Director of Professional Learning

Communities In Schools of Tennessee (CISTN) is a nonprofit that partners with K-12 public schools to surround students with a community of support empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. As part of the CIS national network, CISTN achieves this mission by placing program managers in schools across the state to provide school-wide interventions and case managed services for students in need.With a budget of $13M,in academic year wewillsupport98employeesin 74 schools and servenearly35,000studentsand families across Tennessee.

To best support the students, families, schools, community partners, and our staff members involved in this work, CISTN staff and board members center all decisions, actions, and services on the following core values:

• Integrity –We openly share how our work is done, and we hold ourselves accountabletothe commitments we make.
• Empathy –We intentionally build relationships so we can learn about people’s stories,validatetheir experiences, and deepen our understanding of situations different from our own.
• Equal Opportunity –We identify and work towards removing barriers, so everyonehas the opportunity toachieve.
• Authenticity –We create space for the people we work with, and for, to be their truthful, complete selves without judgement.
• Collaboration –We bring people together to plan andtake actionin our work, understanding we make lastingchangein partnership with one another.

Job Responsibilities

TheDirector of Professional Learningleads the design,implementation,and continuous improvement of CommunitiesInSchools of Tennessee’s(CISTN)statewideprofessional learning strategyfor program staff. This role creates coherence and continuity acrossprofessional learningand developmentinitiatives,balancing statewide priorities with differentiated regional and local needs.The Director of Professional Learning strategicallypartnerswiththe Vice Presidents of Programsand Program Directors todevelopsystems, resources, and learning experiences that strengthen program staff preparedness, effectiveness, program quality, leadership capacity, and fidelityof implementationofthe CommunitiesInSchools model across Tennessee.This rolealsopartners with the Director ofPeople Operationsto ensure complimentary and aligned practices that support high performance.This roleis responsible for:

Professional Learning Strategy & Design

• Develop and implement a comprehensive statewide professional learning strategy for program staff, including Program Directors, Program Managers, and other direct-service team members.
• Establish andmaintaina multi-year professional learning framework aligned with organizational priorities, program quality standards, and staff development needs.
• Create andmaintaina coherent scope and sequence of core program-related training content to support consistent implementation of the CommunitiesInSchools model across all regions.
• Ensure an effective balancebetweenstatewide training prioritiesanddifferentiated regional and local learningneedsby partneringwith VPsof Programsand Program Directorstodeeplyunderstandregional and local contexts.
• Collaboratively develop annual professional learning plans and calendarswith program leadership.

Resources & Content Development

• Develop relationshipswith external organizations, networks, and subject matter experts toidentifyemergingresearch,practices, resources, and learning opportunities relevant to program implementation and needs of students and familiesin consultation with the Chief Program Officer.
• Maintain awareness ofCIS nationaltraining and development resources,leveragingavailable tools and adapting strategies and resources to CISTN’s local contexts.
• Develop and manage partnerships with external trainers, consultants, and subject matter experts, overseeingselection, contracting,logistics, scheduling, and evaluation to deliver high-quality professional learning opportunities.
• Ensure external content aligns with organizational priorities, program standards, and staff development goals.
• Design, curate, andmaintaintraining materials, facilitator guides, toolkits, learning resources, and implementation supports,leveragingexisting internal and externalhigh-quality resourceswhen and where possible.
• Manageprogrammaticprofessional learning resources, training documentation, and learning platforms as applicable.

Learning Delivery & Capacity Building

• Develop systems and processes that enable Program Directors and other leaders to effectively plan, track,andfacilitatemonthly professionallearningsessions within their regions.
• Coordinate andfacilitate regional andstatewideprofessionallearningsessions, workshops,andcommunities of practice.
• Deliver training directly whenappropriateand support others in delivering high-quality learning experiences, modelingeffective adult learning practices andfosterengaging, inclusive learning environments.
• Build organizational capacity for effective adult learning and facilitation practices among program leaders.
• Provideconsultation, coaching, facilitation support, and implementation guidance to Program Directors responsible forfacilitatingprofessional learning.
• Convene Program Directors and other leaders to gather feedback, share best practices, and ensure alignment of learning initiatives.
• Support onboarding throughdevelopment and implementation ofrole-specific learning pathways for new program staff.
• Identifyor create learning experiences and resources that strengthen program-specific leadership competencies, in collaboration with theDirector of People Operations.
• Develop leadership readiness and transition supports that enable new program leaders to successfully assume their responsibilities and effectively lead teams.
• Partner withorganizationalleaders and the Director ofPeopleOperationsto develop leadership pipelines and career pathways for individual contributors and supervisors.
• Partner with program leaders toidentifyskill gaps and recommend targeted learning and development strategies.

Strategic Partnership & Organizational Learning

• PartnerwiththeChief Program Officer,VPsof Programs,and Program Directors toidentifytraining priorities, implementation challenges, emerging needs, and opportunities for staff development.
• Strategically partner with the Director of People Operationsto ensure alignment and integration of professional learning with individual development planning, back-up and succession planning, and performance management.
• Collaboratewith the DataDirectorto highlight areas ofexcellence,elevatingandimplementingbest practice sharing in professional learning contexts, as well asidentifyareas for continuous improvementand informing training and development efforts.
• Advisethe Chief Program Officer on programmatic professional learning for the Vice Presidents of Programs and other senior leaders.

Program Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure professional learning initiatives support organizational goals, program qualitygoals and expectations, and continuous improvement.
• Assess training effectiveness through participant feedback,implementationdata, performance indicators, and other measures of impactwith support from the Director of Data and Director of People Operations.
• Partner with program leadershiptoidentifyconnections between professional learning investments, programoutcomes, and student outcomes.

Candidatesresidingwithin CISTN’s service area (all TN counties exceptMemphis/Shelby,Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington Counties) may be considered without requiring relocation to Nashville. Occasional statewide travel isrequired. The COO and the Directorof People Operations will work together todeterminearrangements for both in-person and remote work, considering the season of work and organizational needs.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The statementscontainedhereindescribe the scope of the responsibility and essential functions of this position but should notbe considered to bean all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties asassignedincluding work in otherareasto cover absences or relief to equalize peak work periods or otherwise balance the workload.Other duties may be assigned by the COO.

Qualifications

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Program Development & Implementation: Designs, implements, and evaluates programs that align with organizational goals and meet the needs of participants.Effectively integrates best practices, stakeholder feedback, and data-driven insights to enhance program effectiveness.Ensures seamless execution through strategic planning, resource coordination, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Relationship Building: Develops andmaintainspositive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.Utilizes effective communication strategies to engage stakeholders and advance the organization’s mission.
• Research, Measurement & Analysis: Utilizesevidence and best practices to measure progress towards strategic priorities.Makes data-driven decisions and continuously improves data collection and analysis strategies.
• Communication Skills: Clearly and concisely communicates technical information and data results to various audiences.Tailorscommunication strategies to different stakeholders andensuresmessages are clear, consistent, and culturally responsive.
• Cultural Competence: Demonstratesa clear understanding of racial and other forms of discrimination, including but not limited to historical discrimination, that mayimpactstudents and families and applies that understanding to work in schools and across the organization.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in education, organizational development, human resources, social work, public administration, ora relatedfield. Master’s degree preferred.
• 7-10 years ofprogressively responsible experience in training, professional learning, workforce development, organizational development, leadership development, program quality, education, youth development, or a related field.
• Work experience can be substituted for those without formal education, requiring6+ years of direct experience.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

We value your lived experience and those that have lived orlivein the communities that we serve. Should you not meetall of the listed qualifications but feel that this position is the perfect one for you, please apply! You could be what we are lookingforand we would not want to miss the chance to meet you!

CISTN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Additional Information

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Salary range for this positionis $65,815-$83,771

Benefits include:

• Employee medical, dental, vision, short-and-long-term disability insurance premiums are 100% employer-paid, with some dependent health plans includingan employercontribution.
• Paid parental leave.
• 15 paid vacation days, 10 sick days, 4 floating holidays, 10 other paid holidays, and an extended winter break.
• 401(k) match up to 2%.
• Cell phone stipend.
• Individual professional development budgetandup to $1,500/year educational expense reimbursement.