National Equity Project

Director, Living Lab for High School Reinvention

National Equity Project

part-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Remote

Location: California • United States

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Salary

💰 $70,000 - $77,500 per year

Job Level

Lead

About the role

  • Co-lead refinement of the Living Lab’s vision, theory of change, outcomes, and operating approach in partnership with the Managing Director of Field Strategy & Impact and key internal/external interest-holders.
  • Translate the vision into an initiative charter (scope, success measures, roles, governance, decision cadence) and keep it current as conditions shift.
  • Define and maintain a small set of outcome-aligned metrics and benchmarks (leading + lagging indicators) and ensure they are usable for decisions—not just reporting.
  • Steward relationships with core partner leaders (e.g., superintendents, curriculum leaders, and key district/community partners) directly tied to the Living Lab’s success.
  • Design and run a partner engagement strategy that clarifies value exchange, expectations, and contribution pathways across the California Cohort and National Network.
  • Support partnership and resource development efforts by providing initiative narrative, partner intelligence, and coordination for proposals and funder communications (primary relationship owners as designated by NEP).
  • Own the day-to-day delivery system for the Living Lab: workplan, milestones, roles/responsibilities, dependencies, risk management, and decision tracking.
  • Establish lightweight project management routines and tools that create clarity and accountability across strands of work, without over-bureaucratizing the initiative.
  • Co-develop and track the initiative budget and resource plan with the Managing Director / Chief of Staff; flag variances early and recommend tradeoffs to protect outcomes and organizational health.
  • Coordinate staffing needs and role clarity across NEP teammates, contractors, and partners; support onboarding and operating rhythms (staffing decisions made by designated leaders)
  • Coordinate a small, cross-functional leadership team with NEP staff in key roles and dedicated capacity to drive decisions, coordinate workstreams.
  • Design and facilitate convenings, working groups, and collaborative sessions that move the work forward—alignment, decisions, learning, and commitments (not just “good conversations”).
  • Navigate complex interest-holder dynamics across differing priorities, cultures, and constraints; surface tensions early and create pathways to resolution anchored in shared values and equity commitments.
  • Build practical measurement and learning loops that help the initiative adapt in real time (what’s emerging, what’s working, what’s stuck, what we’re changing).
  • Create systems to capture and synthesize promising practices across the California Cohort and National Network, in collaboration with internal partners.
  • Partner with External Communications and Field Strategy & Impact leadership to translate learning into field-facing outputs (e.g., briefs, tools, convening insights, presentations), scoped to a realistic cadence.
  • Contribute to funder management by supporting updates, learning briefs, and reports, helping translate progress and insights into clear narratives in partnership with NEP leadership.

Requirements

  • Are passionate about educational equity and ensuring that every young person in every community has what they need to learn, develop, thrive, and contribute
  • Have a minimum of 10 years working within or with PK12 education agencies, youth development, or school-district support organization
  • Have an understanding of public education landscape, especially in California
  • Have an entrepreneurial mindset with demonstrated ability to build programs and initiatives from concept to implementation
  • Have a proven ability to effectively work and collaborate across differences, including race, gender and culture, and willingness to engage in honest conversations about challenging
  • Have exceptional facilitation, convening, and communication skills, with ability to bridge across differences
  • Have strong project management capabilities, including experience with complex timelines, multiple work streams, and competing priorities
  • Model and champion NEP’s Core Values and Guiding Principles
  • Live in California
  • Are able to travel 20-25% of the time
  • Are eligible to work in the United States
Benefits
  • Cell phone & internet reimbursement
  • Holidays
  • Sick Time
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
project managementbudget managementdata analysismetrics developmentinitiative charter developmentrisk managementresource developmentpartner engagement strategyfacilitationcollaboration
Soft Skills
communicationleadershipinterpersonal skillsproblem-solvingadaptabilitycultural competencyentrepreneurial mindsetfacilitation skillsrelationship managementequity commitment