Managing Director, Alumni Strategy

ROLE TITLE: Managing Director, Alumni Strategy (Full-time)

POSITION REPORTS TO: Stephen Santellan, Executive Director

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications are due by Monday, November 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.

LOCATION: Nashville, Tennessee

WHAT YOU’LL DO

We are looking for a Managing Director of Alumni Strategy to create and lead a new approach to how Teach For America (TFA) Nashville-Chattanooga works with, partners with, and supports approximately 1,100 alumni in our region. Nashville is home to alumni who lead education organizations and work at the state level, creating significant opportunities to connect their expertise and relationships to regional priorities. You will build this strategy with alumni and create a coherent continuum of engagement and professional growth, from classroom teaching through school and systems leadership.

The ideal candidate is passionate about expanding educational opportunities and can build trusted partnerships with alumni at every career stage, including chief executives and other senior leaders. You will connect the alumni community and boards, the two-year Aspiring School Leader Fellowship with Lipscomb University, and a new approach to senior alumni engagement. Your goal is to help alumni apply their leadership where it can make the greatest difference for students, advancing third-grade reading and eighth-grade math in priority school clusters in Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. This work supports TFA's vision that one day, all children will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education and extend our impact through alumni across the education sector.

WHAT YOU’LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

• •Strengthen alumni boards and community (25%). Partner with the regional Alumni Board, Collective Alumni Board, and Prism Alumni Board to set shared priorities and equip volunteer leaders. Create experiences that build belonging, community, and joy; amplify alumni voices and TFA's mission; and connect alumni to sustained opportunities to contribute.
• •Advance the school leadership pathway (25%). Partner with Lipscomb University and regional colleagues to strengthen the two-year Aspiring School Leader Fellowship. Shape high-quality professional learning, mentoring, and applied leadership experiences; assess participant growth; and connect fellows with school and district opportunities that prepare them to lead effectively.
• •Build a new senior alumni engagement strategy (25%). Cultivate relationships with alumni executives and leaders of education organizations, including those working at the state level. Design a purposeful sequence of listening, shared planning, peer learning, and collaboration that informs regional strategy and provides clear value to alumni and their organizations.
• •Lead an integrated, multiyear alumni strategy (15%). Use alumni input and students', school, and community needs to connect support across career stages. Set annual priorities, resource plans, and shared responsibilities with regional colleagues, aligning alumni partnerships with our 2030 goals and broader vision for educational opportunity.
• •Define, measure, and communicate impact (10%). Maintain actionable alumni data and establish near-term milestones and long-term measures for sustained engagement, fellowship completion and leadership progression, and partnership results. Assess how alumni’s efforts contribute to reading and math priorities, share progress with stakeholders, and use evidence to improve programming and resource decisions.

A WEEK IN THE LIFE

Over the course of any week, you will connect with alumni board leaders, teachers, fellows, and senior executives to understand their goals and turn their insights into action. You might help an alumni board plan a gathering that builds community and joy, connect a newly relocated alum with local opportunities, or facilitate a listening session with senior alumni to identify shared priorities and a collaborative project.

You will meet with Lipscomb University partners and regional program colleagues to review fellowship learning experiences, participant feedback, and evidence of leadership growth. You may design professional learning, coordinate mentoring or applied practice, and connect fellows with school and district leaders. Across these experiences, you will build a continuum of support that helps newer teachers strengthen their practice, high-performing teachers extend their influence, and aspiring leaders prepare to lead schools. You will connect program participants and other alumni to resources and opportunities that advance our 2030 priorities and TFA's broader vision for all children.

You will review engagement and program data, refine plans with the Executive Director, and align work with teacher talent, ignite tutoring, school leadership, and nonprofit partnerships. This strategy will continue to evolve as education conditions change, our alumni community grows and moves into new roles, and children's needs shift. You will regularly listen, assess what is working, and adapt support to the realities facing students, schools, and alumni.

YOUR EXPERIENCE

Your areas of knowledge and expertise that matter most for this role (minimum qualifications):

• •7+ years of progressively responsible experience in one or more of the following areas: strategic planning and execution, alumni or community engagement, leadership development, educator development, partnership management, nonprofit leadership, or education systems improvement.
• •Demonstrated success setting and executing multiyear strategies, translating an emerging vision into clear priorities, operating plans, and measurable outcomes.
• •Understanding K-12 teaching and learning, including the distinct development needs of new, experienced, and high-performing teachers and the competencies required for effective school leadership.
• •Experience designing, facilitating, or strengthening professional learning and leadership development for adults, using feedback and evidence to improve program quality.
• •Ability to build trusted partnerships with senior executives, school and district leaders, university partners, and volunteer leaders, and turn shared interests into sustained action.
• •Familiarity with TFA's mission, culture, and alumni experience, with the ability to support alumni across identities, career stages, and professional settings.
• •Strong analytical and organizational skills, including setting meaningful measures, maintaining useful relationship and participation data, and using evidence to guide decisions.
• •Sound judgment and strong communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to lead through influence, manage shared commitments, and create structure in ambiguous work.
• •Commitment to educational equity and to working alongside alumni, students, families, and community partners with curiosity, respect, and shared accountability.

BONUS

Preferred qualifications

• •Teach For America alumni experience.
• •Experience in school or district leadership, teacher development, or coaching aspiring school leaders.
• •Knowledge of Tennessee's education landscape and relationships in Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, or statewide education organizations.
• •Experience supporting alumni or affinity boards, executive peer networks, or university partnerships for leadership development.

YOUR FUTURE TEAM

You will join TFA Nashville-Chattanooga's regional team and report directly to Executive Director Stephen Santellan. Our team brings together teacher talent, Ignite tutoring, school leadership, and collaboration with nonprofit and community partners to expand educational opportunities. We focus our resources on priority school clusters in Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville, with third-grade reading and eighth-grade math as key measures of progress toward our 2030 goal. You will work closely with program, development, and communications colleagues, as well as Lipscomb University and alumni le