Job Title: Coordinator, Certification
FLSA Status: Exempt
Pay Grade: 106
Work Days: 226
Reports To: Director of Leadership and Support
Primary Purpose
The Certification Coordinator provides leadership and operational oversight for multiple educator preparation, certification, and teacher pipeline programs serving teacher and school leadership candidates. This position coordinates the effective implementation, compliance, quality assurance, and continuous improvement of the Education Preparation Program (EPP), including programs for teacher candidates and non-teacher candidates pursuing principal and superintendent certification, as well as Texas Strategic Staffing and PALT residency pathways implemented in partnership with select school systems.
The Certification Coordinator serves as a key organizational resource for Texas certification requirements, State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) rules, Texas Administrative Code (TAC), candidate progression, certification processes, program documentation, and district partnerships. The position works collaboratively with ESC staff, school districts, universities, community partners, program staff, candidates, and state agencies to ensure candidates receive timely, accurate, and high-quality support toward certification and successful entry into the education profession.
This position requires a strong combination of Texas educator certification expertise, program management, regulatory compliance, candidate services, data management, partnership development, and systems-level leadership.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Education/Certification
- Masters in Education (required)
- Valid Texas Teacher Certificate (required)
- Valid Principal Certificate (required)
- Degree in Educational Leadership, Human Resources, or a related field preferred.
- Texas Superintendent Certificate (preferred)
Special Knowledge/Skills
- Team-oriented attitude and desire to work collaboratively with ESC staff campus/district/charter school personnel
- Effective skills in leadership, administration, organization, planning, communication, and public relations
- Knowledge of SBEC rules and standards
- Knowledge of adult learning theory
- Global perspective of educational issues
- Strong program and project management skills
- Knowledge of successful practices and current trends in educational leadership
- Administrative and supervisory skills, including but not limited to personnel, budget, and programs.
- In-depth knowledge of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, the state assessment and accountability system, and state & national initiatives and standards
- Sound understanding of effective lesson design, delivery, and assessment.
- In-depth knowledge of the Texas educator certification system, including SBEC rules, Texas Administrative Code (TAC), certification requirements, and applicable TEA requirements.
- Strong understanding of Educator Preparation Program (EPP) standards, requirements, accountability, and compliance expectations.
- Knowledge of requirements related to candidate admission, eligibility, preparation, clinical teaching/residency, internship, observation, assessment, certification recommendation, completion, and program exit.
- Knowledge of Texas certification pathways for teachers, principals, and superintendents.
- Ability to interpret state rules, regulations, standards, and guidance and translate them into operational procedures and staff practices.
- Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple programs, deadlines, priorities, and stakeholder groups simultaneously.
- Strong data analysis and monitoring skills, including the ability to identify trends, gaps, risks, and opportunities for program improvement.
- Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and customer-service skills.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- Ability to communicate complex certification and compliance requirements clearly to candidates, staff, district partners, and leadership.
- Strong relationship-building and partnership-development skills.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound professional judgment.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and technology systems used for candidate management, certification tracking, data reporting, and program administration.
Experience
- Documented three years of successful teaching experience
- Administrative experience (e.g., principal, director, supervisor, etc.) at the campus level or central office
- Demonstrated experience with Texas educator certification and/or educator preparation programs required.
- Experience working with SBEC, TEA, TAC requirements, or related Texas educator certification systems strongly preferred.
- Experience managing or coordinating multiple programs, initiatives, or grants.
- Experience working directly with school districts or other educational organizations.
- Experience with teacher recruitment, alternative certification, residency programs, or educator pipelines preferred.
- Experience developing and maintaining partnerships with school districts and external organizations preferred.
- Leadership or supervisory experience preferred.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- This job description is not intended, and should not be construed, to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. They are intended to be accurate reflections of those principal job elements essential for making fair hiring and pay decisions.
This position may be partially or completely funded using grant and/or federal monies and is assigned programs to include activities designed to enhance the effective and coordinated use of funds.
- Improve internal operations to align with the organization and department's strategic goals
- Work collaboratively with the Director and other ESC staff to implement local, state, and federal programs and initiatives to assist Local Education Agencies (LEAs) improve student outcomes through leadership development
- Supervise and facilitate consultants' active participation in collaborative teams to help meet the Commissioner's priorities and meet ESC's metrics
- Support the Director in aligning allotted resources to accomplish organizational and departmental goals
- Supervise and evaluate the implementation of essential duties and responsibilities of department consultants and staff
- Build, maintain, and monitor program plans and budgets based on needs assessments and state mandate requirements
- Supervise, guide, and evaluate the efforts of consultants and teams to develop, implement, monitor, and refine program plans and budgets based on needs assessments, state requirements, and client inputs
- Collaborate with outside educational/non-educational organizations to develop, facilitate, and/or implement t services and partnerships based on client inputs
- Develop, deliver, and/or facilitate training sessions identified through needs assessments and client request
- Coordinate contracts, memoranda of understanding, partnership agreements, and program deliverables as assigned.
- Establish proactive communication systems that help candidates understand expectations and remain on track toward certification.
- Address candidate concerns professionally and escalate complex or high-risk issues when appropriate.
- Coordinate multiple concurrent programs while maintaining clear priorities, deadlines, and accountability structures.
- Develop clear candidate communications, handbooks, forms, procedures, and resources.
- Monitor staff to ensure proper maintenance and accuracy of records.
- Attend work daily in order to meet the goals and objectives of the ESC
- Perform other duties as assigned
EPP and Certification Program Leadership
- Coordinate the day-to-day implementation and continuous improvement of the ESC''s Educator Preparation Program serving teacher and non-teacher candidates.
- Provide operational oversight for certification pathways for teacher candidates and candidates pursuing principal and superintendent certification.
- Ensure program policies, procedures, candidate services, documentation, and operations align with current SBEC, TEA, TAC, and EPP requirements.
- Monitor candidate progression from admission through program completion and certification recommendation.
- Ensure required candidate milestones, observations, assessments, clinical experiences, internships/residencies, and documentation are completed within established timelines.
- Coordinate processes related to candidate admission, enrollment, transfer, probation, remediation, completion, withdrawal, dismissal, and certification recommendation.
- Maintain systems to monitor candidate status and proactively identify candidates who are inactive, at risk, or approaching critical certification deadlines.
- Support the development and implementation of candidate communication, intervention, and support processes.
- Establish processes to ensure candidate records and program documentation are complete, accurate, secure, and audit-ready.
- Coordinate certification-related processes and serve as a knowledgeable resource for candidates and staff regarding Texas certification requirements.
- Monitor changes in state requirements and communicate implications and required operational changes to appropriate staff and leadership.
Compliance and Quality Assurance
- Monitor EPP operations for compliance with applicable Texas statutes, TAC rules, SBEC requirements, TEA guidance, and organizational policies.
- Develop and maintain compliance calendars, monitoring systems, documentation protocols, and quality assurance processes.
- Conduct regular reviews of candidate files, program records, observations, assessments, and required documentation.
- Identify compliance risks and develop corrective actions, improvement plans, and monitoring processes as needed.
- Prepare documentation and coordinate staff preparation for EPP monitoring, accreditation, audits, reviews, and reporting requirements.
- Support the development, implementation, and monitoring of continuous improvement plans based on program data, candidate outcomes, stakeholder feedback, and compliance findings.
- Maintain current knowledge of legislative and regulatory changes affecting educator preparation and certification.
Texas Strategic Staffing and Residency Pathways
- Provide coordination and operational oversight for Texas Strategic Staffing initiatives and residency pathways implemented in partnership with select school systems.
- Coordinate program requirements, timelines, candidate eligibility, district commitments, and deliverables for residency and strategic staffing initiatives.
- Identify opportunities to strengthen recruitment, retention, completion, and employment outcomes.
PALT and Leadership Residency Pathways
- Coordinate PALT-related activities and residency pathways supporting aspiring school leaders.
- Monitor candidate progress and intervene when candidates are not meeting program expectations or timelines.
- Maintain accurate records and documentation necessary to support certification and program completion.
Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with participating school systems, higher education institutions, community organizations, state agencies, and other partners.
- Collaborate with ESC departments and subject matter experts to strengthen educator preparation and residency pathways.
- Represent the ESC at meetings, conferences, professional learning events, and state-level convenings related to educator preparation and certification.
- Facilitate communication among internal and external stakeholders to ensure program requirements and responsibilities are clearly understood.
- Identify opportunities to expand and strengthen educator pipelines in response to district workforce needs.
Supervisory Duties
Certification Officer; Certification Specialists and Field
Supervisors; PALT Lead; Texas Strategic Staffing Fellow
Equipment/Specialized Software Used
Computers, projection devices, control panels in meeting rooms, printers, productivity software, software specific to the job assignment, network resources, internet resources, and other hardware and software necessary to perform the functions of the job effectively and efficiently.
Working Conditions (Mental Demands/Physical Demands/Environmental Factors)
Mental: Public relations and people skills are always required, work with frequent interruptions, and maintain professional composure and confidentiality under stress.
Physical: Occasional prolonged and irregular hours, ability to move tables and chairs and load/unload boxes and materials. Prolonged use of a computer. Frequent region and state-wide travel.
Environmental: Open cubicles/workstations.
Evaluation
Annual performance evaluation will be performed in accordance with the adopted policies of the Education Service Center Region 11. Employment in this position is contingent upon performance, need, and funding.
Revision Date: September 2026