Director of Implementation, Design, and Coaching - ELA

What We Do

At Leading Educators (LE) , we know that excellent teaching is the most important driver of student success. The moment a student steps foot in the classroom, their opportunity to learn depends on how prepared their teacher is to translate complex content knowledge, standards, and their knowledge of that student into lessons that help them learn deeply and apply their thinking to the real world.

That’s a big lift, and it often happens alone. As a national nonprofit, we partner with school systems to overcome persistent instructional challenges, foster intentional collaboration and adult learning by design, and ignite new possibilities through systemic solutions at the intersection of teaching, talent, and technology.

We work shoulder-to-shoulder with educators at every level of the education system to strengthen their instructional and leadership practices, bring a vision for excellent instruction to life with consistency, and ensure every student reaches their full potential.

Through direct support, strategic advising, innovation pilots, and best-in-class research, we help educators work toward a future where every student is ready to thrive. Learn more about our work at leadingeducators.org .

External Candidate Application Deadline: Ongoing

Position

Leading Educators is seeking a Director of Implementation, Design, and Coaching – ELA to serve as the strategic lead driving instructional transformation across seven schools in the San Mateo-Foster City District. In this role, you'll own the full lifecycle of ELA implementation—from launch through measurable impact—while building the capacity of school and district leaders to sustain excellence in literacy instruction. This is a hybrid leadership position that demands equal expertise in instructional coaching, professional learning design, and strategic client partnership. You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with teachers, instructional leaders, and district teams to translate complex literacy science into coherent, executable practice that reaches every student.

This role is not for the faint of heart. You'll navigate competing priorities, surface implementation risks before they derail progress, and make real-time adjustments that keep projects on track while maintaining fidelity to high-quality instruction. Your ability to translate data into actionable insights—and to communicate those insights clearly to diverse stakeholders—will directly influence how thousands of students experience literacy instruction. You'll design and facilitate job-embedded professional learning cycles that stick, conduct learning walks that reveal truth, and debrief with precision so that leaders see exactly what's working and what needs attention.

Beyond execution, you'll be a thought partner to district leadership, surfacing opportunities and risks that emerge from school-level implementation and contributing to strategic decisions that shape the partnership. Whether you're coaching a principal through a difficult feedback conversation, designing a professional learning session that shifts teacher practice, or analyzing student work data to refine instructional strategy, you'll bring both rigor and humanity to every interaction. This is leadership work that matters—work that directly impacts teaching quality and student outcomes.

Do you have expertise in…

Leading instructional improvement initiatives and designing adult professional learning that translates to changes in classroom practice?

K–8 literacy instruction, high-quality instructional materials and the Science of Reading and its application to foundational skills, language development, and reading comprehension?

The California English Language Development (CA ELD) Standards and evidence-based practices for both Integrated and Designated ELD instruction?

Managing complex, multi-school implementation efforts at the district or school level, with the ability to establish systems that track progress, identify risks, and drive measurable outcomes?

Do you enjoy…

Building trust-based relationships with school and district leaders, and maintaining those partnerships while holding firm to high standards for instructional quality and measurable impact?

Translating strategy into actionable project plans with clear milestones, and then managing execution with precision and adaptability?

Analyzing qualitative and quantitative data to uncover trends, root causes, and priority actions—and then leading structured conversations that help leaders act on those insights?

Developing the capacity of others, whether through direct coaching, facilitation, or team leadership, and seeing people grow into stronger instructional leaders?

If you've answered affirmatively to these questions and meet the following prerequisites, we urge you to seize this opportunity. This role calls for the following:

Minimum of 8 years of professional experience in education, instructional leadership, curriculum implementation, or district-level instructional support

Demonstrated experience leading complex implementation efforts across multiple schools or at the district level

Proven track record designing high-quality professional learning aligned to standards and measurable instructional outcomes

Direct experience providing coaching to school or district leaders and translating that coaching into observable changes in practice

Experience serving as a primary client or partner relationship owner within a district or multi-school context, managing expectations and maintaining accountability for outcomes

Experience managing and developing staff or team members, with clear responsibility for the quality of their execution

Practitioner-level competency with artificial intelligence tools and a willingness to leverage them for efficiency and insight

Ability to travel regularly to school sites (typically weekly) within the San Mateo-Foster City District, with occasional national travel for organizational events and professional development

Travel Requirements

This role requires regular travel to schools within the Northern California Area:

San Francisco

South San Francisco

Oakland ( ideal location)

San Mateo

East Palo Alto

Richmond

Albany

Newark, CA

San Leandro

Berkeley

Walnut Creek

San Jose

San Rafael

National travel is required for organizational retreats, program delivery, job-related meetings and events, and professional development opportunities.

Outside of the above mentioned travel, this person will work from a home office that must be located in or near the approved cities above.

Questions? We’re here to help.

If you have questions about this role or about our hiring process at any point, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]. This inbox is monitored regularly, and we aim to respond within two business days. To ensure your question receives a thoughtful and timely response, we kindly ask that you refrain from emailing individual staff members or members of our HR team directly. The best way to connect with us is always through [email protected].

Why Work at Leading Educators?

Imagine being part of an organization where your ideas and perspectives are highly valued. At Leading Educators, we believe in fostering individual strengths, encouraging personal growth, and embracing innovative ideas. If you thrive in a remote working environment, with the added excitement of travel, we're the perfect fit for you. By joining us, you become part of a powerful community of peers nationwide. Regardless of your location, you possess the power to make a significant impact on both students and teachers who rely on us daily. Join Leading Educators and become an integral part of driving progress in education.

Learn About Our Mission & Values:

Mission: Leading Educators partners with school systems to sustain the teaching, leadership, and conditions for ev