Associate Commissioner Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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.

Position Overview: The Department of Curriculum and Instruction is developing high-quality instructional materials by creating Open Education Resources (OER, also known as Bluebonnet Learning) across core subject areas, PK-12 that will be open to the public, easily accessible and support effective teaching and learning.  The OER initiative is a strategic priority of the Commissioner of Education focused on improving the foundation of reading and math for students across Texas.

The Deputy Associate Commissioner, Open Education Resources (OER) is responsible for overseeing the end-to-end process of developing new, Texas-specific high-quality instructional materials. This includes procuring, reviewing, editing and launching Bluebonnet Learning resources comprised of full grade-level sets of materials (e.g., scope and sequence, unit plans, daily lesson plans, etc).

The Deputy Associate Commissioner, OER is also responsible for ensuring each product is viable in the Texas market by ensuring significant stakeholder engagement is incorporated in the development process. The Deputy Associate Commissioner must also ensure materials meet the quality bar of all existing review processes, including review by the State Board of Education through the Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) process.

The Deputy Associate Commissioner, OER supports the communication of the state vision for high-quality open education resources for classrooms, schools, and districts, while also building relationships with a variety of internal and external stakeholders to impact and influence project partnership and the adoption and utilization of Bluebonnet Learning resources. This candidate must demonstrate exceptional ability to manage a large and rapidly growing internal team, agency vendors, cross-department projects and multiple priorities. This candidate has likely served in a school or district role managing the design and implementation of curriculum and assessment and/or has curriculum experience working with textbook providers or related vendors, as well as a strong understanding of project management, procurement, and the Texas political landscape.

This position reports to the Associate Commissioner of Curriculum and Instruction.

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. Team Management: Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing service-oriented team dedicated to supporting the development of viable high-quality products. This includes development of strong vendor relationships and contract structures that support clear expectations for TEA partners. Set division vision and strategy and lead the team in development of research-based products designed to improve outcome goals. Ensure team tracks performance and regularly improves program delivery based on data and user needs.
2. Product Development Vision and Strategy: Oversee a cohesive vision and strategy to support the development of high-quality instructional materials, licensed as Open Education Resources (OER, also known as Bluebonnet Learning), in alignment with district needs and the Texas Education Code. Communicate the state vision for a high-quality open education resources to key Texas stakeholders including the State Board of Education (SBOE), Education Service Centers (ESCs), school systems, and educators.
3. Product Development Process: Define and lead the development process for all materials. This includes the procurement of materials,  development of products in alignment with Texas standards,  in-depth review and editing of products to ensure product viability, and monitoring of large-scale contracts and expenditures.  Developed materials must meet the quality bar of all existing review processes, including review by the State Board of Education. Ensure developed materials are easily accessible in the state-developed Bluebonnet Learning Portal, an online platform that supports easy access for school systems.
4. Product Stakeholder Engagement: Oversee the development and execution of in-depth stakeholder engagement plans to ensure Texas educator feedback is incorporated in the development process. Ensure teams are engaging with a variety of different stakeholders, including but not limited to the SBOE, ESCs, school systems, content experts and Texas educators, and gathering high volumes of input to assess product viability in the Texas market. Collaborate across teams to ensure design and execution of classroom pilots to ensure feedback includes real-time feedback from leaders, coaches, teachers and students. 
5. Initiative Integration Alignment: Collaborate with leaders across other TEA offices, departments, and divisions to ensure that districts are provided coherent services and supports as it relates to aligning and integrating related agency initiatives.  This includes supporting the alignment with the Leadership and Instructional Foundations for Texas (LIFT) program as well as other closely related initiatives. Collaborate across teams to ensure OER products can be effectively accessed and used across these initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications
Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university
Experience: At least eight (8) years of experience in leading complex, cross-functional initiatives in one or more of the following areas: curriculum and instructional materials design, publishing, large-scale program or product management, or education-focused operations.

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 
Experience in district or state education role with demonstrated impact on instructional systems, curriculum design, curriculum implementation, and/or educator supports preferred
Relentless focus on improving quantitative and qualitative student outcomes
Understanding of the Texas Education Code and Texas Administrative Code, particularly with respect to curriculum requirements, who can understand and communicate intent of state law and rule and work within statutory authority
Demonstrated track-record of system level outcomes, with an understanding of the processes and challenges of school systems and educational service centers 
Excellent written and verbal communication, specifically as it relates to clearly communicating initiative goals and outcomes to a variety of stakeholders
Exceptional personnel management skills, including demonstrated skill in vision-setting and coaching
Experience authentically engaging stakeholders and leveraging feedback for continuous improvement
Data-driven decision maker with the ability to structure ambiguity into actionable, value-added plans
Ability to handle multiple, shifting, and competing priorities, and drive team towards results with a track record of performance and successful implementation across multiple concurrent projects
Consistently exercise excellent judgement, integrity, and commitment to personal responsibility and accountability
Understanding of curriculum and assessment design and/or advanced skill in writing and/or reviewing curriculum
Ability to build relationships and communicate clearly, concisely, respectfully, and inclusively with contractors, ESC staff, Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff, and external stakeholders
 

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.

To learn more about working at TEA, including hiring timelines, process details, and candidate resources, please visit the Employment at TEA page.

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.