Closed for Review

Overview

Catalyst:Ed is looking for a Senior Associate to join our Programs team. In this role, you will be responsible for the day-to-day management of key programmatic initiatives and for helping education agencies or organizations tap into the expertise in the sector and strengthen their capacity to address critical priorities with a focus on underserved student populations.

This position reports to an Associate Partner, Programs (State and District Support)

Catalyst:Ed Mission

We help education organizations build capacity and deepen their impact by connecting them to the expertise, resources, and hands-on support they need to drive transformational outcomes for students, especially those from underserved communities.

In order to deliver on the mission, the Programs Team:

The Catalyst:Ed Programs team will deliver high-quality services that meet authentic needs of field leaders and help organizations grow their capacity and deepen their impact to drive transformational outcomes for students, especially those from underserved communities. In order to deliver on this promise, the Programs team will:

• Work in partnership with organizations to understand their needs and connect them with expertise, resources, and support to grow their capacity and deepen their impact. This includes leading the strategic direction, management, and execution of our project matching services provided to the general public, within Catalyst:Ed’s Exchanges and Expert Hubs, and via other forms of capacity building services, and managing intensive support opportunities like cohorts and networks.
• Deliver coordinated, streamlined, thoughtful, and high-quality customer service to organizations and providers
• Support the development of providers in the Catalyst:Ed network through engagement in community and learning activities.
• Assure that organizational values and equity-orientation are represented across all programmatic efforts
• Maximize organizational learning and quality improvement, and field-facing learning by developing and disseminating various forms of content to Catalyst:Ed’s staff and stakeholders.

Your Role Within the Programs Team

The Senior Associate is responsible for overarching project management, communications with external stakeholders, and information management for Catalyst:Ed’s project matching process. Senior Associates will also lead scoping calls and capacity assessments, draft initial project scopes using information gleaned from scoping calls, and support the team with analysis and writing projects to report on progress or communicate our impact.

Key Components of Your Role

• Project management, operational, technical, and administrative support for Catalyst:Ed’s project matching services:

• • Enter, edit, and ensure accurate information and tracking for projects from initial listing through completion. Includes:
    • Learning to use and leverage our proprietary project matching platform and database.
    • Pulling information and ensuring proper data at each stage of the process.
    • Following up with each task accurately and on time, from drafting project scopes to scheduling interviews between the client and providers to sending reminder emails to make sure the project moves forward in a timely manner, and more.
    • Fielding questions from relevant stakeholders and providing timely and accurate responses.
  • Request survey completion and monitor responses to ensure service quality and satisfaction by partners and providers. Flag issues for follow-up.
  • Manage logistics for and lead scoping calls. Manage logistics for interviews between organizations and providers, and other project-matching related activities. Includes scheduling, communications, supporting preparation, notetaking, sending follow-up information.
  • Support coordination, communications, and administrative/ operational duties for relationships with external partners, including funders.

• Partner organization support, relationship management and communications

• • Lead scoping calls with guidance and support from a senior team member.
  • Build initial project scopes and contracts from templates and information gleaned from scoping calls, including analyzing organizational websites to develop org profiles.
  • Drive customer success as a point of contact for education leaders who reach out to and engage with Catalyst:Ed for project matching services.
  • Act as the point person for providers on projects, answering questions and engaging as needed.
  • Draft communications and collaborate with associated team members to ensure partners and providers have the information they need.
  • Build relationships with network members and share insights with the team that may improve our work and service to the community.

• Content development and process improvement

• • Engage in strategic conversations with the team to improve technical systems, human & technical processes, identify lessons and insights from our work, plan for important conversations or meetings, or the like. Contribute as a thought partner based on experience at Catalyst:Ed, in previous roles, and knowledge about our work and the field.
  • Co-edit and co-author materials for case making or reporting, or author original content for various projects.
  • Gather, organize, and analyze information from a variety of sources, including online sources, written narrative, surveys, and more, and translate into documentation for case-making or reporting,
  • Develop materials for meetings, events, funders, organizations, and experts in the field.
  • Support the development of knowledge products, program quality initiatives, thought leadership projects, or grant reporting by analyzing data from project-matching database or publicly-available sources.
  • Support hiring processes such as by scheduling, communicating with candidates, and/or engaging in resume or work product reviews, interviews, etc.
  • Collaborate regularly with team members and other Associates, and join topic-focused, cross-cutting teams formed to advance broader team alignment, coordination, and organizational development through short-term internal projects or initiatives
  • Support team members on any additional asks

Other Role Responsibilities (If Applicable)

• Network Management Support
  • Develop and further relationships with team leadership and key external stakeholders to ensure efficient scheduling and communication, as well as project timelines.
  • Manage the calendaring for key network and network-wide meetings, collaborating with external partners to align schedules and priorities for meetings.
  • Manage invoice and reimbursement processes for network activities, collaborating with the Operations and Product teams to identify process improvements based on funder & network guidelines and network member capacity and feedback.
  • Support CE team members in the management of external vendors (ie: for event-related activities, including agenda development, travel logistics)
  • Provide project management support for network-related projects stemming from network priorities.

Supports you’ll receive from others to be successful

• Associate Group:Associates will have the opportunity to work closely with and build relationships with other Associates on the team, who can provide support for navigating the Associate roles at Catalyst:Ed, or provide support on handling specific tasks related to the project matching process.
• Product Team: Associates will have support from the Product team specifically related to learning to use and leverage our project matching platform, as well as how to execute specific tasks within the platform. The Product team is also available for general tech support and capacity building related to tech systems, though a facility with and willingness to learn about new technologies is required for the role.
  
• Manager: Associates will have support from their Manager who helps them prioritize work, provide clarity on the Associate’s responsibilities for specific work streams or projects, and supports their overarching professional growth and development
  
• Whole Team:Collaborate with team members during cross-team projects or committees. Look to team members for support or advice on projects or work streams depending on their specific expertise or experience with said project or workstream.
  

Skills and Qualifications

• You have experience working in the nonprofit and/or education sector, and you have an interest in education
• You are able to prioritize time and tasks according to team deadlines and importance, and are able to ask for help when this is complicated.
• You are operationally-minded, and very comfortable independently learning about and working with technology, including web applications and technology systems
• You have an equity-focused mindset
• You have strong written and verbal communication skills
• You have strong active listening skills
• You have strong analytical and problem solving skills
• You are responsible, reliable, and are able to manage multiple tasks and deadlines
• You easily build relationships with others and have a service-oriented mindset
• You have strong attention to detail
• You have a growth mindset and are able to learn from your experience
• You are comfortable working in a fast-paced work environment
• You work well in both independent and collaborative work settings
• You are comfortable operating in a climate of ambiguity where contextual factors may not always be clear.

Good to Know

• Video: Get to know more about the role by watching this video
• Compensation: This is a full time, salaried position with full health benefits and retirement. Compensation is commensurate with experience. Salary range: $58,800-$69,300
• Start date: April 15, 2024
• Location: Catalyst:Ed works nationally. We are a remote team with an office in New Orleans. Team members can work from a location of their choosing.
• Travel Requirements: Minimal travel may be required for attendance at in-person team retreats (1-2 per year) and professional conferences (1-2 per year)
• Physical Demands and Working Environment: The bullet points below are representative of the physical demands and working environment that must be met by a team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.
  • Standard/Remote office setting; proximity to office equipment that includes electronic devices.
  • Multiple people-facing meetings and interactions a day using Zoom or other video call software
  • Must remain at a workstation for at least 50% of the time; will need to use equipment that includes electronic devices.
  • Perceive and interact with text, media, and people.
  • Communicate and accurately exchange information with text, media, and people.
  • Additional Note: This is a people-facing position, and to be successful, you will need to have comfort interfacing regularly with team members and external stakeholders as well as dealing with a range of personalities across multiple domains.

How to Apply:

Applications are closed for review. We will review applications on a rolling basis shortly after they are received. The selection process includes a work exercise and 2-4 virtual interviews of 45-60 minutes each.

Catalyst:Ed has a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply, particularly folks who identify as people of color, first generation, low income, or LGBTQ.