A pioneer in K–12 education since 2000, Amplify is leading the way in next-generation curriculum and assessment. Our core and supplemental programs in ELA, math, and science engage all students in rigorous learning and inspire them to think deeply, creatively, and for themselves. Our formative assessment products help teachers identify the targeted instruction students need to build a strong foundation in early reading and math. All of our programs provide educators with powerful tools that help them understand and respond to the needs of every student. Today, Amplify serves more than 10 million students in all 50 states. For more information, visit amplify.com.

Amplify is seeking a full-time Associate Vice President of Strategy, Talent, and Special Projects (AVP, Strategy) with a background in and passion for supporting high performing executives and leadership teams; leading cross-department special projects; and supporting the overall development and efficacy of teams at scale.

The Role
The Associate Vice President of Strategy, Talent, and Special Project (AVP, Strategy) will work closely with the Vice President, Professional Development (PD) to chart the PD team’s core strategies and will ensure that the PD department has the talent, structures, and resources to drive after ambitious business results while meeting the evolving needs of our education clients. The AVP, Strategy will support and advise PD leadership team members on strategic direction; lead out on team talent development and performance management; maximize synergies and support inter- and intra-departmental projects; and ensure efficiency and accuracy around the department’s critical needs.

The AVP, Strategy is an organized, natural self-starter with a strong orientation to culture, systems-level thinking, team management and team-wide systems and support. A keen eye for detail to detail, the ability to anticipate problems, a collaborative work ethic, and a high bar for excellence are critical. The AVP, Strategy must bring strong business acumen, the ability to build relationships and influence others to achieve outcomes, and emotional intelligence. They must be able to leverage those competencies within the PD team and throughout the company in order to ensure the PD team is meeting the demands of complex and dynamic landscape, including: innovating and evolving the way the team works; understanding the broader professional services landscape in order to continuously push the PD team’s strategy, positioning, and forward-thinking to elevate Amplify’s brand and impact; and ensuring that we understand and can communicate our impact.

This position is a unique opportunity for individuals with superior organizational, critical thinking, communication, creativity, and relationship-building skills to help maximize the impact of Amplify’s Professional Development department. The AVP, Strategy will report to the Vice President, Vice President, Professional Development.

Amplify’s COVID-19 vaccination policy requires all staff to provide proof of vaccination for in-person meetings unless an approved exemption is provided.

Primary Responsibilities of the Associate Vice President, Strategy, Talent, & Special Projects

Chief of Staff Responsibilities; Strategy & Executive Support (~30%)

• Act as a trusted advisor to the VP, Professional Development (VP, PD) regarding company and department-wide strategic priorities and feel fully accountable for the achievement of departmental goals

• Drive the process for departmental vision setting, strategic planning, talent planning, and financial budgeting processes

• Work closely with the VP, PD to develop clear annual and quarterly priorities

• Define execution strategy, including, but not limited to implementation approach, scope, timeline, governance structure, roles and responsibilities, and resource planning for strategic initiatives

• Manage and develop the department’s portfolio of commercial offerings, ensuring a disciplined and strategic approach to offering development and design.

• Collaborate with the VP, PD and/or key enabling stakeholders to provide exceptional meeting prep, follow-up, and logistics for in-person and virtual events

• Partner closely with the AVP, PD Operations to leverage and/or support the development of strong reporting and analysis frameworks to facilitate ongoing performance management, supporting overall effectiveness of the team by flagging trends, risks, and challenge areas for the PD leadership team

• Develop team communication strategy, ensuring the right communication, at the right altitude, to the right audiences, at the right time

• Act as a “jack/jill of all trades” demonstrating a wide breadth of knowledge and embodying a desire and flexibility to do what it takes to get the job done and do it at an exceptionally high level

• Jump in and quickly take on work when urgent needs arise

Talent Recruitment, Performance Management, and Retention (~30%)

• Operate as a cultural leader by continuously supporting the development, evolution, and maintenance of a strong team culture rooted in our company’s purpose, PD team charge, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

• Support the VP, PD and hiring managers in driving toward all human assets goals, including staff diversity, retention, and staff engagement

• Partner with key HR partners to manage department-wide hiring processes including cultivating and developing a strong pool of applicants and developing exceptional interview processes that delight candidates and hiring managers alike

• Coach and support hiring managers on hiring best practices (e.g., directing them to resources) and provide feedback on hiring materials (e.g., interview scripts) and the overall hiring process.

• Develop, design, structure and support ongoing, purposeful training across the team including new and returning team members in standardized roles, and new and returning people managers.

• Develop systems and processes to ensure that all PD team members experience strong performance management and continuous development aligned to a vision of excellence for their individual roles, their organizational leadership, and potential future roles.

Special Projects (~40%)

• Serve as the key/primary point of contact to many company-wide department leads, business partners, and executive leadership, developing strong partnerships that drive our business goals.

• Work nimbly and collaboratively with business leaders across the organization in pursuit of corporate and PD goals, priorities, and outcomes to define and develop business cases, project charters, and strategic project plans, while also strengthening relationships and culture.

• Identify and maximize inter- and intra-departmental cross-team synergies and opportunities for collaboration

• Develop and maintain a portfolio of projects and set a unified direction for a delivery roadmap that may integrate multiple initiatives and workstreams

• Assess complex issues through discovery, root cause analysis and other analytical techniques to develop clear and compelling action plans, recommendations, and solutions

• Establish and oversee project communication, process, and change management including appropriate meeting structures and tools to ensure timely and successful collaboration, decision-making, and engagement across the project team.

• Provide project visibility and regular updates to stakeholders and executive teams through formal briefings, project reports, and presentations.

• Provide key leadership in moment of change, leading out on planning individual/team support, communication, and overall strategy

• Projects may be wide and/or narrow in scope and could include training/development initiatives, new product implementation, performance management processes, data analysis, team communications among a variety of other proactive and responsive needs that may arise

Required Education and Experience of the Associate Vice President, Strategy, Talent, & Special Projects

• Minimum 10+ years of professional work experience in education management/leadership, talent development, talent management, operations, or special projects that have driven organizational change and results

• Proven record of achieving ambitious results in previous role, including managing a team of direct reports to accomplish ambitious results

• Chief of Staff, Head of Operations/Talent/Strategy experience and/or experience in human resources/assets highly preferred

• Demonstrates exceptional professionalism, poise, and judgment at all times, is often trusted and interacts with sensitive and/or confidential information

• Tech and data savvy - exceptional with Google, Apple, and Microsoft office suites (e.g. word processing, excel/sheets, slides/decks); proficient in Salesforce and similar platforms; and eager and able to pick up any new technology or software with ease

To Be Successful in this Role:

Individuals who will thrive in this role are:

• A strategic thinker and operator. When you face a large problem, your first instinct is to break it down into smaller, manageable pieces and ruthlessly prioritize what is most important. You have the ability to identify key issues in complex educational, political and cultural dynamics, then chart out potential paths forward. You are adept at managing up to your manager and other champions to execute against a set of priorities and goals.

• A conscious leader and learner. You are oriented towards excellence and equity. You have a pattern of modeling a set of values for others through self-reflection, curiosity and exploration, and an ability to connect and empathize with people. You have an uncommonly high bar of personal integrity and can be trusted to have the utmost discretion with sensitive and confidential information. When there’s talk at a water cooler, you walk away. You have a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and intentionally use this lens when making decisions. You are who you are, no matter where you are.

• A compelling communicator. You work across multiple stakeholders to ensure consistency and quality of internal and external communications. You can analyze, synthesize, and prioritize large volumes of information into easy to understand, consumable chunks. You love puzzles and proactively seek out missing information, identify discordant views, and build a recommendation for the next right step.

• Grace under fire: You are emotionally intelligent. You can read people/read a room and can restore equilibrium, grace, and positivity. You focus on de-escalating, simplifying, and neutralizing challenging or complex situations. You sustain yourself in your work, and model this for your team

• Focused on outcomes. You have an incredibly strong record of achieving ambitious goals despite obstacles and have experience doing so in complex situations with diverse teams. Your decisions are data-driven, and you stay laser-focused on your goals regardless of any day-to-day chaos or distractions. You also have experience in change management and are motivated to achieve extraordinary performance and cultural outcomes in the midst of change.

• A coach and connector. You cultivate and manage strong and lasting relationships with ease and have a knack for achieving ambitious goals by coaching others and playing a role in their leadership development. You are a coach and mentor to your team, and everyone who works with you and for you feels respected and deeply connected to your department’s charge and priorities. You are naturally empathetic and can quickly understand people’s needs and aspirations and how to support them in achieving their goals. You regularly leverage a keen understanding of the beliefs, motivations and contexts of others as well as the power of networks to influence key stakeholders towards meaningful outcomes.

• Self-driven. You have superior organizational skills and great follow-through on all facets of your work. You demonstrate an uncommon level of personal responsibility for achieving results, define broadly what is within your control, persevere in the face of challenges and are exceptionally optimistic about what is possible. You take initiative to do what it takes to achieve success.

• Delighted by playing a support role: You thrive when it comes to problem solving and driving long-term impact. You do not see the world as either/or. You are a nuanced thinker and are also quick to take actions. Where others see roadblocks or challenges, you see solutions and possibilities. You enjoy working with a variety of stakeholders, but are also happy working behind the scenes. People describe you as someone who makes work light. Enabling others and a team to be successful brings you joy. You enjoy a good laugh. You like to be delighted and delight others.

Additional Information:

Location : This position requires that you are permitted to work in the US, have residency in the US, and possess a valid US driver’s license. You may be asked to travel throughout the country based on business needs.

Travel: Travel is required and considered an essential function of the job. This role will require an average of 10% travel, up to 20% throughout the year. Travel includes overnight stays at hotels and transportation via car, plane, and/or public transportation.

Documentation: If selected, a background check and proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required. The latter is subject to potential reasonable accommodation due to medical issues or sincerely held religious beliefs.

Equipment: This position requires reliable home internet that can support video calls on Google Meet and Zoom and a quiet, professional place to conduct meetings.

Any communication to applicants relating to the Amplify hiring process will only come from email addresses with the domain amplify.com.

What we offer:

Salary is only one component of the Amplify Total Rewards package, which includes a lucrative 401(k) plan, competitive health insurance and mental health options, basic life insurance, paid time off, parental leave, and access to best-in-class development programs. The gross annualized salary range for this role is $145,000 - $185,000. This role is eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus that rewards individual and company performance.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. To that end, we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.

Amplify is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities, Females, Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities.

This position may be funded, in whole or in part, through American Recovery & Reinvestment Act funds.

Amplify Education, Inc. is an E-Verify participant.