Director, Strategic Staffing and Operations (Director II)

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 11, 2025 at 11:59pm. 

Position Overview: The Director, Strategic Staffing and Operations, will play a critical role implementing statewide priorities related to improving teacher preparation and re-envisioning school staffing and scheduling models. 

This director will oversee Texas Strategic Staffing including oversight of strategic planning, policy development, cross-agency collaborations and alignment, and operational implementation of associated workstreams. The director will engage in overseeing short- and long-term change management efforts, the development of strong relationships and ongoing collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, and overall external-facing communication. 

This position will be responsible for operational and project management oversight for the Preparing and Retaining Educators through Partnership (PREP) Program Allotment. This program, established by legislature and signed into law in June 2025 seeks to improve the recruitment, preparation, and mentorship of teachers across the state of Texas. 

The director will oversee a team of three individuals responsible for the project management, communications, rulemaking, and operations related to PREP Program Allotment, ensuring effective implementation of this policy aimed at improving teacher recruitment, preparation, and mentorship. 
Critical to success in this role is the ability to translate high-level visions into concrete and actionable work plans, effective oversight of the execution of complex work plans with dependencies across teams and divisions, design of new workstreams through pilots, and comfort with lateral influence and managing up. Prior experience with strategic staffing models or Texas Instructional Leadership is preferred but not required. 

This position will report to the Division Director of Talent Pathways and will manage the Director, Strategic Staffing Models and the PREP Project Manager. This position will oversee a unit of seven individuals once all have been hired.  

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

Please note that a resume 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. Comprehensive Strategic Staffing (“Pipeline to Leadership”) Service Development: Oversee the development of a comprehensive strategic staffing technical assistance (“Pipeline to Leadership”) through the intentional creation and implementation of pilot grants. Direct the development of pilot research design to inform the planning a development of the service, long-term. Develop and implement a strategic plan for this service model through aligned vision-setting across key agency initiatives including the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), Leadership and Instructional Foundations for Texas (LIFT), and Preparing and Retaining Educators through Partnership (PREP) Program Allotment. Translate high-level visions into concrete and actionable work plans with input from senior leaders, peers, and other external stakeholders. 
2. Strategic Staffing for Residency Implementation: Oversee the implementation of Strategic Staffing for Residency Grants. Direct the development of budgets and timelines related to grant implementation accounting for the scaling of Comprehensive Strategic Staffing. Ensure alignment on grant budget and design with needs indicated PREP Residency Preservice Program initiative leads and other relevant stakeholders. Direct the performance management and stakeholder engagement for this work stream.  
3. PREP Project Management Oversight: Oversee the project management, communications, rulemaking processes, grant processes, contracts, and general operations related to the PREP Program Allotment. Direct the management of cross-division work plans and implement performance management practices to ensure effective PREP project management. 
4. Team Management and Supervision: Manage and support the team across workstreams and through management layers to establish and implement a vision for continuous improvement. 

• Minimum Qualifications
• • Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university
• • Experience: At least six (6) years of experience in education, including overseeing education programs at the district or state level. Two (2) years supervising direct reports required.
• 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 
• • Prior experience with strategic staffing models preferred 
• • Prior experience with Texas Instructional Leadership, Strong Foundations Planning and Implementation, or PREP Program Allotment-related initiatives preferred 
• • Management of supervisors preferred 
• • Meticulous attention to detail with an ability to copyedit work products and produce high quality work in a dynamic environment
• • Ability to manage up to leadership while also influencing peers where no direct management lines exist
• • Diligent in setting measurable goals, long-term project planning, tracking progress, and prioritizing work
• • Analytical with the ability to identify problems, evaluate alternatives, and implement effective solutions
• • Communicates complex ideas clearly, using practical and accessible language, excellent written and oral communication skills
• •Self-starter, with ability to learn quickly and adjust based on external feedback and self-learning

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. 

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