[Hiring] Project-Based Learning Instructional Designer & Coach @Transcend

Role Description

We are seeking an Instructional & Systems Design Coach with deep experience in project-based learning across K-12 school settings. This person translates vision into clear, operational classroom practice, designing learning that builds student agency while maintaining strong routines, systems, and structures. This role has three foci:

• Curriculum design
• Instructional and systems coaching
• Facilitation of adult learning (a community of schools that you may be working with)

The ideal candidate is methodical, detail-oriented, and a consistent communicator who can support teachers in delivering high-quality, scaffolded PBL experiences that work in real classrooms.

Key Responsibilities – At the Demonstration Site

• Design & Curriculum
  • Design rigorous, agency-building PBL units, modules, and lessons aligned to standards and organizational frameworks.
  • Create scaffolds, routines, protocols, and templates that support gradual release and predictable, orderly classrooms.
  • Integrate research-based practices (productive struggle, discourse, formative feedback) into daily instruction.
  • Produce exemplars, rubrics, and playbooks that make instructional intent and operational steps clear.
• Codification & Systems
  • Codify teacher moves, classroom systems, and workflows that reliably promote student agency and independence.
  • Document instructional models in user-friendly guides and frameworks.
  • Synthesize classroom observations and data into actionable next steps for teachers.
• Teacher Support
  • Coach teachers in building structures that enable student ownership and responsible release of responsibility.
  • Facilitate planning cycles, workshops, and modeling sessions that blend design, routines practice, and problem-solving.
  • Partner with school leaders on pacing, implementation plans, and coherent schoolwide systems.

Key Responsibilities - For Adopting Sites (Coordinating Schools Who Are Implementing the Model)

• Recruitment & Outreach
  • Recruit partner schools and educators interested in adopting LEAD/RevX practices.
  • Manage social media posts, outreach materials, and communications that generate interest and inquiries.
  • Coordinate initial conversations, needs assessments, and onboarding processes.
• Visits, PD & Implementation Support
  • Plan, schedule, and lead site visits, walkthroughs, and observation days at LEAD.
  • Design and facilitate PD sessions, virtual workshops, and follow-up coaching for adopting sites.
  • Ensure partners receive resources, materials, playbooks, and aligned curriculum in a timely manner.
• Ongoing Partner Management
  • Maintain consistent communication with each site about progress, needs, and next steps.
  • Monitor implementation through walkthroughs, check-ins, and review of artifacts.
  • Provide clear feedback loops and coordinate additional support when sites need deeper coaching or resources.
  • Track progress, document successes and challenges, and communicate updates internally.
• Stakeholder Engagement
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with a diverse set of external partners including school leaders, superintendents, policymakers, community organizations, and education networks.
  • Represent the project in meetings, site visits, and public-facing conversations with stakeholders across the New York City education ecosystem.
  • Communicate progress, insights, and key updates to partners in ways that build alignment, trust, and continued investment.
• Cohort & Fellowship Facilitation
  • Design and facilitate recurring cohort sessions for partner schools participating in the fellowship or implementation experience.
  • Lead interactive learning experiences that include walkthroughs, collaborative problem-solving, reflection protocols, and peer learning.
  • Ensure cohort participants remain engaged, informed, and connected throughout the experience.
• Ecosystem Relationship Management
  • Identify opportunities to deepen partnerships with districts, networks, and community stakeholders.
  • Coordinate closely with internal team members to ensure partners receive consistent messaging, resources, and support.
  • Capture insights from stakeholders to inform improvements to the model and strengthen implementation across sites.
• Cross-Functional Coordination
  • Work closely with internal teams (design, coaching, leadership) to ensure adopting sites receive coherent, high-quality support.
  • Gather feedback from adopting sites to inform refinements to curriculum, systems, and playbooks.
  • Support organizational scaling efforts through storytelling, data collection, and partner-facing communication.

Qualifications

• 3–7+ years PBL design or implementation experience in elementary/middle grades.
• Preference for strong science and math expertise and leadership experience.
• Proven ability to design for others: materials, routines, scaffolds, and systems.
• Strong skill in codifying classroom practice into clear, replicable models.
• Experience recruiting, coordinating, or supporting partner schools or programs.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Highly organized, methodical, and consistent follow-through.
• Experience leading PD, coaching teachers, and facilitating groups.
• Commitment to equitable, real-world learning that builds student agency and independence.

What Makes You a Strong Fit

• You believe routines and systems create the foundation for student freedom.
• You are detail-driven and methodical, and you also value creativity and inquiry.
• You naturally help teachers shift from control to facilitation.
• You communicate clearly, reliably, and proactively.
• You thrive in turning big ideas into concrete classroom practice.
• You can navigate complexity, ambiguity, and diverse partner needs with calm and clarity.

Application Process

• Step 1: Submit your resume plus two work samples: one professional development artifact and one curriculum or project design.
• Step 2: Participate in an interview that includes analysis and critique of instructional materials.
• Step 3: Visit the school site and engage in a live walkthrough, including opportunities to provide feedback and model for teachers.