key partners and grantees
• Demonstrates ability to establish project outcomes, goals, and expectations, and achieve results
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Demonstrated capacity to translate ideas into action
• Sense of humor and the ability to exhibit grace under pressure
• Strong attention to detail
• Comfort with ambiguity
• Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office products and MS Outlook.
• Ability to travel (when permitted under CDC and expert guidance)

Compensation is $110,000 – $120,000 with a competitive benefits package.

This is an Atlanta based position, currently SEF is working remotely with limited office attendance in accordance with the CDC and other health guidance.

Interested candidates should submit: 1) a letter of interest; 2) a current resume; 3) names and contact information of three references to (hr@southerneducation.org) with Director, Leadership Development in the subject line of the email.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

The Southern Education Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

The Southern Education Foundation (SEF), located in Atlanta, GA, seeks outstanding candidates to fill our Outcomes Based Contracting Program Coordinator position to support the Outcomes Based Contracting (OBC) Program, a strategic initiative of the SEF. This program supports school districts in the creation of outcomes-based contracts as the basis of the contracting arrangement between tutoring providers and participating school districts. The OBC Program Coordinator will be responsible for supporting a wide variety of work necessary to keep the program achieving its strategic goals as it continues to develop.

This position reports to the OBC Program Manager. This role will directly support the OBC Program Manager to execute all elements of the project, including managing relationships with districts, collecting relevant data, ensuring a series of tools and communications resources are developed and maintained, and reporting to funders.  The OBC Program Coordinator will have a keen understanding of K-12 district environments alongside a can-do flair for getting things done. They will work collaboratively with the OBC Program Manager to promote and support an organizational culture that pursues improving student outcomes with evidence and passion.

Candidates interested in this position should have working knowledge of and passionate commitment to improving educational opportunity, particularly for K-12 students experiencing poverty. The right candidate is committed to the belief that education is the vehicle by which all students get fair chances to develop their talents and contribute to the common good.

For more than 150 years, SEF has made outsized contributions to improving education at all levels, from prekindergarten through higher education.  SEF works to improve equity, excellence, and opportunity in education nationally.  Research, policy analysis, advocacy, and programs are the primary means through which SEF pursues its mission.

TYPICAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Curating relevant resources, documents and materials for cohort participants and OBC staff;
• Support with and/or manage social media, web conferencing and other meeting/document sharing platforms;
• Support in monitoring, tracking and responding to the processing of consultant agreements, proposals, invoices, report submissions, and other documents as requested;
• Prepares general correspondence, emails, agendas, memos, documents, presentations, reports, and other materials with intermediate-expert level skills in using Microsoft Office, Google Suite or a similar professional suite;
• Proofreads documents, reports and publications for accuracy and clarity;
• Manages expense reporting for the OBC Director and OBC Program Manager;
• Meeting Planner (scheduling meetings/conferences, managing logistics, materials, necessary followup); support in researching and securing program venues, materials for programs, and meeting logistics as needed;
• Organizes and prioritizes workload to be able to effectively complete multiple assignments within established time frames;
• Acts as a resource and liaison for grantees, consultants, partner organizations, and internal staff;
• Support with curating relevant resources, documents and materials for partners, and funders ;
• Utilize Salesforce to manage new and existing entries;
• Utilize Monday.com to monitor and update milestones;
• Utilize WordPress to update forms on website, create content, and upload resources;
• Experience with Google Analytics and Canva a plus;
• Support execution of strategic planning and related activities;
• Work closely with the OBC Program Manager to keep them well informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities, following up appropriately.
• Provide foresight and anticipate conflicts in calendar management for the OBC Director, and OBC Program Manager. Prioritize inquiries and requests while troubleshooting conflicts; make judgements and recommendations to ensure smooth day-to-day engagements;
• Exhibits sensitivity to and respect for differences in personal, professional and business relationships on behalf of the Foundation; and
• Additional duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred (e.g., master’s degree in public policy, education policy, or related fields)
• Two to four years of work experience (including internships) in organization administration and program delivery, ideally at an education supporting organization, nonprofit organization, or school system
• Highly detail oriented
• Exceptional written, oral, and presentation skills and an ability to clearly communicate complete ideas for general public audiences
• Experience in developing and maintaining relationships with school/community leaders, and/or philanthropic organizations
• Knowledge of current issues within K-12 education, especially those concerning economics and equity Ability to work independently and be self-driven
• Naturally collaborative
• Sense of humor and the ability to exhibit grace under pressure
• Comfort with ambiguity
• Ability to occasionally travel
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and excellence for every young person, but especially students of color and low-income students in the South

Compensation is $65,000 – $75,000 with excellent non-profit employee benefits.

This is a grant-funded position with funding in place for approximately twenty-four months. Extending the position will depend on additional fundraising.

The OBC team is mostly a remote team located across the country. If the chosen candidate is located within the metropolitan Atlanta and surrounding area’s we operate under a hybrid work model of remote with limited office attendance.  Our offices are located in the downtown Atlanta.

Interested candidates should submit: 1) a letter of interest; 2) a current resume; 3) names and contact information of three references to (hr@southerneducation.org) with “OBC Program Coordinator” in the subject line of the email.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

The Southern Education Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

The Southern Education Foundation (SEF), located in Atlanta, GA, seeks a full-time Research and Policy Analyst to join its research and policy team in advancing evidence-based education policies and communicating policy solutions in ways that inform federal, state, and local policy development.

The Research and Policy Analyst will play a lead role in conducting and reviewing research and analyzing data to highlight trends and current inequities in education, elevate promising solutions, and create compelling narratives to advise policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders on issues of policy and practice. The analyst will report to the Director of Research and Policy, and will work collaboratively with the Director to promote and support an organizational culture that values research and learning in a way that is both actionable and useful for improving overall educational effectiveness and driving impact across the early childhood, K-12, and postsecondary policy and advocacy landscape. Candidates interested in this position should have working knowledge of the P-20 continuum, and genuine interest in improving educational opportunity and working to ensure that education is the vehicle through which all students get fair and equitable chances to develop their talents and contribute to the common good.

For nearly 155 years, SEF has made outsized contributions to improving education at all levels, from pre-kindergarten through higher education. SEF works to improve equity, excellence, and opportunity in education nationally. Research, policy analysis, advocacy, and programs are the primary means through which SEF pursues its mission.

Candidates should be able to organize and prioritize a workload to effectively complete multiple assignments and meet a range of deadlines; have exceptional written, oral, and electronic communication skills; have the ability to interact with diverse external audiences at multiple levels within the education system; effectively communicate and embody the value, belief, purpose, and equity-focused mission of the organization; have experience working both independently and in cooperation with other staff members while displaying a positive, cooperative attitude; and exhibit sensitivity to and respect for differences in personal, professional, and business relationships on behalf of SEF.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Collect, identify, organize and analyze qualitative and quantitative data in support of SEF’s policy and advocacy goals
• Support the development of policy recommendations and the analysis of policy, including the development of policy documents
• Support and/or manage the creation of periodic research reports and syntheses
• Distill complex policy and research findings into effective, understandable products (i.e., data tools, blogs, fact sheets, social media communications) for lay audiences
• Collaborate with the Director of Research and Policy to assist in developing a work plan for research and policy initiatives that advance SEF’s mission to improve outcomes for all students in the South
• Respond to federal and state legislative requests with current research and evidence-based recommendations
• Under the direction of the Director Research and Policy, engage a range of researchers, institutions, and other key partners and stakeholders to build and maintain networks that support SEF priorities
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Possession of a master’s degree or higher in education, education policy, or related field, or a bachelor’s degree with relevant work experience;
• Familiarity and experience with quantitative and qualitative research and experience conducting evaluation and/or policy analysis;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; ability to distill and explain complex information, data, and technical details to a variety of audiences and partners;
• Preferred experience in statistical analysis and research packages and tools such as STATA, SPSS, NVivo, and R; expertise in Microsoft Office required;
• Deep commitment to educational equity and high achievement for all students, particularly for students of color and students from low-income families;
• Ability to identify equity and opportunity gaps in datasets and build clear arguments rooted in principles of equity;
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills, including strong social listening (in person and virtually) to understand sentiment, needs, and questions of staff, partners and stakeholders, and the ability to diplomatically communicate complex messages to a range of audiences;
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal, state, and/or local policies and processes;
• Demonstrated ability to work across multiple priorities and to connect multiple topics and issues in service of improving equity outcomes;
• Demonstrated capacity for translating ideas into action;
• Strong project management skills and strategic thinking; ability to facilitate the work of multiple teams and prioritize competing demands in a changing, highly collaborative environment;
• Sense of humor, exhibiting grace under pressure;
• Comfort with ambiguity;
• Ability to travel

Compensation is $60,000 – $70,000. Excellent nonprofit employee benefits.

This is an Atlanta-based position. SEF currently is working a hybrid schedule between home and the office.

If you’re a good fit for our team, we’d love to hear from you. Interested candidates should submit: 1) a letter of interest; 2) a current resume’; 3) a writing sample; and 4) names and contact information of three references to (hr@southerneducation.org) with Research and Policy Analyst as the subject line of the e-mail.

Applications will be accepted until position is filled.

The Southern Education Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.