Chief Program Officer

Who We Are

Gradient Learning is a nonprofit organization guided by the vision that educators should be empowered to meet the needs of all of their students. Gradient Learning is rebuilding education together, with communities, schools, and educators. We are committed to meeting the holistic needs of every child while fostering success for all. We lead Summit Learning and Along products.  

The Summit Learning Program (soon to be rebranded as the Gradient Learning Program) offers schools a whole student system to help schools realize their vision for whole student growth. Our whole student system is a curated and integrated suite of research-based tools and resources, including rigorous curricula, teacher and leader resources and trainings, whole student assessments and data displays, as well as ongoing, customized coaching for school leadership teams. The program is utilized by hundreds of schools across the U.S to fuel their whole student work..

Along is a free, interactive video journal that helps teachers guide their students to reflect and grow all year long--whether they’re back in the classroom or learning remotely. Along brings skill-building resources and efficient communication into a dedicated space where every student feels seen and heard.  

At Gradient Learning, our work is guided by a set of core values as well as our belief in the possibility of change, appreciation for the power of partnership, and commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Chief Program Officer

Position Overview

In deep partnership with our schools, we have recently made significant refinements to the Summit Learning Program. In the Summer of 2024, we will transition to this newly evolved program model and relaunch the program under a new name - the Gradient Learning Program. As we enter this incredibly exciting moment, we are looking for a Chief Program Officer (CPO) to help lead our program team through the next phase of important work. 

The CPO will work with a talented program team to fully implement our evolved program model, create systems and structures for ongoing program iteration and refinement, and ensure impact across hundreds of schools. More specifically, the CPO will lead two significant functions of the Gradient Learning program team: 

• Program Design: Designing and delivering significant components of our whole student system, which includes a customized learning platform, externally created curricula, whole student assessments and data displays, and a library of teacher and leader resources and trainings. Additionally, designing iterations and refinements to the program model in partnership with our schools. 
• Program Success: Ensuring the success of the program at the school level via leader coaching and account management activities. Additionally, culling and synthesizing partner school feedback to drive iterations and refinements to the program model.

The Chief Program Officer will report to Executive Director Monica Milligan. Direct reports include the Managing Directors of Program Design and Program Success, as well as their teams (~40 people).

Click here to learn more about the Chief Program Officer role and hiring process at Gradient Learning. 

The Ideal Candidate
We are looking for a seasoned leader with a history of leading diverse, inclusive teams to create and refine programs with notable impact on student outcomes. 

Key qualifications and characteristics include:

• Deep understanding of instructional best practices and research, especially related to differentiated learning and social-emotional learning 
• Experience designing, implementing, and refining programmatic visions, especially in geographically dispersed settings 
• Exceptional strategic thinking skills, including the ability to co-create strategic visions with a range of stakeholders and drive teams to achieve that vision 
• Experience setting and refining systems and structures across teams and organizations to deliver outcomes 
• Demonstrated use of research and data analytics to support the adoption of innovative educational strategies
• Deep commitment to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment
• Experience supporting leaders in managing teams and holding them accountable to shared goals and outcomes
• Effective communication skills to convey program visions, operational demands, and success criteria to various stakeholders.
• Commitment to providing and receiving constructive feedback to support continuous improvement
• Deep comfort with change and ambiguity, learning and continuous improvement, and approaching the work with humility   

Location:

Our work is national in scope, and our team is virtual. The location for this role is flexible within the United States.

Qualifications:

• Commitment to uphold Gradient Learning values.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field (preferred). 
• 10 years+ of experience in school or district leadership, program or product development, educational consulting, strategic planning, and/or account management is required. (Experience doing this work within an educational nonprofit setting, specifically for an educational technology or coaching organization, is strongly preferred.)
• 8 years+ of people management experience is required. 3 years+ of experience at the executive team level is strongly preferred. 
• A proven track record of impact on student outcomes is strongly preferred. 
• Proficiency in Google Platforms, i.e., Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Docs, and Google Slides. 
• A clear health and background check.
• An ability to travel 20-30%.
  
  

What We Expect From You:
We ask all of our team members, regardless of role, to commit to the following. 

• You maintain high expectations for all students and believe all students can find success in school, college, and life.
• You thrive while collaborating and are excited to work with your colleagues. You find positivity in shared successes. 
• You’re deeply dedicated to social justice and feel motivated by the challenge and impact of working in a heterogeneous community and closing the achievement gap.
• You share our vision of reimagining what schools should be and are excited to make an impact on the public education landscape. 
• You are data-driven and collect, evaluate, and utilize data in meaningful ways.
• You are positive and resilient in the face of big challenges.
• You take initiative and ownership in driving your work to meet personal and team goals. 
• You possess strong relationship skills and motivate, inspire, develop, and communicate with diverse groups of teachers, Leaders, staff members, and community members.
• You apply honest, actionable, and timely feedback that results in improved performance.
• You have a strategic mindset when it comes to executing Professional Development initiatives. 
• You are empathetic and culturally competent. You’re open to having hard conversations.
• You thrive in innovative environments and are comfortable with the ambiguity that can come with a dynamic and progressive workplace.
• You’re committed to continuous improvement, see feedback as a positive, and have a growth mindset.

What You Can Expect From Us:

Gradient Learning offers full-time employees competitive salaries and benefits. Individuals hired in this role will start within the following range: $200,000 -$264,000, with candidates typically starting at the beginning to the middle of the range for this role.

The exact salary will be dependent on the candidate’s relevant work experience and location of residence. The salary range shared is for candidates in the Chicago/Houston/Denver/ Portland areas. 

• Candidates living in the following areas will receive a cost of living increase of
• SF Bay Area ~ 15% 
• New York ~10%
• Seattle/LA/DC/Boston ~5%   
• Candidates living outside of these areas could receive a cost of living decrease of ~5%.

We recognize that the list of adjusted locations may not include every city. If you would like to confirm where your city stands on this list, please email our Employee Experience Team at ee@gradientlearning.org. 

To learn more about our benefits, visit our careers website at www.gradientlearning.org/careers/

Application Deadline:  March 22, 2024

We strive to recruit a diverse team. Gradient Learning is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, parenthood, citizenship status, creed, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. We will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

People from all diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.