Design and Coaching Specialist, ELA

What We Do

At Leading Educators (LE), we know that excellent teaching is the most important driver of student success. The moment a student steps foot in the classroom, their opportunity to learn depends on how prepared their teacher is to translate complex content knowledge, standards, and their knowledge of that student into lessons that help them learn deeply and apply their thinking to the real world.

That’s a big lift, and it often happens alone. As a national nonprofit, we partner with school systems to overcome persistent instructional challenges, foster intentional collaboration and adult learning by design, and ignite new possibilities through systemic solutions at the intersection of teaching, talent, and technology.

We work shoulder-to-shoulder with educators at every level of the education system to strengthen their instructional and leadership practices, bring a vision for excellent instruction to life with consistency, and ensure every student reaches their full potential.

Through direct support, strategic advising, innovation pilots, and best-in-class research, we help educators work toward a future where every student is ready to thrive. Learn more about our work at leadingeducators.org.

Internal & External Candidate Application Deadline: April 7, 2026

Position

Leading Educators is seeking a Design and Coaching Specialist - ELA to drive measurable improvements in K-8 literacy instruction across New York City schools. In this dual-focused role, you'll combine school-based coaching with instructional design to ensure our programming translates directly into stronger teacher practice and student outcomes.

You'll serve as the main point of contact for school leaders, coaches, teacher leaders, and instructional leadership teams—acting as the project's expert in instructional coaching, adult learning, and classroom assessment. You'll provide direct coaching to teachers and leaders while designing professional learning tools and resources tailored to each school's unique context and needs. Rather than treating design and coaching as separate functions, you'll integrate them seamlessly—using classroom observations, student work, and leadership data to inform both your coaching conversations and your professional learning designs. Your work will strengthen Professional Learning Communities, build distributed leadership, and create the conditions for sustainable instructional improvement at the school level.

Reporting to the Director of Implementation, Design, and Coaching, you'll work in close partnership to ensure that school-level implementation aligns with district priorities while remaining grounded in the realities of classroom practice. This is a role where your expertise, relationships, and commitment to excellence directly shape how students experience literacy instruction.

Do you have expertise in…

• Providing high-impact coaching to teachers, teacher leaders, and school leaders focused on lesson internalization, student work analysis, goal-setting, and reflective improvement cycles?
• Designing and facilitating professional learning aligned to curriculum, standards, and observable instructional practice—adapting resources based on school context and district priorities?
• Analyzing student work, classroom observation data, and instructional artifacts to inform both coaching decisions and professional learning design?
• Building trusting relationships with school leaders and instructional teams while maintaining instructional credibility and reliability?

Do you enjoy…

• Conducting classroom observations and co-observations to assess instruction and provide actionable, growth-oriented feedback grounded in literacy best practices?
• Facilitating learning walks, grade team meetings, and Professional Learning Communities that strengthen instructional leadership capacity in ELA?
• Integrating design and coaching to create coherent cycles of learning that deepen teacher knowledge and shift literacy practice?
• Analyzing ongoing evidence of student learning, teacher practice, and PLC leader development to monitor and refine program impact?

If you've answered affirmatively to these questions and meet the following prerequisites, we urge you to seize this opportunity. This role calls for the following:

• 7+ years of professional experience in education, including experience teaching, leading instructional practice, or supporting curriculum implementation
• K-8 literacy content expertise required (comfort with elementary and middle school standards and research-based best practices), including familiarity with core and intervention curricula such as HMH Into Reading, HMH Into Literature, Wit & Wisdom, EL Education, Fishtank, SPIRE, SPIRE Sound Sensible, Phonics for Reading, and REWARDS
• Demonstrated experience providing coaching to teachers, teacher leaders, or school leaders
• Experience designing and facilitating professional learning aligned to curriculum, standards, and observable instructional practice
• Experience analyzing student work, classroom observation data, and instructional artifacts to inform coaching and professional learning decisions
• Ability to manage school-based relationships with professionalism, reliability, and instructional credibility
• Practitioner-level AI fluency: ability to identify appropriate use cases, apply AI to improve efficiency and quality, exercise judgment about responsible use, and integrate AI into existing workflows
• Ability to travel; based in New York City
• Authorization to work for any employer in the United States

Travel Requirements

• This position is based in New York City. The role includes local travel to schools and district meetings, as well as occasional national travel for organizational retreats, program related work, job related responsibilities, and professional development.
• Outside of the above mentioned travel, this person will work from a home office that must be located within the city limits of New York City, New York.

Questions? We’re here to help.

If you have questions about this role or about our hiring process at any point, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]. This inbox is monitored regularly, and we aim to respond within two business days. To ensure your question receives a thoughtful and timely response, we kindly ask that you refrain from emailing individual staff members or members of our HR team directly. The best way to connect with us is always through [email protected].

Why Work at Leading Educators? 

Imagine being part of an organization where your ideas and perspectives are highly valued. At Leading Educators, we believe in fostering individual strengths, encouraging personal growth, and embracing innovative ideas. If you thrive in a remote working environment, with the added excitement of travel, we're the perfect fit for you. By joining us, you become part of a powerful community of peers nationwide. Regardless of your location, you possess the power to make a significant impact on both students and teachers who rely on us daily. Join Leading Educators and become an integral part of driving progress in education. 

Learn About Our Mission & Values:

Mission: Leading Educators partners with school systems to sustain the teaching, leadership, and conditions for every student to succeed in school and in life.

Values:

• Build on strengths: We affirm and begin with the unique and collective talents, experiences, and wisdom of ourselves and others.
• Continuously learn: We develop ourselves and others. We apply new learning and deepened self-awareness to our relationships and practices.
• Prioritize people: We build trust and reflect on the impact of different perspectives and experiences.
• Champion success for all: We re-imagine structures, habits, and mindsets to ensure every learner has access to evidence-based learning opportunities.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Hiring

• We use artificial intelligence–enabled tools throughout our hiring process, from the moment a candidate applies through the offer stage, to support administrative tasks and the initial review of candidate materials. These tools help us organize, analyze, and surface relevant information efficiently, but they do not make hiring decisions.

• All candidate materials—including applications, resumes, assessments, and interview feedback—are reviewed and evaluated by people. All hiring decisions, including interview selection, advancement, and offers of employment, are made by humans.

• We use AI solely as a support tool to assist with early-stage reviews and process efficiency. We do not use AI in ways that discriminate based on protected characteristics, nor do we use ZIP codes or similar data to target or exclude protected groups. Our hiring practices are designed to be fair, consistent, and aligned with equal employment opportunity standards.

Benefits

• Compensation: 
  • If hired for this position, the base salary range is $100,320 to $127,680 per year. Most new hires enter the range at a specific point based on their qualifications and the role level. For this position, the standard starting salary is $114,000, which is based on meeting the minimum requirement of 7 years of relevant experience.
  • If you have more than 7 years of directly relevant experience, your starting salary may be adjusted higher within the range, up to a maximum starting salary of $119,863. This approach ensures that candidates with additional experience beyond the minimum are recognized in the initial salary offer.
  • The role is location specific: New York City.The range below  reflects a 15.9%  geographic adjustment, resulting in a salary range of approximately $115,368 to $146,832, with an entry point of $131,100 and a maximum entry salary of $137,842

• Benefits: 
  • 100% paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for individual employees.
  •  Additional premium costs are covered 60% by Leading Educators for partners and dependents on medical, dental, and vision plans.
  • 4% matching 401k plan, Flexible Spending Accounts for medical, childcare and commuter expenses, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Benefits are valued at or above $9,000 for employees.
• Time Off: 
  • First three years of employment, full time staff accrue 22 days a year. 
  • Five additional days are accrued after the third and sixth year of employment.
  • Leading Educators also offer 16 additional paid days off for various holidays, including three floating holidays staff may use at their discretion.

Equal Opportunity Employment 

Leading Educators is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

Apply: https://leadingeducators.org/careers/opportunities

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