Organization

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, the Bureau of Indian Education, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. CCSSO seeks member consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.

Summary

The Program Director of CCSSO’s COVID Relief Data Project will oversee a new grant-funded project on how state education agencies are using federal COVID-19 emergency relief funds to better support students, educators, and school systems. Through this project, the Program Director will create processes and protocols for identifying how SEAs are using COVID relief state set-aside funds and find ways to elevate best practices and share positive examples with CCSSO members as well as broader audiences.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Create and execute a comprehensive strategy to internally track and report how states are spending COVID relief funds so CCSSO can identify promising practices and share exemplars with CCSSO members and key stakeholders.
• Set up processes and protocols for CCSSO to work with its members to collect and track the use of COVID relief state set-aside funding efficiently and effectively, without creating an undue burden to states.
• Establish and apply criteria for identifying promising practices among the data set and examples.
• Supervise one team member and collaborate with other CCSSO staff to create a series of membership-facing supports that share best practices across states and drive effective decision-making. This will include close collaboration with CCSSO’s federal relations, communications, and member services teams, among others.
• Supervise one team member to develop a series of external communications and outreach strategies that share promising practices and exemplar use of funds in consumable, compelling, and actionable ways among key audiences, in coordination with CCSSO’s federal relations and communications teams.
• Establish working relationships with key stakeholder organizations to collect and share information on the use of funds at the state and local levels.

• Supervise one team member to support the successful execution of the project over the next two years. Oversee regular feedback and performance reviews.
• Work collaboratively with internal CCSSO teams to achieve the goals of the project, including but not limited to, the federal relations and policy team, communications team, member services team, and appropriate programmatic teams.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s degree plus a minimum of seven to ten (7-10) years’ work experience. Master’s degree preferred.
• Must have experience working with state budgets, state education agency finance, and/or a state education agency.
• At least three (3) years in a supervisory role. Experience managing or supervising in a remote environment preferred.
• Experience in planning projects with large data sets and making decisions for data-driven analytics.
• Demonstrated communication skills, including the ability to clearly communicate ideas.
• Proven leadership skills.

Technical Skills

To perform this job successfully, an individual should be able to use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and have created or used charts, spreadsheets, and databases. Successful incumbents are proficient at using Zoom, Outlook, and Intranet/Internet tools.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Teleworking is allowed. Essential job duties may include occasional visits to the DC office; therefore, the individual holding this position must be available, as needed, to travel to the DC metropolitan area.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

This position is grant funded for two years through September 30, 2023.