Director, Program Development

Position Summary:

The Director of Program Development will lead efforts to expand KnowledgeWorks’ national Lead for Learners network, strengthening leadership development and peer support for educators who are shaping the future of learning. In this role, you will translate insights from the field into professional learning programs and tools that empower educators to build the skills and systems needed for lasting education transformation so every learner can thrive.

This role blends human-centered facilitation, program development, project management and relationship building to create impactful professional learning experiences and instructional materials. You will lead collaborative design processes, working closely with educators and cross-functional teams to ensure solutions are practical, sustainable and responsive to real-world needs. The person in this role must have a demonstrated commitment to education equity and a deep understanding of personalized, competency-based learning or other aligned student-centered approaches.

This position exercises discretion and independent judgement with respect to matters of significance.

As part of the larger KnowledgeWorks team, this position will actively participate in our ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion work. We are reflecting and improving our internal culture. Engaging in this work is an essential part of each team member’s personal professional development, external capability building and contribution to the culture and work of KnowledgeWorks.

Core Responsibilities:

Collaborative program development

• With input from educators, partners and internal teams, design and develop new and expanded Network offerings aligned with the Lead for Learners vision and practitioner needs.
• Cultivate a collaborative design process that values peer learning and fosters shared ownership of solutions.
• Manage recruitment, onboarding and ongoing engagement of Lead for Learners network working groups to ensure diverse perspectives, sustained collaboration and responsive design.
• Gather insights through design workshops, interviews, surveys and feedback loops to understand educator needs and market trends.
• Translate insights from the field and core KnowledgeWorks resources into engaging and accessible tools and experiences for diverse educator audiences and mediums (i.e. facilitation guides, reflection tools, events, videos, etc.)
• Apply best practices in instructional design, personalized professional learning and competency-based learning approaches.
• Prototype and test solutions to validate concepts and refine offerings based on real-world feedback.
• Leverage data insights, user research and learning science to identify gaps and recommend program enhancements for better learner outcomes.

Program management

• Develop and maintain program development and implementation plans, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and educator impact.
• Leverage agile project management and continuous improvement practices to manage the development and ongoing refinement of professional learning programs.
• Lead and manage projects, tasks and collaborators to ensure that projects are delivered on time.
• Support annual planning and budgeting for the Lead for Learners network program

Online community content and engagement

• Contribute to the Lead for Learners online community and virtual event programs as discussed.
• Translate systems change and leadership development insights from network members into engaging digital content for the Lead for Learners online community, leadforlearners.org and knowledgeworks.org.

Education and Experience

• 5-7 years of experience in professional learning, instructional leadership, instructional design, product design or content development within K-12 education or edtech.
• At least two years of experience facilitating collaborative design cycles, ideally leveraging human-centered design thinking approaches
• Knowledge and skills at a level normally acquired through the completion of a bachelor’s degree in education, design, psychology, communications or equivalent work experience

Within Your First 30 Days You Will:

• Gain a full understanding of KnowledgeWorks’ mission, programs, financials and strategic priorities.
• Build relationships with internal teams (leadership, program staff) and key external stakeholders (current clients and funders, potential funders and partners).
• Support annual planning processes
• Develop relationships with network steering committee and working group members
• Begin to gather insights on educator needs and market trends

Within Your First Six Months You Will:

• Contribute to online community discussions and resources
• Refine collaborative design and insight gathering processes
• Facilitate design workshops, empathy interviews and feedback loops
• Prototype and test potential new leadership development and peer-to-peer learning programs and tools
• Lead recruitment of network working groups for the 2026-27 school year
• Manage new program and tool development projects

What KnowledgeWorks Can Offer You:

• Flexible Schedule
• Cell Phone Stipend
• 401K Match Program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Matching Gifts Program

If you don’t meet every single requirement listed, we encourage you to apply anyway. Studies have shown that candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences are less likely to apply to postings where they don’t meet every qualification exactly as written. KnowledgeWorks is committed to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace that fuels our innovation.

KnowledgeWorks prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibits discrimination against all individuals based on their age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.