Senior Director, CT Talent & School Support

OUR PURPOSE & IMPACT

The Mind Trust is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating an educational system that ensures every student has access to high-quality education, no exceptions. We achieve this by fostering a supportive environment through policy advocacy, community engagement, empowering talented educators to establish new schools, and supporting existing schools and educators.

OUR APPROACH TO TALENT & GROWTH

Building on that foundation, The Mind Trust Connecticut (TMT-CT) launched in 2024 with a mandate to accelerate the development of excellent new schools across Connecticut while strengthening the capacity of the state's existing charter sector. TMT-CT operates across four programmatic pillars: new school incubation, sector ecosystem development, school quality, and talent pipelines.

TMT-CT has been awarded a five-year federal Charter Schools Program State Entity grant to implement the Connecticut Opportunity Charter Schools Program (CSP-CT). Over five years, CSP-CT will award 31 subgrants to launch 14 new charter schools and replicate or expand 17 more, creating thousands of new high-quality seats in Connecticut's highest-need communities, alongside more than $4.8 million in technical assistance for the state's charter sector. Through this initiative, TMT-CT will invest in the launch, replication, and expansion of high-quality public charter schools while building the technical assistance and sector infrastructure necessary to support schools, leaders, families, and Connecticut's charter authorizer.

WHO WE ARE & HOW WE WORK

At The Mind Trust, we operate in a dynamic, results-driven culture that prioritizes collaboration and flexibility. We are a nonprofit that invests in public education to transform lives and increase academic achievement in Indianapolis, across Indiana, and beyond. In Connecticut, The Mind Trust operates with a small, fast-moving team that values autonomy, high standards, and the ability to build as we go. Everything we do aims to create a positive impact on student learning because we believe all students, regardless of background or income, deserve an education that helps them meet their full potential in life.

OUR APPROACH TO TALENT & GROWTH

We believe in fostering a high-capacity team that aligns with our mission and values to drive transformational educational outcomes. Our culture encourages team members to bring their authentic selves to work, fostering a sense of belonging and care for one another. Empowered and self-driven, our leaders operate with autonomy and commitment to continuous learning and growth. We invest in professional development, promoting innovation and curiosity as we strive for excellence in our mission.

YOUR IMPACT

The Senior Director, Talent & School Support leads TMT-CT's CSP-funded work to develop the leaders of Connecticut's replicating and expanding charter schools and to strengthen the schools they run. The role leads the CSP-funded leadership development program for operators pursuing replication or expansion, coordinates school support for new and growing charter schools, and manages the technical assistance partnerships that underpin both. It is one of two positions funded wholly through TMT-CT's Charter Schools Program grant, and the person in it is responsible for turning federal investment into stronger leaders, stronger schools, and a stronger charter sector. Working closely with the CSP Project Director (TMT-CT's Executive Director), the VP/Head of Connecticut Programs, the CSP Grant Administrator, participating schools, the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), and external partners, the Senior Director ensures that support is responsive, high-quality, and directly connected to what schools and leaders need.

The role manages a significant portfolio of contracted technical assistance — school academic and operational support, leadership development for operators pursuing replication or expansion, family access, sector data infrastructure, and authorizer capacity — and owns several of CSP-CT's most visible statewide deliverables: the public Connecticut Charter Sector Dashboard, the Annual State of Connecticut's Charter Sector Report, the CSP-funded leadership development program that anchors the role's talent portfolio, and TMT-CT's technical assistance partnership with Connecticut's charter authorizer.

This is a build role. Much of the program infrastructure does not yet exist, and the right person will find that energizing rather than daunting.

HOW YOU WILL SUCCEED

• Design and lead TMT-CT's five-year CSP technical assistance strategy, using School Health Assessment findings, monitoring results, school performance data, and community input to target support to new, expanding, and replicating charter schools, including intensified support for schools under enhanced monitoring.

• Launch and lead the CSP-funded Leadership Development Training program for leaders at charter schools pursuing replication or expansion — cohort sessions, individualized development, and a mentorship strand — in close coordination with the VP/Head of Connecticut Programs, who leads TMT-CT's Executive Leadership Cohort and broader talent pipeline.

• Coordinate school support technical assistance that strengthens academic, financial, and operational performance; codifies successful models into replication-ready playbooks; builds multi-year sustainability plans; and helps schools access federal programs and serve students with disabilities, English learners, and other educationally disadvantaged students.

• Recruit, procure, and manage the external partners delivering academic, financial, and operational School Support TA, Leadership Development TA, the Charter Sector Dashboard, and Family Access supports; and administer the Authorizer Capacity TA fund in partnership with CSDE.

• Write vendor/partner-facing RFPs and scopes of work, hold partners to deliverables and timelines, and coordinate contracts and payments with TMT-CT's finance and grant administration teams.

• Lead the launch and ongoing development of the public, multilingual Connecticut Charter Sector Dashboard, drawing on authoritative state data to serve families, policymakers, the authorizer, and TMT-CT's own monitoring and reporting.

• Lead production of the Annual State of Connecticut's Charter Sector Report with the Project Director and The Mind Trust's Communications team, including the annual review of Connecticut's authorizing environment against NACSA's Principles & Standards.

• Coordinate TMT-CT's technical assistance partnership with CSDE and the State Board of Education: identify areas where targeted support can strengthen authorizing, monitoring, renewal, and fiscal oversight; deliver information-sharing sessions and professional development; and track outcomes.

• Lead the Family Access technical assistance partnership — the statewide multilingual enrollment platform, family awareness campaign, and annual family survey — and co-lead annual multilingual community listening sessions with the VP/Head of Connecticut Programs and community partners.

• Support programmatic monitoring of subgrantees and participate in regular CSDE coordination meetings alongside the Project Director and VP/Head of Connecticut Programs, translating findings into targeted technical assistance; work closely with the CSP Grant Administrator while maintaining a clear line between technical assistance leadership and federal grant administration and fiscal compliance.

• Contribute technical assistance data and improvement priorities to annual federal reporting and program reviews; represent TMT-CT credibly with school leaders, state officials, partners, and funders; and perform additional duties as assigned.

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE ROLE

Essential Skills, Experience & Attributes

• Significant experience designing and leading technical assistance, consulting, professional learning, or school-support programs, with a track record of building programs from a standing start rather than administering established ones.

• Demonstrated ability to translate school or organizational needs into clear strategies, scopes of work, and measurable deliverables, and to manage external partners, consultants, and complex multi-vendor contracts.

• Deep understanding of K-12 school operations and the systems required to launch, sustain, grow, or replicate high-quality schools, with strong knowledge in at least one area such as school operations, finance, governance, leadership development, academic systems, or enrollment.

• Excellent project management skills and the ability to manage multiple complex initiatives, partners, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously.

• Strong financial acumen and comfort working with budgets, contracts, invoices, and grant-funded activities.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to earn the trust of school leaders and state officials while holding clear expectations and accountability.

• Strong analytical skills, including the use of quantitative and qualitative data to identify needs and improve programs.

• Ability to operate with significant autonomy, sound judgment, and attention to detail in a lean, fast-moving environment, and deep alignment with The Mind Trust's core values and beliefs.

Additional Strengths & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.

• Experience in a charter school, charter network/CMO, school support organization, education nonprofit, or state education agency strongly preferred.

• Familiarity with charter school authorizing and NACSA's Principles & Standards strongly preferred.

• Experience with federal grants, particularly the Charter Schools Program, and working knowledge of 2 CFR Part 200 preferred.

• Experience managing significant contracted-services budgets and/or leading leadership development programming for school or network leaders preferred.

WHAT WE OFFER

At The Mind Trust, we support and prioritize the wellbeing and development of our team members. As part of our commitment to our employees, we offer a wide range of robust benefits designed to support your health, wellbeing, and professional growth.

• Healthcare: Access comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with substantial premium support

• Retirement Savings: Secure your future with a 403(b) plan featuring generous employer matching

• Life and Disability Coverage: Gain peace of mind with life and disability benefits, ensuring financial security for you and your loved ones

• Professional Development: Engage in continuing education opportunities to foster growth and learning

• Generous Time Off: Prioritize work-life balance with a competitive PTO policy and paid holidays

• Family Support: Our family leave, adoption assistance, and childcare reimbursements are designed to ease the journey of welcoming new additions and managing family dynamics, ensuring you have the support you need to thrive both at home and in the workplace

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

This position is based in Connecticut and operates in a hybrid setting. The organization operates with flexibility and does not require daily in-person presence; the Senior Director should expect to be present with school partners, technical assistance providers, and state partners, and at program convenings regularly throughout the year, with occasional travel to Washington, DC. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions, which might include but are not limited to, remaining stationary for extended periods, occasional movement throughout the region, and occasional transport of objects weighing less than 25 pounds. This position requires the ability to communicate via any format that allows for the exchange of accurate information with others, including the use of virtual meeting technology.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Mind Trust is committed to equal employment principles and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local equal employment opportunity laws and regulations. The terms and conditions of the employment relationship with all worksite employees are to be nondiscriminatory – without regard to age, race, physical characteristics historically associated with race, color, national origin or immigration status, citizenship, work authorization status or the period of such a status, ancestry, sex, gender, reproductive health decision making, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religious creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, HIV testing status, status as a victim of a crime or violence, marital status, familial status, veteran status, military status, or any other protected category or class that may be applicable to a candidate or employee.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

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