idealist.org

Recruitment Manager – Memphis Teacher Talent Initiative
Memphis, TN

The New Teacher Project (TNTP) helps school districts and states fulfill the promise of public education by ensuring that all students—especially those from high-need communities—get excellent teachers. A national nonprofit organization founded by teachers, TNTP recognizes that although teachers matter more than any other school factor in student success, the nation’s education systems are not aligned with the goal of an effective teacher in every classroom. In response, TNTP develops customized programs and policy interventions that enable education leaders to diagnose their teacher quality challenges and find, develop and keep great teachers. Since its inception in 1997, TNTP has recruited or trained approximately 33,000 teachers—mainly through its highly selective Teaching Fellows™ programs—benefiting an estimated 4.8 million students. TNTP has also released a series of acclaimed studies of the policies and practices that affect the quality of the nation’s teacher workforce, most recently including The Widget Effect: Our National Failure to Acknowledge and Act on Differences in Teacher Effectiveness (2009). Today TNTP is active in more than 25 cities, including Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, New Orleans, New York, and Oakland, among others. For more information, please visit www.tntp.org.

We are currently seeking a Recruitment Manager for our Memphis Teacher Talent Initiative. The Recruitment Manager will be a TNTP employee based at the Memphis City Schools district office. This position is contingent on securing funding for the initiative. We are aiming for the position to begin on December 1, 2009, once funding is confirmed.

The Program

Teachers are the most powerful resource a school has to raise student achievement. Hiring decisions need to be driven by the imperative to help schools build the most effective instructional teams possible. That requires matching a highly vetted and screened pool of teacher applicants with school leaders who have been trained to hire teachers who are the best fit for the needs of their students. We will implement a start-to-finish teacher pipeline solution that is year-round and tied to results. Specifically, the Memphis Teacher Talent Initiative will collaborate with Memphis City Schools (MCS) to supply high-quality teachers, support effective matches between candidates and schools, strengthen hiring practices and ensure that all of the district’s principals can choose the best teachers for their classrooms from the strongest possible pool of candidates. The Teacher Talent Initiative services will include working directly with school leaders to strengthen their staffing approaches, market their schools to high-quality teacher candidates and identify teacher vacancies earlier in the school year. Through aggressive recruitment and selection, the Teacher Talent Initiative will amass a large, high-quality pool of teacher applicants – both traditionally certified and alternate route candidates - from which principals can hire the best who most closely fit school needs.

Role and Responsibilities

The Memphis Teacher Talent Initiative Recruitment Manager is responsible for developing and implementing recruitment strategies to attract high-caliber candidates to the Memphis Teacher Talent Initiative. Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Developing and monitoring recruitment strategies to increase the visibility of the Teacher Talent Initiative in Memphis
• Work with the Teaching Fellows Programs Director of Recruitment and the Memphis Senior Site Manager of Recruitment and Selection to design and implement a marketing plan (based on data and trend analysis) to recruit candidates for the Memphis Teacher Talent Initiative including specific recruitment messages, to be used across different media such as an advertising campaign (print, on-line, radio, etc.), mass e-mails, website, informational sessions, etc.
• Creating comprehensive data collection systems to monitor project progress and report effectiveness of recruitment strategies
• Focusing on the recruitment of target applicants such as people of color and candidates for high-need subjects
• Leading the implementation of outreach plans to cultivate high quality candidates
• Visiting local and regional schools and job fairs to recruit for the programs
• Leading city-wide information sessions for interested potential applicants
• Generating memos, reports and other analysis on the status of various initiatives
• Supervising and maintaining the integrity of various recruitment contacts and cultivation databases
• Managing a team of approximately 6 to 10 part-time recruiters (Ambassadors) and ensuring they are effectively executing our cultivation and recruitment strategies
• Creating relationships with organizations and their constituents throughout Memphis
• Coordinate all candidate communications throughout the recruitment process
• Ensure that high-quality messages are delivered across the different channels of phone, e-mail, in-person, and mailings
• Manage the recruitment budget
• Generate innovative solutions to program challenges
• Assisting with day-to-day operations, including creating effective, high-quality large mailings
• Building and managing strong working relationships with district staff, and other stakeholders as needed
• Working with the client and Memphis Teacher Talent Initiative Senior Site Manager of Recruitment and Selection on additional projects as necessary

Compensation

The annual salary for this full-time position is $50,000 or commensurate with experience in a similar position. We also offer a motivated team of colleagues, a collegial atmosphere that values professional development, a comprehensive benefits plan effective on the first day of employment – including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, and a 403(b) plan with matching – as well as the opportunity to impact the direction of a growing, mission-driven company that is committed to the success of our nation’s children.

We are seeking candidates who believe deeply in our organization's mission, who thrive in an entrepreneurial and dynamic environment, and who demonstrate a record of achievement.

Successful candidates will also demonstrate:

• Outstanding interpersonal and teamwork skills
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• A commitment to producing consistently high quality, detailed work
• The ability to learn quickly, work in a fast paced environment and multi-task effectively
• The ability to identify challenges and actively work to find solutions
• Public-speaking abilities, including the ability to inspire others
• The ability to work effectively with others at all levels of an organization and to consistently display a high level of professionalism in all interactions
• Excellent event planning, organizational and time-management skills
• Extraordinary attention to detail
• Flexibility
• The ability to work well independently while collaborating with others on meeting common goals
• Knowledge of the Memphis school system (strongly preferred)
• Experience working with underperforming schools (preferred)
• Previous experience in recruitment or marketing is a plus
• Excellent skills working with computers, including a strong working knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite
• A willingness to work non-standard hours and/or occasional weekends

Please submit your tailored cover letter and resume online at http://tbe.taleo.net/NA5/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=THENEWTEACHERPROJECT&cws=1&rid=430

We review applications on a rolling basis – so it is to your advantage to apply as soon as possible. We will not consider applications without a cover letter tailored to this position, which can be addressed to the Human Capital Team. The New Teacher Project is committed to fostering and capitalizing on the diversity of our organization. We are an equal opportunity employer and seek individuals of all ethnic and racial backgrounds to apply to this position. If you would like to learn more about our mission, please visit our web site at www.tntp.org.