Senior Director of Implementation

The Senior Director will lead SparkNC’s program implementation in close partnership with the EVP and other senior leaders.

Core responsibilities include:

• Building and sustaining trusted, strategic relationships with superintendents, district leaders, principals, and other key partners, so that SparkNC operates as a true partner rather than simply a program provider;

• Ensuring that district and school leaders understand SparkNC’s model and the conditions needed for successful implementation, and maintaining regular communication about progress, challenges, and emerging needs;

• Partnering with the Senior Director of Leadership & Innovation during the onboarding of new partner districts and schools, assuming primary responsibility once they reach implementation readiness, and leading renewal and expansion conversations with existing partners;

• Developing systematic approaches for assessing partnership health and implementation success, identifying barriers early, and working with partners and colleagues to address them;

• Leading SparkNC’s support for SparkLab Leaders’ ongoing growth in practice, building on the innovator’s mindset developed through SparkNC’s signature professional learning;

• Supervising designated members of the SparkNC team: setting ambitious but realistic goals, clarifying roles and expectations, monitoring progress, coaching team members and holding them accountable for results, and fostering a culture of initiative, collaboration, and continuous improvement;

• Leading project management across SparkNC’s partner network, including calendars, timelines, commitments, and coordination across functions;

• Identifying patterns across the network, distinguishing isolated problems from systemic ones, and coordinating appropriate responses from the team;

• Using data, partner feedback, and field insight to strengthen SparkNC’s implementation model, in partnership with SparkNC’s external evaluator;

• Partnering with the EVP and President to assess prospective districts and develop strategies for responsible growth; and,

• Representing SparkNC with district and school leaders and in statewide and regional education settings.

The Senior Director will partner with other SparkNC team leaders to help district and school leaders leverage their partnership with SparkNC as a catalyst for broader education transformation, encouraging innovative, learner-centered approaches that reach beyond the SparkLab into their schools and systems.

To lead SparkNC’s implementation work, the Senior Director will need to demonstrate several qualities: strong and consistent attention to detail; an ability to develop team members while holding them accountable for meeting individual and team goals; a tactful and measured approach to working with partners in education, philanthropy, government, and industry; an understanding of complex education systems and strategies for productively intervening within them; and the agility to navigate ambiguity and constant change with grace and optimism.

The successful candidate must believe in the power of transformational classroom, school, and district leadership to realize the promise of innovative strategies to shape a more effective, equitable, and learner-centered future of education.