About the job
Overview of the Position: SEAL is seeking a full-time Associate Director to join our mission-driven team. The Associate Director will provide day-to-day management support to Program staff, high-quality delivery of the SEAL model and professional learning approach, and have a leadership voice on SEAL’s Program Leadership Team. The position reports directly to the Senior Director of Program and Partnerships. Candidates are encouraged to apply who have a minimum of 5-7 years of successful experience in educational leadership and administration at the school, education related non-profit organization, district and/or county level, Bilingual/Dual language education experience, a proven record of successful people management, and an unwavering dedication to SEAL’s mission.
About SEAL: Our story began with the Sobrato family and their strong belief that all children should have access to opportunities for growth and success in school. In 2008, the Sobrato Philanthropies partnered with Dr. Laurie Olsen to design and pilot a new, comprehensive approach to learning in preschool and early elementary grades. The result was the creation of the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) model. After external evaluation results proved SEAL’s outsized impact, the model was expanded and replicated, first in the Bay Area and then throughout the state of California. In 2019, SEAL became an independent organization with the aim of scaling our impact and engaging new partners that connect educators, families, researchers, advocates, and policy leaders to elevate English Learners and Dual Language Learners and promote multilingualism for all students. To learn more about SEAL, please visit SEAL.org.
SEAL addresses English Learner needs at all levels - from practice, to research, to policy and advocacy - creating long-term systemic change through:
Practice: We partner with public schools over multiple years to train teachers in research-based pedagogy, spark cross-school collaboration, and build internal coaching and leadership capacity to support English Learners.
Research: We conduct research in classrooms, pilot new approaches, and publish insights to advance the field’s understanding of what works for English Learners.
Policy and Advocacy: We engage district leaders, educators and other education stakeholders, using our research, practice, and analysis to connect them to opportunities to advance policies that centralize the needs of English Learners. With over a decade of experience implementing our evidence-based and research-tested model, we foster systems change by partnering with educators across the state and by helping transform classrooms into language-rich, rigorous, and joyful learning environments.
Our Equity Commitment: Equity is a core value at SEAL. At SEAL, our commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion reflects SEAL's mission: "To Prepare All English Learners to learn, thrive, and lead." Equity is a core value at SEAL and we believe that diversity fosters equity. We're passionate about creating a workplace where all forms of diversity, age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, perspective, and experience are seen as real value for the organization. To carry out our mission we actively recruit a workforce that reflects the SEAL community we serve, and as part of which, everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work. Our mission drives our innovation and connects us more closely to our partners and the communities we serve. Together, we act fearlessly, learn from each other, improve constantly, and continue to build a culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices, backgrounds, and cultures of our team members. These principles guide how we build our teams, cultivate leaders and develop an organization that embraces multiple approaches and points of view. We support an inclusive environment where team members feel empowered to share their experiences and ideas. We believe that non-profit organizations can be powerful platforms for social change and that our higher purpose is to drive equity for all.
About the Role: Associate Directors both deliver the SEAL model and play a leadership role on the Program Team. They have deep experience with the SEAL model or similar models, and bring people, project and budget management experience to bear. They serve as leaders internally and ambassadors externally.
In this role, your work will include:
Supervision of team members
- Supervise multiple program staff including staff who supervise others
- Provide ongoing growth and development support to direct reports, and conduct meaningful and accurate performance reviews
Management of high profile initiatives and projects
- Most often plays the role of OWNER, MANAGER, or APPROVER on multiple SEAL projects, as assigned. Associate Directors tend to lead projects that are longer in duration, have multiple workstreams, and several team members
- Create, implement, and manage budgeting plans associated with projects
- Manage and provide oversight of SEAL’s relationship with external partners for assigned and future projects
High quality delivery of the SEAL model
- Provide support and training for administrators, coaches and educators implementing SEAL, including consultation, thought partnering and strategic planning.
- Manage and lead SEAL professional development for all levels of district administration, coaches and educators, within PreK-6th grade to external/field partners via webinars and in-person delivery
- Provide support and leadership to teachers, coaches, and administration around dual language pedagogy and best practices
- Manage and lead the creation and development of new professional development content and materials
- Manage and provide oversight of SEAL’s relationship with external partners
Leadership on the Program Team
- Manage and maintain organizational effectiveness by providing leadership support and development to program staff at all levels
- Serve on the Program Leadership Team
- Collaborate with colleagues around capacity management, project management, scheduling, and workstream assignments to ensure sustainable workloads and high-quality delivery
In addition, you’ll also likely play roles focused on growing and strengthening SEAL, like:
- Building and developing relationships with SEAL stakeholders
- Actively applying new ideas or research to the SEAL Professional Development Model to advance the work and deepen impact for English Language Learners
- Representing SEAL in the field by coordinating, attending and presenting at conferences, SEAL convenings and network gatherings to publicize the organization and SEAL Programs to the community
- Attending and engaging in internal meetings, professional development initiatives and committees
- Supporting the onboarding and development of new team members
Who You Are
This is what’s required for the role…
- Master’s degree (preferably in Educational Leadership)
- Experience with participating in or implementing the SEAL model
- At least 5-7 years of successful experience in educational leadership and administration at the school, district and/or county level, or within an educationally related non-profit organization
- Prior management/supervisory experience
- Bilingual/Dual Language education experience
- Proven track record that reflects deep understanding needs of English Language Learners
- Leadership and coaching experience in an educational setting
- Ability to design and deliver high-quality professional development
- Ability to lead large groups through professional development
- Hold a valid driver’s license and/or regular access to a vehicle; willingness to travel
- A resident of California or willing to relocate
This is what’s desirable for the role…
- Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential (K-12) and Administrative credential (or closely comparable experience)
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Salesforce, Adobe, Google Suite, Zoom, Litmos, etc.
Location & Compensation: You will work from home and in the field, with the expectation to travel throughout the year. The salary range starts at $155,000. Salary will be commensurate with experience. Our highly competitive benefits package includes: 100% coverage for employee medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D, long and short-term disability benefits. 50% coverage for dependent(s) for medical, dental and vision benefits. Up to 6% 401k matching. Medical/Dependent Care FSA. Self Care Program and Telecommuting Ergonomics Program. 20 days of PTO/year.
Career Pathways: At SEAL, one can both take on additional leadership responsibilities within their current position, and move along a promotion pathway. In either case, we rely on our competency model and evidence about practice to guide those decisions.
At SEAL, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization in which we give voice to, and meet the needs of, the communities, teachers, and students we serve. We believe in lifelong learning and continuous improvement, and we are ever-evolving the processes through which we select and support team members and foster a culture of universal belonging and empowerment. SEAL encourages applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, especially those from immigrant and English Learner communities, people of color and members of other historically marginalized groups. SEAL is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment.
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