Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Transcend is a national nonprofit focused on redesigning schools to prepare students for the future. They are seeking a Design Journey Content Lead to develop and maintain expertise in later-stage school design work, creating tools and resources to support Design Partners in implementing effective educational models.
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain deep expertise: Deeply understand Transcend's foundational schemas and how they connect to Later Stage work. Know what strong Later Stage work looks like at both a conceptual and practical level, and stay current on how others in the field approach implementation and school transformation
- Stay rooted in the work on the ground: Maintain active touchpoints with projects where Later Stage work is happening. Learn what is being used, what is being adapted, and what is being built at the project level. Use that learning to continuously inform and strengthen our centralized guidance and tools, while resisting the pull toward over-prescription or guidance that is too removed from the complexity of use on the ground
- Coordinate with other Design Journey Content Leads: Tend to the connections between Later Stage work and earlier stages of the design journey. Ensure that learning is happening robustly across stage areas without overwhelming projects with too many touchpoints
- Own the Later Stage product roadmap: Hold a clear view of what exists, what needs to be built or refined, and what to prioritize. Maintain a clear, organized hub of all tools and guidance that Design Partners need to lead Later Stage work effectively
- Build and refine guidance and tools: Lead the development of tools and resources that cover the full scope of Later Stage work, building out what remains and strengthening what exists. Build in a way that is clear, accessible, and designed for people who will adapt and apply the guidance in their own contexts
- Ensure coherence across the library: Build in a way that is aligned with Transcend's broader foundations, our wider collection of journey guidance and tools, and our team's specs. What you build should feel like a coherent extension of what already exists, not a standalone product or set of ideas
- Be a thought partner to the people doing the work: Provide launch support and ongoing touchpoints for Managing Partners, Project Leads, and Design Partners leading Later Stage projects, staying close to how the work is actually unfolding in communities
- Contribute to structured capacity building: Play an active role in how Later Stage work is represented in onboarding and other centralized learning experiences, in collaboration with Portfolio leadership and the School Design Learning & Development team
- Keep guidance accessible and organized: In collaboration with the broader Journey Supports Team, ensure that Later Stage tools and resources are clearly organized, easy to navigate, and genuinely useful to the people who need them, not just comprehensive on paper
- Lead project teams: Serve as project lead for one or more build projects in a given quarter. Set clear direction and manage execution across a small team of JST teammates and other collaborators. Ensure that work is coherent and aligned with our centralized supports and broader org vision
- Facilitate decision-making across stakeholders: Bring together Portfolio and Program leadership and other senior leaders to make clear, aligned decisions about Later Stage guidance and tools. Navigate complex dynamics, hold your ground when it matters, and drive decisions to resolution even when perspectives diverge
- Contribute to the team: Be an active, collaborative member of the Journey Supports Team. Build and maintain strong relationships with strategic collaborators across the org, including Portfolio teams, the Usable Knowledge team, and the School Design Learning & Development team
Skills
- Deep commitment to Transcend's mission of transforming education and a passion for designing learning experiences where all students thrive
- Curiosity, care, and a drive to make meaningful change — living into Transcend's values through how you work, connect, and lead
- School or system-level leadership experience and a background in K-12 teaching; you understand from the inside what it takes to lead change in a school community and bring that grounding to everything you build
- Expert-level knowledge of implementation, continuous improvement, and sustained change management, grounded in multiple years of direct experience supporting schools or communities through this type of work
- Steeped in implementation science and are comfortable drawing on that research to inform guidance
- Builder's instinct: you can synthesize complex, sprawling ideas into clear, accessible, and actionable tools and guidance, developing and refining your work through multiple rounds of feedback
- Experience designing and facilitating learning experiences that build others' capacity to understand and apply complex guidance, with skill at meeting people where they are while holding a high bar for what strong work looks like
- Skilled facilitator and decision-maker: you hold a clear point of view, you know how to navigate complex dynamics between senior leaders with differing perspectives, and you drive decisions to resolution even when the path is contested
- Strong project management skills: you scope work clearly, coordinate contributors, set clear direction, and drive toward completion even in ambiguous conditions
- Skill at navigating the tensions between program work and field work because you've been on both sides of that line
- Coachable and growth-oriented, actively seeking feedback early and often and letting it shape your thinking and your work
- Proficient with Google Suite (required)
- Experience at an organization that supports schools to implement innovative models is strongly preferred
- Notion (strongly preferred); familiarity with AI tools and a drive to keep learning as they evolve (required)
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage options
- Org-wide holidays
- Paid time off
- Paid parental leave
- Professional development opportunities
- Fully remote work
Company Overview