Director of Professional Learning

ABOUT COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS  

Communities In Schools of Tennessee (CISTN) is a nonprofit that partners with K-12 public schools to surround students with a community of support empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. As part of the CIS national network, CISTN achieves this mission by placing program managers in schools across the state to provide school-wide interventions and case managed services for students in need. With a budget of $13M, in academic year 2026-27 we will support 98 employees in 74 schools and serve nearly 35,000 students and families across Tennessee.  

To best support the students, families, schools, community partners, and our staff members involved in this work, CISTN staff and board members center all decisions, actions, and services on the following core values:  

1. Integrity – We openly share how our work is done, and we hold ourselves accountable to the commitments we make.  
2. Empathy – We intentionally build relationships so we can learn about people’s stories, validate their experiences, and deepen our understanding of situations different from our own.  
3. Equal Opportunity – We identify and work towards removing barriers, so everyone has the opportunity to achieve. 
4. Authenticity – We create space for the people we work with, and for, to be their truthful, complete selves without judgement.  
5. Collaboration – We bring people together to plan and take action in our work, understanding we make lasting change in partnership with one another.  

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES  

The Director of Professional Learning leads the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of Communities In Schools of Tennessee's (CISTN) statewide professional learning strategy for program staff. This role creates coherence and continuity across professional learning and development initiatives, balancing statewide priorities with differentiated regional and local needs. The Director of Professional Learning strategically partners with the Vice Presidents of Programs and Program Directors to develop systems, resources, and learning experiences that strengthen program staff preparedness, effectiveness, program quality, leadership capacity, and fidelity of implementation of the Communities In Schools model across Tennessee. This role also partners with the Director of People Operations to ensure complimentary and aligned practices that support high performance. This role is responsible for: 

Professional Learning Strategy & Design 

• Develop and implement a comprehensive statewide professional learning strategy for program staff, including Program Directors, Program Managers, and other direct-service team members.
• Establish and maintain a multi-year professional learning framework aligned with organizational priorities, program quality standards, and staff development needs.
• Create and maintain a coherent scope and sequence of core program-related training content to support consistent implementation of the Communities In Schools model across all regions.
• Ensure an effective balance between statewide training priorities and differentiated regional and local learning needs by partnering with VPs of Programs and Program Directors to deeply understand regional and local contexts.
• Collaboratively develop annual professional learning plans and calendars with program leadership.  

Resources & Content Development 

• Develop relationships with external organizations, networks, and subject matter experts to identify emerging research, practices, resources, and learning opportunities relevant to program implementation and needs of students and families in consultation with the Chief Program Officer.
• Maintain awareness of CIS national training and development resources, leveraging available tools and adapting strategies and resources to CISTN’s local contexts.
• Develop and manage partnerships with external trainers, consultants, and subject matter experts, overseeing selection, contracting, logistics, scheduling, and evaluation to deliver high-quality professional learning opportunities.
• Ensure external content aligns with organizational priorities, program standards, and staff development goals.
• Design, curate, and maintain training materials, facilitator guides, toolkits, learning resources, and implementation supports, leveraging existing internal and external high-quality resources when and where possible. 
• Manage programmatic professional learning resources, training documentation, and learning platforms as applicable. 

Learning Delivery & Capacity Building 

• Develop systems and processes that enable Program Directors and other leaders to effectively plan, track, and facilitate monthly professional learning sessions within their regions.
• Coordinate and facilitate regional and statewide professional learning sessions, workshops, and communities of practice.
• Deliver training directly when appropriate and support others in delivering high-quality learning experiences, modeling effective adult learning practices and foster engaging, inclusive learning environments. 
• Build organizational capacity for effective adult learning and facilitation practices among program leaders. 
• Provide consultation, coaching, facilitation support, and implementation guidance to Program Directors responsible for facilitating professional learning. 
• Convene Program Directors and other leaders to gather feedback, share best practices, and ensure alignment of learning initiatives. 

Leadership Development & Career Pathways 

• Support onboarding through development and implementation of role-specific learning pathways for new program staff.
• Identify or create learning experiences and resources that strengthen program-specific leadership competencies, in collaboration with the Director of People Operations.
• Develop leadership readiness and transition supports that enable new program leaders to successfully assume their responsibilities and effectively lead teams. 
• Partner with organizational leaders and the Director of People Operations to develop leadership pipelines and career pathways for individual contributors and supervisors.
• Partner with program leaders to identify skill gaps and recommend targeted learning and development strategies. 

Strategic Partnership & Organizational Learning 

• Partner with the Chief Program Officer, VPs of Programs, and Program Directors to identify training priorities, implementation challenges, emerging needs, and opportunities for staff development.
• Strategically partner with the Director of People Operations to ensure alignment and integration of professional learning with individual development planning, back-up and succession planning, and performance management.
• Collaborate with the Data Director to highlight areas of excellence, elevating and implementing best practice sharing in professional learning contexts, as well as identify areas for continuous improvement and informing training and development efforts.
• Advise the Chief Program Officer on programmatic professional learning for the Vice Presidents of Programs and other senior leaders. 

Program Quality & Continuous Improvement 

• Ensure professional learning initiatives support organizational goals, program quality goals and expectations, and continuous improvement.
• Assess training effectiveness through participant feedback, implementation data, performance indicators, and other measures of impact with support from the Director of Data and Director of People Operations. 
• Partner with program leadership to identify connections between professional learning investments, program outcomes, and student outcomes. 

Candidates residing within CISTN’s service area (all TN counties except Memphis/Shelby, Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington Counties) may be considered without requiring relocation to Nashville. Occasional statewide travel is required. The COO and the Director of People Operations will work together to determine arrangements for both in-person and remote work, considering the season of work and organizational needs. 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

The statements contained herein describe the scope of the responsibility and essential functions of this position but should not be considered to be an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned including work in other areas to cover absences or relief to equalize peak work periods or otherwise balance the workload.  Other duties may be assigned by the COO. 

CORE COMPETENCIES    

The core competencies for the Training & Development Director include, but are not limited to:   

• Program Development & Implementation: Designs, implements, and evaluates programs that align with organizational goals and meet the needs of participants. Effectively integrates best practices, stakeholder feedback, and data-driven insights to enhance program effectiveness. Ensures seamless execution through strategic planning, resource coordination, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Relationship Building: Develops and maintains positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Utilizes effective communication strategies to engage stakeholders and advance the organization's mission. 
• Research, Measurement & Analysis:Utilizes evidence and best practices to measure progress towards strategic priorities. Makes data-driven decisions and continuously improves data collection and analysis strategies.
• Communication Skills: Clearly and concisely communicates technical information and data results to various audiences. Tailors communication strategies to different stakeholders and ensures messages are clear, consistent, and culturally responsive.
• Cultural Competence:Demonstrates a clear understanding of racial and other forms of discrimination, including but not limited to historical discrimination, that may impact students and families and applies that understanding to work in schools and across the organization.  
   

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE  

• Bachelor's degree in education, organizational development, human resources, social work, public administration, or a related field. Master's degree preferred. 
• 7-10 years of progressively responsible experience in training, professional learning, workforce development, organizational development, leadership development, program quality, education, youth development, or a related field.
• Work experience can be substituted for those without formal education, requiring 6+ years of direct experience. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY  
We value your lived experience and those that have lived or live in the communities that we serve. Should you not meet all of the listed qualifications but feel that this position is the perfect one for you, please apply! You could be what we are looking for and we would not want to miss the chance to meet you!   

CISTN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS 

Salary range for this position is $65,815-$83,771 

Benefits include:    

• Employee medical, dental, vision, short-and-long-term disability insurance premiums are 100% employer-paid, with some dependent health plans including an employer contribution.
• Paid parental leave.  
• 15 paid vacation days, 10 sick days, 4 floating holidays, 10 other paid holidays, and an extended winter break. 
• 401(k) match up to 2%.     
• Cell phone stipend.
• Individual professional development budget and up to $1,500/year educational expense reimbursement. 
  
  

HOW TO APPLY  

Interested applicants may apply by submitting a resume and cover letter via https://www.cistn.org/careers. Applications will be accepted starting June 19, through July 1, 2026. 

A criminal background check is required for any candidates who are offered a position with CISTN and will be administered after an offer of employment is made. Criminal background histories will not automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on the position, criminal history, time, etc.