Managing Director, Ignite Program Impact

TEAM: Ignite

REPORTS TO: SMD, Ignite Program Impact

LOCATION: Flexible

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 17th, 2026 (11:59PM PT)

THE ROLE

As MD, Ignite Program Impact, you will be the primary relationship holder and success partner responsible for ensuring a portfolio of 14-16 schools achieve strong results and value partnering with Teach For America Ignite. In close partnership with Regional Point(s) of Contact, broader regional team(s), and the TFA Ignite team, you will work to establish strong TFA Ignite school partnerships and steward progress towards Teach For America’s 2030 goal, ensuring that each school partner receives standardized and customized support to maximize the impact of TFA Ignite in their unique local context. The ideal candidate is passionate about working with and supporting both veteran and novice educators in school contexts to achieve strong results with students. In this role, this specifically looks like working with an external, school-based Ignite site leader to build (1) strategic alignment to TFA Ignite’s vision and goals, (2) Ignite site leaders’ investment in leading the program, and (3) Ignite site leaders’ expertise so that they can thrive in the role and lead a highly effective Ignite program in their school contexts. It also involves effectively supporting Ignite fellows in their schools (including observing tutoring sessions, sharing trends, and coordinating feedback for fellows, implementing fellow policies and procedures, etc.). 

This role may be a good fit if you (1) enjoy being a partner and guide, supporting educators (experienced and novice) to navigate a vast and complex ecosystem; (2) have strong systems-level and critical thinking skills, and thrive in making sense of the moving pieces of a complex ecosystem to maximize learning and impact; (3) are a skillful relationship builder, devoting time and resources to intentionally build and strengthen authentic relationships as an essential part of your role, (4) are experienced, comfortable, and effective in influencing adults to outcomes through layers, and (5) operate with deep respect, humility, and empathy for the challenges and limitations that our school partners may be experiencing, and (6) enjoy working in a fast-paced start-up environment, being creative in building solutions while ensuring sustainable success for TFA Ignite across our national network of partners.

THE PERSON

(80%) Drive Programmatic Impact: Steward a portfolio of Ignite site leaders at ~14-16 schools (external, school-based veteran educators who lead the TFA Ignite program at their school) to leverage the resources and supports they need to achieve programmatic excellence. Serve as primary relationship holder and expert on TFA Ignite programs. Lead Ignite site leaders to achieve meaningful impact with fellows and students through TFA Ignite, including: 

• Establishing a strategic vision for partnership with schools and local TFA partners that deeply aligns with each partner’s goals, advances TFA’s 2030 goal, and grounds in TFA Ignite’s elements for thriving school-based programs

• Investing and engaging school partners, Ignite site leaders, and local TFA leaders in Ignite

• Managing readiness and learning for Ignite site leaders, including connecting Ignite site leaders to appropriate resources, based on individual needs and plans

• Supporting Ignite site leaders to launch Ignite (e.g., set up program operations such as creating the school schedule and student groupings, lead onboarding for a new group of fellows, complete administrative tasks required for launch, etc.)

• Coordinating Ignite site leaders to collect and share pre- and post-student engagement and academic data, including maintaining up-to-date tracking across portfolio, to measure impact

• Following up with and responding to Ignite site leaders and fellows to problem-solve as needed by listening, learning, and earning credibility with all constituencies, then decisively moving forward to implement agreed-upon solutions

• Facilitating issue resolution equitably and in accordance with TFA Ignite’s policies and procedures 

• Driving toward programmatic excellence by maintaining a clear line of sight into day-to-day programs at each school partner (e.g., joining Ignite site leader-led trainings, meetings, check-ins, session observations, etc.), and differentiating support as needed

• Conducting fellow focus groups across the portfolio of schools to deepen understanding of program strengths and opportunities, along with key drivers

• Leverage data to analyze impact with partners to determine recommended supports in service of driving continual learning and improvement

(10%) Learning & Resource Development:

• Contribute to TFA Ignite’s enterprise-level programmatic impact by gathering insights, identifying trends, evaluating learnings, and making recommendations to strengthen Ignite’s impact with students and schools

• Create programmatic resources and build Ignite site leader/school partner/local TFA partner supports as needed to respond to most pressing opportunities and key drivers of impact, with an eye to sustainability as TFA Ignite grows

(10%) Contribute to Team:

• Be an active member in building an inclusive, positive, learning-focused, and transparent culture within our team

• Serve as an “all hands on deck” team member willing to support your team in various ways as needs and opportunities arise

THE MUST HAVES

Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years work experience, including at least 2 years classroom teaching experience

• Bachelor’s degree

• Willing to work flexible hours with some nights and weekends

• Excitement to work virtually with colleagues and educators across the country and leverage remote technologies (e.g., phone, Zoom)

• Travel: Ability to travel to in-person meetings in various U.S. cities 2-3 times/year, and regions supported - depending on number of regions supported

Preferred Qualifications

• Managing To Impact: 10+ years experience, with 6+ years specific experience in managing (ideal) and/or leading adults

• Building + Strengthening Relationships and Influencing Others: Experience coaching, advising, and influencing others to outcomes to achieve impact together

• Project Management: A track record of getting results while managing multiple large-scale projects simultaneously that require managing laterally, directly, and through layers

• Problem Solving Through Change: A track record of proactive problem solving through change that meets diverse stakeholders’ needs. Skilled in analyzing multiple data points and deriving a set of strategic levers to support prioritized needs and general high-impact solutions.

• Learning and Continuous Improvement: A track record of maximizing program effectiveness and identifying creative solutions through analyzing data, learning, building clarity with others, and iterating, while navigating new and complex systems

Skills & Orientations

• Deep investment in Teach For America’s core values and mission

• Demonstrated ability to:

  • Work with a significant level of autonomy, and make strategic decisions in varying and nuanced situations

  • Develop and cultivate effective relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders and support them in contributing to a shared goal

  • Listen, learn, and earn credibility with all constituencies, then decisively move forward to implement agreed-upon solutions

  • Manage multiple priorities, prioritize effectively, and alternate fluidly between thinking about the big picture and executing on specific strategies

• Belief that there is a place for both standard and customized approaches to supporting partners across our enterprise

• High skill and orientation towards managing up and across both local team partners and the broader Ignite team 

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with orientation to proactive communications with stakeholders about progress and potential areas of concern

• Skilled in creating and upholding accountability practices to ensure enterprise success

• Love of thinking across the enterprise and considering levers and ways of operating that benefit multiple regions, feeling “on the hook” for success in all of the communities in which we partner

• Have energy for/get joy from supporting Ignite site leaders in their ability to determine and assess what they need to succeed, including operating with curiosity, flexibility, and empathy

• Desire to ensure that each partner has the strongest possible programmatic supports and to work with the team to identify needs, address them, and be responsible for changes

• Strength in critical problem solving such that your manager is a thought partner, not a problem solver and you can plan independently and at a high level with baseline information (templates/examples not needed)

• Exceptional relationship builder with Ignite site leaders, school leaders, local TFA teams, fellows, and prospective partners

• Strong sense of self-awareness and understanding of strengths and areas for development

• Skilled in conducting needs assessments, analyzing complex landscapes, and deriving a set of strategic levers to support prioritized needs

THE TEAM

Teach For America Ignite is a national tutoring corps that accelerates learning and fosters belonging with K-12 students. Aligned to research-backed best practices, Ignite was co-designed with principals and built to have the necessary scale, quality, and relevance to address the needs of students in the communities that TFA serves. With Ignite's responsive and integrated model, TFA partners closely with schools to shape the program around each school's unique learning goals. Leveraging our expertise in recruitment and program design, we select and develop extraordinary college students to deliver high-impact tutoring in their role as Ignite fellows. At each school, experienced educators serve as Ignite site leaders, offering Ignite fellows curriculum-aligned training and supportive coaching tailored to the needs of the students they serve. As a result of our commitment to research-backed tutoring practices, we were one of the first programs awarded the Tutoring Program Design Badge from the National Student Support Accelerator.

Ignite is anchored in Teach For America’s 2030 goal: twice as many children in communities where we work will reach key educational milestones indicating they are on a path to economic mobility and co-creating a future filled with possibility. In a system that is hard to change, Teach For America cannot realize this goal without finding solutions that will meet the needs of students today and propel us forward toward system level change. This is our chance to deepen partnership with schools and co-create an education system our young people deserve and the future demands.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The applicable salary range for each U.S.-based role is based on where the employee works and is aligned to one of 3 tiers according to a cost of labor index in that geographic area. Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of job-related factors, which may include education, training, experience, location, business needs, or market demands. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role.  The expected salary range for this role are set forth below. These ranges may be modified in the future.

Tier A: $90,000 - $122,800

Tier B: $98,000 - $133,800

Tier C: $106,100 - $144,800

You can view which tier applies to where you plan to work here.