Type of Vacancy: Salaried, full-time

Start date: June 2023

Location: Remote/home office anywhere in the continental United States

Business function:

Report to: Senior Director, Podsie Innovation Lab

Compensation: $82,650 - $153,500 annually. The typical initial starting salary range begins at 85% of the midpoint, which is approximately $100,364. Therefore, the initial starting salary range is around $100,364, commensurate with experience, to ensure there is room for growth over time.

Teaching Lab is an equal-opportunity employer committed to reflecting the diversity of the students we serve. We pursue equity as both a means and an end and enthusiastically welcome candidates of all backgrounds to role.

WHO WE ARE

Teaching Lab is a nonprofit organization with a mission to fundamentally shift the paradigm of teacher professional learning to achieve educational equity. We envision a world where teachers and students thrive together in communities that enable life-long learning and meaningful lives. In partnership with teachers, we transform professional learning from the ground up to dramatically improve student outcomes. We also work with school, district, and state leaders to create the instructional systems necessary to support these changes. To learn more about Teaching Lab, explore our website at www.teachinglab.org.

SUMMARY OF POSITION

Teaching Lab's Innovation Studio is looking for a dedicated and experienced Software Developer to contribute to the development and growth of Podsie, a web platform that employs research-backed strategies to enhance students' retention of learned material. In this role, you will collaborate with a passionate team to create innovative features, including those based on LLM technology, and be part of our mission to scale the platform from thousands to hundreds of thousands of daily users within a year. This opportunity is ideal for a skilled developer who is passionate about using technology to make a meaningful impact on education and student outcomes while working in a dynamic and growth-oriented environment.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES KEY SUCCESS INDICATORS (KSI)

• The Software Developer is accountable for achieving goals set in collaboration with their manager, aligned with FY23 goals, and especially, Key Success Indicators (KSI) like:
• 
  Expand reach: Teaching Lab increases the number of educators who experience Teaching Lab’s equity-driven, evidence-based, high-impact, and ongoing professional learning.
• >10,000 educators reached, serving over 700,000 students.
• 
  Increase Teacher and Student Learning: All professional learning improves teacher content knowledge, practice, and student learning.
• 10% improvement between beginning and end of year in teacher content knowledge, teacher practice, and student learning
• 0.1-.2 effect size, comparing intervention to control
• 
  Innovate to Improve the Model:
• a. Teaching Lab will innovate new programs, models, and services that dramatically improve teaching and learning in the following new priority areas:
• i. “Responsiveness to partner approach,” meaning services are matched to client assets/needs
• ii. Tech-enabled approaches- including microPL, LMS integration innovations, and algorithmic innovations
• iii. Evidence-based writing instruction
• iv. Evidence-based science instruction
• b. Continue ongoing innovations:
• Learning science integrated into everything we do
• Direct to teacher coaching integrated into the core Teaching Lab model
• 
  80% of innovations pursued in FY23 achieve positive improvements in indicators of client satisfaction and impact (using measures above), by the end of the year
• 80% of innovations are on track to generate revenue and a return on investment in FY25
• 
  As applicable, within the role, model the radical commitments for our values (i.e., collaboration, responsive service, research, excellence, learning with humility, and equity).

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent work experience
• Minimum 2 years of professional software development experience
• Relevant experience with our tech stack: Rails/React/TypeScript/GraphQL/Postgres
• Demonstrated lifelong learner with a passion for staying up-to-date with new technologies and best practices
• Ability to learn quickly and adapt to new challenges in a fast-paced environment
• Autonomous and proactive, with a strong bias for action and a track record of taking initiative
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to break down complex issues into manageable tasks
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with experience working in cross-functional teams
• A passion for improving educational outcomes and using technology to make a meaningful impact on student learning
• Attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality, maintainable code
• A passion for creating inclusive and accessible digital experiences that cater to diverse user needs and abilities

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS (If Applicable)

• Experience in education and/or edtech, with a strong understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities in this industry
• Familiarity with learning science principles, educational research, and best practices in instructional design
• Previous experience working on large-scale, user-facing web applications, with a focus on performance, scalability, and security
• Knowledge of or experience with LLM (large language models) and their applications in educational contexts
• Exposure to or interest in data-driven decision-making, including A/B testing, analytics, and user research
• Incurable builder mindset - We value individuals who are not just smart but also have a relentless drive for starting projects and bringing at least some of them to completion. These are the people who demonstrate passion, creativity, and determination in their work, always eager to build and innovate.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to work a flexible schedule to support operational needs
• Ability to perform the essential project, duties, and responsibilities with or without accommodation.
• All team members are expected to support program/project needs which could mean that you play multiple roles at Teaching Lab (i.e., project lead, support, subject matter expert, etc.).

TEACHING LAB’S VALUES AND COMPETENCIES

• Teaching Lab seeks to fundamentally shift the paradigm of teacher professional learning by reaching more educators every year with the highest impact programming.
• Teaching Lab’s ultimate goals are:
• Educators learn more than they would without us
• Students learn more than they would without us, in a way that cannot be predicted by race, gender, or family income
• Educators we serve say they love our approach and they want to keep doing it to advance educational equity
All employees are expected to embrace Teaching Lab Values, which are necessary to develop Teaching Lab Competencies, which help us to achieve our Ultimate Goals.
• Collaboration
• Responsive Service
• Research
• Excellence
• Learning with Humility

WORKING AT TEACHING LAB

All roles at Teaching Lab are contingent on business needs.

Teaching Lab offers a comprehensive benefits package for full-time salaried employees, including: 100% organizational contribution for employee costs and 50% organizational contribution for dependent (spouse and children under 26) costs for the Teaching Lab reference medical, dental, and vision plans; a 401(k) program with a 4% employer match; short-term life, long-term life, disability, and worker’s compensation insurance; flexible health spending accounts; technology equipment; monthly technology reimbursement; annual professional development fund; and generous time off and leave policies.

This position is eligible for remote work anywhere in the continental United States, and may require some travel (up to quarterly). Please Note: Travel is determined based on business needs and can vary depending on partnership/contract requirements.

TO APPLY

You can apply for the Software Developer here. Additional questions may be directed to jobs@teachinglab.org.

BACKGROUND CHECK NOTICE

We strive to ensure that quality talent is selected and employed at Teaching Lab. Due to the nature of the services provided by Teaching Lab, we engage in environments that potentially put our Employees in close proximity to children and youth under the age of eighteen (18). Therefore, in an effort to protect the children and youth, our partners, and employees, Teaching Lab conducts background checks as part of the selection and hiring process. This includes reference checks, and verifications/checks for a social security number, education, employment, criminal records search (national and county), global watch list, and sex offender status. Additionally, depending on a specific partnership/contract requirement, the criminal background check process could include fingerprinting. Reference checks are completed by Teaching Lab’s People & Culture team. Other background checks are conducted by our third party vendor Checkr and/or the State specific criminal background check provider.

Please Note: Reference checks are conducted for all final candidates as part of the selection process. However, selected candidates do not complete verifications/checks for a social security number, education, employment, criminal records search (national and county), global watch list, and sex offender status until after a verbal offer has been made, and the written offer letter has been issued to the candidate. Questions regarding our background check policy can be directed to people@teachinglab.org.