Responsible non-teaching careers in education

If you are interested in building a responsible career that successfully blends financial return with social impact and environmental responsibility, you might be interested in looking into opportunities in education.

You might think that building a career in education means being a teacher.  Well, there are a number of other positions available in the education field that does not involve teaching, or even interacting with children.  Furthermore, if you live in the US, you have certainly noted that in many states, recent changes in teachers' tenure terms are increasingly tying teachers' performance reviews to the performance of their students.  Many of these changes are driven to compete for the Race To The Top Education Fund of $4.35 billion that was introduced by the Obama Administration to increase the effectiveness of public education in the US.  The Obama Administration has sent a clear signal regarding the requirements states have to follow to qualify for funding.  For the first phase of the fund deployment, forty states and the District of Columbia submitted applications.  However, only Delaware and Tennessee were awarded grants.  It is anticipated that, given how selectively these funds were distributed the first time around, states will want to revamp their approaches to increase their chance to compete for the $3.4billion still available.   Beyond public education reform, a number of opportunities are available to support supplemental programs focused on after school programs, youth empowerment programs and college preparation programs.

These numbers indicate that education will need a variety of new employees for non-teaching roles.  This is good news, as you don't need a teaching or education degree to successfully build a responsible career in education. Not convinced? Well investigate for yourself through some of the good jobs in education that were advertised on our Justmeans job board over the last month:

Responsible careers in education - Strategy:

• Senior Project Manager, Strategic School Funding for Results - Pivot Learning Partners (Los Angeles, CA): Would you like to coordinate a cross-funcational team and provide leadership, change management, as well as technical assistance to help implement a need-based, per-pupil, transparent funding model for an entrepreneurial nonprofit organization that partners with schools and districts committed to closing the educational achievement gap and improving learning for all students?


• National Impact Site Manager - City Year (Boston, MA):  Would you like to develop tools for site growth planning, investor strategies and campaigns to support a nonprofit organization that aims at working with sites, the Office of Site Leadership and other relevant headquarters departments to reach 50% of off-track students within their existing communities?

Responsible careers in education - Finance:

• Manager, Compliance and Nutrition - Office of the Chief Operating Officer, DC Public Schools (Washington, DC) - Would you like to compile and organize school records for all reimbursements, develop strategies to ensure compliance to USDA nutritional guidelines at all schools, as well as maximize contributions from USDA and all government programs and participation in all meal programs by a high percentage of eligible students and families?


• Full-Charge Bookkeeper - International School of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY): Would you like to oversee all financial matters to an independent, non-sectarian, not-for-profit educational institution that is dedicated to provide a progressive and multicultural education that is ideal for preparing our children to face the challenges and opportunities of an international future?

Responsible careers in education - Marketing:

• Marketing And Design Position - Harlem Village Academies (New York, NY): Would you like to manage the production of all e-mailings, videos and other materials, as well as seek opportunities to use online communication to further expand a community of supporters for a non-profit dedicated to build Harlem's first high performing public high school?


• Director Of Marketing and Communications - International Student Exchange Program (Washington, DC):  Would you like to develop and implement an annual marketing & communication plan to support the strategic objectives of a worldwide network of post-secondary institutions cooperating to provide international educational experiences for their students?

Responsible careers in education - Program management:

• Senior Program Manager - Computers For Youth (Los Angeles, CA): Would you like to help educate thought leaders, policymakers and low-income families on the importance of expanding educational priorities to include learning in the home, as well as oversee the Take IT Home Program implementation and school relations for around 50 schools?


• College Quest Program Coordinator - Harlem Educational Activities Fund (new York, NY): Would you like to plan and implement youth leadership, career development, college prep, enrichment and volunteer initiatives to help motivated students develop the intellectual curiosity, academic ability, social values and personal resiliency they need to ensure success in school, career and life?

Whether your functional expertise lies in strategy, finance, marketing or program management, you can build a responsible career to get business done better in education! Are there responsible careers in other industries you would like to learn more about? If so, please use the comment section below to ask about your responsible careers of interest, and I will be sure to provide additional information in future posts!

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