Lead, District Engagement (Education Specialist V)

MISSION: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will improve outcomes for all public-school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems. 

Core Values:  
• We are Determined: We are committed and intentional in the pursuit of our main purpose, to improve outcomes for students.  
• We are People-Centered: We strive to attract, develop, and retain the most committed talent, representing the diversity of Texas, each contributing to our common vision for students. 
• We are Learners: We seek evidence, reflect on success and failure, and try new approaches in the pursuit of excellence for our students. 
• We are Servant Leaders: Above all else, we are public servants working to improve opportunities for students and provide support to those who serve them. 

New hires, re-hires, and internal hires will typically receive a starting salary between the posted minimum and the average pay of employees in their same classification. Offers will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience and qualifications and will thoughtfully consider internal pay equity for agency staff who perform similar duties and have similar qualifications. The top half of the posted salary range is generally reserved for candidates who exceed the requirements and qualifications for the role. The maximum salary range is reserved for candidates that far exceed the required and preferred qualifications for the role.

This is a 10-day posting, which will close on September 2, 2025 at 11:59pm.

Position Overview: LIFT (Leadership and Instructional Foundations for Texas) is a three-year program designed to support Texas school systems in building the instructional and systems-level capacity needed to deliver high-quality learning experiences for all students. LIFT brings together the highest leverage components of Strong Foundations, Texas Instructional Leadership, and Texas Lesson Study, providing comprehensive support for districts to adopt HQIM and implement Bluebonnet Learning over multiple years.

The Lead, District Engagement will support the Director of District Engagement in designing a suite of tools and supports for cabinet level district stakeholders to plan for and execute community engagement and board engagement in preparation for participation in the Leadership and Instructional Foundations for Texas (LIFT) program, as well as supporting cabinet level district stakeholders who may be called upon to share their experience with Bluebonnet implementation in venues such as the Commissioner’s monthly superintendent calls or other marketing collateral.  This role will also serve as the main point of contact to train and calibrate teammates who will lead field visits to school systems who are engaged in the LIFT program. The district engagement lead role will interface with internal stakeholders throughout the Learning Acceleration Support Opportunities (LASO) and program support process, including leveraging touchpoints with districts to ensure program supports are meeting needs and acting as liaison if districts experience challenges. 

The district support team conveys feedback from engaged Local Education Agencies (LEAs) back to the broader team to drive strategic shifts to overall program strategy. This portion of the team also manages an aligned field visit strategy within the division and with other teams conducting related visits (e.g., School Improvement). Insights gathered from this team through engagement with the field will drive the broader team’s understanding of the district experience and inform continuous improvement. In addition, this team manages and executes approved provider performance management and will produce an annual report sharing out a rating that is the culmination of fidelity of implementation data, district satisfaction data, and student outcomes data. 

Flexible work location within the state of Texas may be considered for qualified candidates.  

Please note that a resume, tailored cover letter, and short answer responses are required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.  

Essential Functions
Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.

1. District Stakeholder Liaison: In partnership with Director of District Engagement & Operations and broader team leadership, map out in detail the supports that will be necessary for cabinet level district stakeholders to understand, communicate, and invest district stakeholders in the 3-year district experience for the LIFT program. In addition to influencing district leadership directly, act as liaison to prepare ESC leadership to understand, communicate, and invest district leaders in their regions in the LIFT program through regular presentations to the Commissioner’s Cabinet of Education Service Center Executive Directors.  Routinely collect feedback on the district experience with available tools and supports and annually facilitate teamwide strategic updates to the toolkit in time for cyclical LASO planning. 
2. LASO Grant Plan and Process Facilitation: In partnership with team leadership, annually facilitate internal and cross-office decision-making (including engaging partners in School Improvement, School Action Fund, Integrated District Supports) on key aspects of Curriculum & Instruction LASO grants, including program components, assurances, selection/interview process, district prioritization criteria, scoring approach, and operational/financial components (e.g., number of grantees, dollar amount per grantee, cap on grant amount, etc.). Leveraging project management, financial analysis/tracking, and operations support from the Project Management team, facilitate end-to-end process from preparation to grant disbursements. 
3. District Communications: Collaboratively develop, manage, and execute centralized district communications plan and scope and sequence, including all LASO communications (e.g., LASO webinar), and respond to incoming requests from district senior leadership such as Chiefs of Academics, Superintendents, and Associate Superintendents in collaboration with other relevant teams (Open Education Resources (OER), Bluebonnet, School Improvement (SI). 
4. District Engagement and Support: Conduct proactive structured check-ins and field inbound calls with district leaders to build relationships, gauge effectiveness of approved provider support, and troubleshoot rising issues resourcefully (e.g., direct call to AP, flags for Coaching team, connection to field service/engagement team, etc.). Leverage fidelity of implementation data to structure tailored conversations and follow-up.  Demonstrate comfortability exerting influence on district leadership to lead through barriers to increase fidelity of implementation. 
5. Approved Provider Performance Management: Collaborate with Continuous Improvement and Coaching team to annually rate Approved Providers leveraging fidelity of implementation data, district satisfaction, and district outcomes data. Lead the     development of a Texas specific Professional Learning Program Guide to support district selection of approved providers.

Minimum Qualifications
• Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university
• Experience: At least five (5) years of experience in managing the strategy and implementation of large programs 
• Substitutions: An advanced degree may substitute for two years of required experience

Other Qualifications
• Share the belief that all Texas students can achieve at high levels and are able to succeed in college, career, or the military 
• Advanced project and vendor management skills, including planning, coordination, progress monitoring, issue resolution, and change management 
• Ability to prioritize work, operate effectively with minimal supervision, take appropriate initiative, and exercise independent judgment 
• Superior verbal and written communication skills to diverse audiences, including senior district and TEA leaders and design and delivery of effective presentations and other public-facing documents 
• Ability to communicate a complex message in a simplified way verbally, in writing, and by using slide decks in both virtual and live environments 
• A desire to self-reflect, give/receive feedback and continuously improve 
• Willingness to fill a need, solve a problem, anticipates risks, and demonstrate initiative with minimal oversight that strategically advances efforts 
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect, organize, analyze, and disseminate significant amounts of information to various audiences for a variety of purposes 
• Prior experience using data analysis software and communication tools including Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Access and/or Tableau to effectively synthesize, analyze and communicate vast amounts of data and documents effectively 

As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age or veteran status, unless an applicant is entitled to the military employment preference. 

To review the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces to each job classification series in the State’s Position Classification Plan (provided by the State Auditor's Office), please access the Military Crosswalk (occupational specialty code) Guide and click on the military “occupational category” that corresponds with the state classification in this job posting title. 

This position requires the applicant to meet Agency standards and criteria which may include passing a pre-employment criminal background check, prior to being offered employment by the Agency.  

No phone calls or emails, please. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not accept telephone calls and cannot reply to all email inquiries. Only candidates selected for interview will be contacted. Please add "capps.recruiting@cpa.texas.gov" and "@tea.texas.gov" to your safe senders list to ensure you receive email notifications from our talent acquisition team and/or hiring division regarding your candidacy.