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Digital Promise

Director Strategy and Program Design

🇺🇸 Remote - US

🕑 Full-Time

💰 $116K - $159K

💻 Product Development

🗓️ July 14th, 2025

K-12 Salesforce

Edtech.com's Summary

Digital Promise Global is hiring a Director of Strategy and Program Design. This role leads the development and execution of strategic initiatives to integrate educational technology and AI in K-12 classrooms, ensuring alignment with organizational goals. The Director manages cross-functional collaboration, innovation processes, and capacity building to drive impactful, equity-centered learning programs.

Highlights
  • Lead strategic planning, program design, and alignment for Powerful Learning initiatives focused on EdTech and AI integration
  • Manage cross-functional teams and committees to promote continuous improvement and innovation
  • Develop theory of change models, strategic frameworks, and implementation roadmaps
  • Collaborate with internal teams and external partners including executives, advisors, and research units
  • Oversee project management tasks, prioritize competing initiatives, and ensure timely delivery
  • Leverage software tools such as Asana, Microsoft & Google suites, Salesforce, Qualtrics, and Slack
  • Require at least 7 years of relevant experience with strong knowledge of instructional design and educational technology
  • Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred, with equivalent experience considered
  • Experience in K-12 public education systems or EdTech strongly preferred
  • Compensation ranges from $115,690 to $159,073 depending on geographic location and experience, plus comprehensive benefits including health insurance coverage, paid time off, and retirement contributions

Director Strategy and Program Design Full Description

Director Strategy and Program Design

About Digital Promise Global

Digital Promise is a global nonprofit working to expand opportunity for each learner. We work with educators, researchers, technology leaders, and communities to design, investigate, and scale up innovations that empower learners, especially those who have been historically and systematically excluded.

Our efforts are multifaceted and grounded in the real-world challenges facing learners and educators—from working to expand K-12 students’ access to high-speed internet, to providing adult learners with opportunities to earn micro-credentials that further their careers and secure their well-being.

About the Position
The Powerful Learning team ensures all learners have consistent and sustained experiences of powerful learning, thus empowering them to thrive in an increasingly complex and technological world. Our work involves engaging in research that contributes to the field of learning sciences; designing solutions that define, model, and provide examples of evidence-based insights that support the implementation of powerful learning; engaging strategic partners and communities to co-design and advance powerful learning solutions; and mentoring leaders within the education ecosystem. Our team, alongside our broader organization, is well-positioned to respond to the emergent needs of the field.

The Powerful Learning Director of Strategy and Program Design leads the creation, refinement and alignment of strategic initiatives and programming to accelerate the effective integration of education technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in K–12 classrooms and beyond. This is a unique opportunity for a strategic problem-solver and strong project manager to work in close collaboration with the Senior Director, Strategy and Innovation, this individual ensures the team's efforts are aligned with the organization’s broader vision, values, and goals. The Director will analyze market trends, identify strategic opportunities, and lead cross-functional initiatives to drive innovation, inform decision-making, and strengthen program design. This role also leads the team-wide Ad Hoc Innovation Committee, convening cross-functional staff to surface, test, and scale ideas that drive continuous improvement and bold, equity-centered innovation.

Responsibilities
  • Lead Powerful Learning Strategy and Program Design, responsible for developing, communicating, and executing a direction and vision aligned to Impact Goals 
  • Ensure organizational health and cultivate a positive and inclusive workplace culture and employee experience
  • Ensure all team members have the knowledge, skills, and attributes needed to fulfill their day-to-day responsibilities; ensure all team members understand their critical role in the overall organization
  • Provide direction and support to team members specific to the issues and opportunities that come from their responsibilities; intervene as needed to course-correct
  • Support Deputy Director and Chief Deputy to hire and develop team personnel, as needed
  • Oversee and delegate appropriately across team to scale solutions

Strategic Planning and Alignment
  • Develop and implement a comprehensive strategic plan for Powerful Learning programs, ensuring alignment with the organization's vision, values, and long-term goals
  • Identify, assess, and translate market trends and emerging opportunities into actionable strategies
  • Translate high-level organizational priorities into actionable program strategies and work plans
  • Develop theory of change models and implementation roadmaps for new and existing initiatives
  • Guide the development and use of strategic frameworks and processes to define, analyze, and solve complex challenges in program design and implementation
  • Support internal teams to adopt and execute aligned strategies through clear guidance, templates, and planning tools
  • Deliver evidence-based recommendations to senior leadership to inform high-stakes decision-making
  • Foster strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including executives, advisors, and partners

Program Design & Innovation
  • Lead the development and iteration of program models that integrate emerging technology and EdTech into classroom practice
  • Collaborate with content, research, and tech teams to align program strategy with learning science and field needs
  • Support the creation and management of high-quality, innovative program proposals and strategic business cases

Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Serve as a bridge between program, research, implementation, and product teams to ensure strategic alignment
  • Facilitate working groups and design sessions that promote shared ownership of strategy across teams
  • Partner with the Financial Strategy team to ensure that program design aligns with available funding and contract structures
  • Partner with research and analytics teams to test, validate, and refine strategies using data and insights from the field
  • Convene and lead the team-wide Ad Hoc Innovation Committee to surface, test, and promote promising ideas across teams
  • Lead and manage the Advisory Council to ensure feedback and insights directly inform strategic direction and program design

Capacity Building & Knowledge Management
  • Develop and manage toolkits, templates, and guidance documents that support effective program design and delivery
  • Coach internal teams on strategy development, design thinking, and learning-centered planning
  • Lead internal retrospectives and learning reviews to ensure continuous improvement and knowledge sharing

Culture
  • Contribute positively to the culture of the team, department, and organization

Project Management
  • Manage multiple competing priorities and rapidly adapt and respond to district and school requests and timeline changes
  • Demonstrate excellent project management skills with an emphasis on attention to detail, timelines, and quality of work
  • Lead projects and the development of SOPs as needed
  • Engage in Digital Promise projects that promote and advance digital equity and contribute meaningfully to achieving the organization’s impact goals
  • Keep key stakeholders in the loop of key action steps needed to drive the work forward
  • Influence and motivate others, building connections, anticipating barriers and inspiring action across various contexts to ensure work objectives are met
  • Stay abreast of project milestones, weekly project updates, risks and issues

Impact Goals
  • Monitor, track, and report progress on relevant goals, for self and direct reports

Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Education
  • Bachelor’s degree in education, business, public policy, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred
  • Equivalent experience will be considered.

Overall
  • Minimum 7+ years of relevant work experience in education, strategy or innovation in a mission-driven setting 
  • Strong understanding of instructional design, digital learning or educational technology tools
  • Proven experience translating big ideas into clear, actionable strategies and work plans
  • Knowledge of design thinking, logic models, and continuous improvement frameworks 
  • Uses data to shape decisions, solve complex problems, and move initiatives forward. Balances high-level strategic thinking with hands-on execution, and consistently drives results independently and proactively. 
  • Ability to multiple priorities and workstreams efficiently and effectively in a fast paced, high energy environment. Comfortable influencing without authority, holding stakeholders accountable, and keeping teams aligned on critical deliverables and timelines.
  • Knowledge of functions, features, limitations, and practical applications of the technologies available to support student learning experience and program management (i.e., Asana, Microsoft & Google suites, Salesforce, Qualtrics, etc.)
  • Experience working in or with K–12 public education systems or education technology is strongly preferred
  • Strong strategic thinking and analytical skills; ability to synthesize complex data and ideas into actionable insights
  • Experience analyzing market and sector trends to inform organizational growth and positioning
  • Experience designing and facilitating innovation processes (e.g., design thinking, lean startup, human-centered design)
  • Demonstrated ability to lead cross-organizational committees, working groups, or task forces
  • Comfort with ambiguity and a solutions-oriented mindset

Analytical and Data Skills
  • Ability to research, analyze, and provide a solution to newly identified issues
  • Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to be flexible to project situations

Relationship Management
  • Experienced and demonstrated knowledge of internal and external partner management
  • Highly collaborative, organized, and execution-oriented with strong presentation skills

Communication
  • Crafts high-quality communications across formats (written, verbal, visual). Tailors messages to a range of audiences and synthesizes complex ideas clearly to support decision-making and alignment.
  • Experience with communication and customer relationship systems such as Slack, Salesforce, and Asana
  • Skill in applying principles of active listening, such as focusing on what someone is saying, deferring judgment, and responding appropriately

Lifelong Learning
  • Skill in acquiring new knowledge through professional development activities for one's self, such as participating in coaching, attending professional conferences, self-directed reading, and monitoring industry trends
  • Skill in developing, maintaining, and leveraging networks across a range of people and groups inside and outside the organization, such as influential people and learning and performance experts

At Digital Promise, we also seek candidates with: 
  • An interest in redesigning learning systems
  • Experience collaborating with cross-functional team members to ensure information is shared, projects are completed on time, and goals are reached
  • Stellar organizational skills and attention to detail
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage completing tasks, deadlines, requirement, and decisions
  • A team mentality, with a creative and positive, "can-do" spirit

Working Conditions

Digital Promise Global is a hybrid organization. The position is primarily working in a remote environment. Employees are expected to travel at least 4 times a year for in-person meetings and the annual staff retreat. Additional travel may be required based on role and responsibilities.

Physical/Sensory Demands: Fast-paced working environment. Extensive computer usage and online engagement & communication. Must be willing to build inclusive relationships and collaborate with employees at all levels within the organization and external partners.

Special Provisions: Occasional work outside normal business hours, such as weekends and evenings required. 

Compensation
We consider candidate experience and location when determining where a candidate may fall within that range. Digital Promise Global offers a competitive total rewards package including coverage of 85% of health insurance premiums for employee coverage and 75% of health insurance premiums for dependent and family coverage, 15 vacation days, 12 sick days, 3% 401k employer contribution, 3% employer 401k match, and a flexible work environment.

The full-time salary range for the position is based on geographical regions, with exact salary depending on relevant experience.

California: $141,398-$159,073
DC Metro Area & NYC: $128,544-$144,612
National: $115,690-$130,151

To Apply
Please apply and submit your resume, cover letter, and salary requirements. Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials as soon as possible. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis until the search is successful.

Digital Promise is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex/gender, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status.