Mayor's Office of Talent and Appointments (MOTA)
Director of Strategic Initiatives K-12 - Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education
Deputy Mayor for Education - Washington, DC - Full Time
POSITION: Director of Strategic Initiatives K-12
OPEN: April 19, 2024
CLOSE: Open until filled
SALARY RANGE/GRADE: Executive Service ES8 ($106,497 - $159,747)
This position is located in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME). The Director of Policy, Learning Acceleration is responsible for developing, tracking and coordinating the implementation of priority initiatives that support the Office’s short- and long-term vision for learning acceleration; and supervising direct report(s) executing on policy priorities. The position also has non-supervisory responsibilities related to convening and coordinating the work of other agencies’ senior staff to accomplish the policy priorities. The Director coordinates closely with other DME senior leaders and staff to ensure the education sector achieves the Mayor’s ambitious vision for academic and workforce excellence and creating a high quality education continuum from birth through career (from early childhood to K-12 to post-secondary and into family-sustaining jobs).
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
The Director of Strategic Initiatives serves as the Deputy Mayor’s senior advisor on the vision for public schools in the District, and helps drive the DME’s vision for public schools, including: supporting student mental health and well-being, driving down chronic absenteeism, building a teacher oasis, developing place-based neighborhood supports for school improvement efforts. Functionally, this role will engage deeply with community members, strategically coordinate across stakeholders, ensure cohesive city-wide planning, and provide agency oversight & support. Successful candidates must demonstrate an interest in delivering meaningful, measurable results for our youth in the District. The Director’s specific responsibilities include:
MINIMUM BACKGROUND AND REQUIREMENTS
DOMICILE REQUIREMENT:
There is a legal requirement that each new appointee to the Excepted and Executive Service either: (1) be domiciled in the District of Columbia at the time of appointment; or (2) establish District domicile within one hundred eighty (180) days of appointment. The law also requires that Excepted and Executive Service employees maintain District domicile during the period of the appointment. Failure to maintain District domicile during the period of the appointment will result in forfeiture of employment.
OPEN: April 19, 2024
CLOSE: Open until filled
SALARY RANGE/GRADE: Executive Service ES8 ($106,497 - $159,747)
This position is located in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME). The Director of Policy, Learning Acceleration is responsible for developing, tracking and coordinating the implementation of priority initiatives that support the Office’s short- and long-term vision for learning acceleration; and supervising direct report(s) executing on policy priorities. The position also has non-supervisory responsibilities related to convening and coordinating the work of other agencies’ senior staff to accomplish the policy priorities. The Director coordinates closely with other DME senior leaders and staff to ensure the education sector achieves the Mayor’s ambitious vision for academic and workforce excellence and creating a high quality education continuum from birth through career (from early childhood to K-12 to post-secondary and into family-sustaining jobs).
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
The Director of Strategic Initiatives serves as the Deputy Mayor’s senior advisor on the vision for public schools in the District, and helps drive the DME’s vision for public schools, including: supporting student mental health and well-being, driving down chronic absenteeism, building a teacher oasis, developing place-based neighborhood supports for school improvement efforts. Functionally, this role will engage deeply with community members, strategically coordinate across stakeholders, ensure cohesive city-wide planning, and provide agency oversight & support. Successful candidates must demonstrate an interest in delivering meaningful, measurable results for our youth in the District. The Director’s specific responsibilities include:
- Develop the approach to achieve the Office’s vision and goals for public schools, including new projects or activities or steps to improve, connect or enhance existing projects or activities.
- Serve as a key member of the DME’s senior leadership team, encouraging a team-based environment among DME’s departments by building alliances, promoting open communication and collaboration to achieve joint objectives.
- Lead project planning for relevant DME initiatives, e.g., create project plan templates, coach project management and maintain project plan process.
- Coordinate with other senior leadership team members to ensure resources like budget, facilities, policies, legislation, and data analyses are operating in support of office goals and strategic initiatives.
- Collaborate deeply with the Director’s counterparts to ensure strong alignment across existing and new initiatives, such as building shared programming hubs to support secondary pathways and ensuring social-emotional learning supports strong preventative work to keep youth safe
- Build deep relationships with external and internal partners, including schools, other education agencies, District agency partners that provide services to schools, and private sector partners.
- Maintain an effective working relationship with all levels of management officials and team members. Build trust-based relationships and partnerships to deliver shared goals and drive coordination.
- Supervise direct report(s) on research and policy development; also, has non-supervisory responsibilities related to convening and coordinating the work of senior staff across District government to accomplish the Office’s strategic initiatives.
- Manage and oversee the development, ongoing coordination, and completion of strategic policy projects. As appropriate, manage comprehensive, long-range project plans showing the sequence of tasks, target dates and persons responsible.
- Conduct extensive national research on best practices, policy issues and resources and engage in ongoing conversations with community stakeholders, students, and families to guide and inform on the development of major projects.
- Ensure all policy recommendations and strategic initiatives are deeply grounded in racial justice and equity, and center the experiences and voices of residents with the greatest needs and historically marginalized communities
- Develop other quantitative and qualitative analyses, as required, consistent with commonly accepted practices for program evaluation. Assure that policy issues and recommendations are well-defined, and recommend needed amendments to laws, regulations and other rules.
- Build and implement processes to track results, advance work, and resolve challenges that arise.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
MINIMUM BACKGROUND AND REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelor’s degree, at least five years of work experience including at least two years in a management role
- Strong background in K-12 education and/or public policy
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective relationships within school systems, city agencies, community partners, and/or other civic/private sector entities.
- Demonstrated knowledge of the public school landscape in the District of Columbia.
- Demonstrated organizational and strategic leadership.
DOMICILE REQUIREMENT:
There is a legal requirement that each new appointee to the Excepted and Executive Service either: (1) be domiciled in the District of Columbia at the time of appointment; or (2) establish District domicile within one hundred eighty (180) days of appointment. The law also requires that Excepted and Executive Service employees maintain District domicile during the period of the appointment. Failure to maintain District domicile during the period of the appointment will result in forfeiture of employment.
