Director of Professional Learning

Reading Recovery Council of North America | Worthington, Ohio

The Reading Recovery Council of North America, Inc. (RRCNA) is a non-profit professional association of more than 3,700 scholars, teachers, administrators and literacy coaches focused on helping young struggling readers learn to read and write. Reading Recovery is a school-based, short-term intervention focused on first graders with over 35-years of proven evidence that it helps struggling readers accelerate the growth of their literacy skills to grade-level. As the professional association of educators involved in facilitating this intervention across North America, RRCNA provides strong professional development and educational resources in K-8 literacy and early childhood education and is the voice of the Reading Recovery movement.

RRCNA is seeking applicants for a newly reconfigured position of Director of Professional Learning to lead their work in virtual and in-person professional development for our members. RRCNA provides a unique opportunity for professional staff:

To work at both strategic and operational levels in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.
In a setting that allows for a wide range of opportunities to advance your skills and experience beyond a narrowly focused role.
For a program that truly can change the lives of the students for which it serves.

The Director of Professional Learning will lead the council’s overall portfolio in professional learning experiences and resources. This position utilizes a project coordination and management perspective to ensure consistent communication, adherence to deadlines, facilitation of process and procedures, and delivery of high-quality educational experiences for our community.

In strong collaboration with a robust volunteer leader core, take leadership of the planning and implementation of the Council’s two primary events: LitCon, the largest conference in North America focused on K-8 literacy with 2,500 participants, and the Teacher Leader Institute and Site Coordinator Symposium, an institute for in-depth learning of 300 leaders in Reading Recovery.
- Facilitate the administrative aspects of meeting planning for the Council’s events, in collaboration with other professional staff leaders and volunteer leaders.
- Manage the timeline and execution of the event planning process in collaboration with other professional staff and outside consultants.
- Travel to and assist with on-site implementation of educational events in collaboration with other professional staff and consultants.
- Track and report historical and assessment data about educational programs.
Coordinate the expansion of professional learning opportunities through our eLearning Center and regular webinars, to enhance year-round educational opportunities.
- With the assistance of content experts, identify key priorities for content development in emerging issues in literacy education, building on the strengths of our existing resources.
- Enhance our current offerings through the eLearning Center with new content that can help drive revenue.
- Coordinate a regular webinar series, featuring key voices in Reading Recovery and early literacy learning.
Continually assess our key print resources (one pagers, books, resources) to ensure they meet the needs of our members.
- With a wealth of print resources, identify those that need a refresh for our resources to remain current and useful to our members.
- As new issues emerge, identify gaps in our resources and ways to fill those gaps.
- Work with content experts for content and the communications team for layout, design and distribution.
Contribute as a Senior Leader to the overall work of the association in serving our members, corporate partners and the Reading Recovery movement in North America.
- Develop and maintain accurate income and expense tracking and budgets for educational programs, including management of venue and vendor contracts.
- Facilitate the active involvement and collaboration of volunteer leaders in the design, development and implementation of educational events and resources, as well as provide leadership to volunteer leader committees across the Reading Recovery Community.
- Lead, facilitate or contribute to other emerging initiatives that meet the needs of our members.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in education, hospitality, project management or related field, or a combination of experience and education.
Five (5) or more years in association professional learning/development, hospitality and tourism management, event planning, convention service and/or project management.
Demonstrated ability to plan and execute events and conferences.

Preferred Qualifications:

Nine (9) or more years in association professional learning/development, hospitality and tourism management, event planning, convention service and/or project management.
Experience in professional associations and the non-profit context.
Understanding of broader literacy issues, early-childhood education and the PK-6/8 environment or ability to learn quickly about these issues.
Current Certified Meeting Manager (CMM) or Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) designation, or demonstrated work towards completing either designation.
Self-starter and team player that thinks strategically and creatively while also handling multiple logistical priorities and details.
Experience managing budgets and finances of complicated initiatives appropriate for a senior level position.
Confidence to effectively interact with volunteer leaders and stakeholders of varying organizational levels and types and diplomatically handle complex relationships often involving differing ideas and priorities.
Robust technological skills and willingness to explore new ways to use technology.
Some travel to council events and meetings required (10-20 percent).

Benefits:

We value our employees’ time and efforts. RRCNA works with Insperity, Inc. in a co-employment situation as a way to enhance the benefits offered to our professional staff that go beyond what a smaller association can typically provide. Our commitment to your success is enhanced by our competitive compensation and fringe benefits including health, vision, life, retirement contributions and strong paid time-off.

Plus, RRCNA is a tight-knit, non-profit association of six-professional staff members. We work to maintain the best possible environment for our employees, where people can learn and grow with the council. We strive to provide a collaborative environment where each person feels encouraged to contribute to our processes, decisions, planning and culture.

To apply: Check-out our webpages for more information about Reading Recovery and RRCNA, and LitCon: National K-8 Literacy and Reading Recovery Conference.

To respond to this opportunity, please go to: RRCNA Careers: Apply with Insperity

Insperity, Inc. will be facilitating our initial review of applications, and assisting us with background checks of the successful candidate.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. RRCNA strongly encourages applications from candidates from underrepresented populations.

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