Curriculum and Systems Specialist— at thinkLaw

*The final deadline for applications is March 20th, 2023.*

thinkLaw exists to create a world where critical thinking is no longer a luxury good. We help educators teach critical thinking to all students, not just the highest achieving ones at the most exclusive schools. Rote memorization and spoon-fed learning will not prepare young people for the rapidly changing workforce that awaits them. This is why thinkLaw increases educational equity by giving all students access to critical thinking. We do this through our award-winning curriculum that uses real-life legal cases in upper grades and fairy tales and nursery rhymes in lower grades as a hook to unleash the critical thinking potential of all students and powerful professional development that helps educators apply rigorous inquiry strategies that help them transform from asking “what” and “how to” to “why” and “what if.”

thinkLaw has partnered with over 500 school systems and organizations in 40 states in since launching in June 2015 and has thousands of opportunities for new partnerships due to our tremendous exposure through national and regional education conferences, social media and email marketing efforts, district-wide approvals in hundreds of schools districts, and the success of our founder’s books, Thinking Like a Lawyer and Tangible Equity. 

Do you love sophisticated spreadsheets? Do you dream of neatly organized and labeled files? Our team is looking for an eagle-eyed Curriculum and Systems Specialist with a passion for our mission and an obsession with the millions of tiny details that it takes to make our mission a reality. The Curriculum and Systems Specialist is a key member of our team and will work closely with the Chief Academic Officer, our partner success team, and our professional development team to ensure efficiency and effectiveness for our teacher and student user experience. For the right candidate, this is a career-defining opportunity to join us at a critical moment and truly have a significant impact.

Can you help us spark a critical thinking revolution in students nationwide as our new Curriculum and Systems Specialist?

Responsibilities 

thinkLaw’s curriculum has grown from a single printed lesson volume in 2015 to a custom-built thinkPortal platform housing over 10,000 documents, including student work pages, teacher guides, parent resources, PowerPoint slides, and games. Over the next few years, thinkLaw’s curriculum team needs to be prepared to manage exponential growth in both our lesson volume and our user base. The Curriculum and Systems Specialist will ensure our existing published library meets a high bar of accuracy while also helping us develop new systems and structures to meet the challenges of a rapidly growing organization. 

Execute 

The Curriculum and Systems Specialist will:

• Maintain, edit, and update curricular resources on the thinkLaw Teacher and Family Portals and the Teachers Pay Teachers Store. 
• Update, troubleshoot, and manage user and temporary logins on the thinkLaw Teacher and Family Portals. 
• Routinely comb through all thinkLaw materials with a keen eye for detail, and manage internal tracking and documentation for lesson review, edits, and revisions. 

Support

Work closely with the Chief Learning Officer, you will:

• Provide exceptional strategic, operational, and planning support as a thought-partner to the Chief Learning Officer and each department lead.
• Independently manage systems and projects for the Chief Learning Officer.
• Maximize team effectiveness and efficiency by ensuring academics staff members have the supplies, resources, and professional development materials they need. 

Create

Given your unique vantage point in the role of Curriculum and Systems Specialist, you will further bolster thinkLaw Academic offerings to:

• Increase operational efficiencies by continually looking for ways to automate systems and routines, making work smarter, more effective and more efficient.
• Track existing curriculum offerings and manage short and long-term plans for future curricular additions.
• Draft content for new lessons for the thinkLaw lesson library, along with blog posts, professional development materials, and social media content as needed. 
• Collaborate as an integral member of the academics team to innovate resources and approaches to move thinkLaw’s critical thinking revolution forward. 

Attributes

Important note before reading further: You may read this and feel like you are not 100% qualified for this role. Please apply anyway! You may not have every single quality listed in this posting, but you could very well, yet have different, but significant, relevant capabilities and experiences that would allow you to succeed in this role. Do not disqualify yourself by not trying!

The position of Curriculum and Systems Specialist may be for you if you are:

• A skilled, engaging writer with impeccable editing skills. 
• Detail oriented; the Curriculum and Systems Specialist must be able to zoom in and out between big picture planning and tiny details.
• An expert-level prioritizer known for not letting a single ball drop (“how does he/they/she do that?!”), able to manage several projects at one time.
• An impressive organizer. The internal thinkLaw curriculum library contains over 10,000 documents.The Curriculum and Systems Specialist will become an expert in internal filing and be a ‘go to’ resource when a team member needs to find a resource.
• A “just to make sure I’m clear” question-clarifier, not only solving problems, but finding them before they become problems, discovering what you do not know and seeking out the skills necessary to do the job well.
• Goals- and results-oriented, proactive about dismantling roadblocks and adapting quickly to change.
• Eager for feedback to support your own continual development and to support the positive outcomes for the organization.
• A clear, precise communicator, able to make documents, graphics, social media and words pop, while demonstrating a passion for thinkLaw’s mission and a genuine curiosity about the needs of our clients.
• As passionate about education equity as you are about doing the important, but mundane tasks necessary to move important work forward, with an ongoing dedication to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), developing your cultural competence, and embodying anti-racist leadership and inclusiveness, with a deep understanding of how issues of equity impact classrooms across the country and how thinkLaw equips teachers, leaders, students, and families with practical tools to make equity a reality. 
• Principled, with an impeccable reputation for honesty and integrity.

Education and Experiences

We are looking for someone with developed skills and knowledge based on experiences planning and writing curriculum in a fast-paced environment. 

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree (or higher) in education, curriculum, curriculum and instruction, instructional design or a related area or a combination of experience, education, and expertise.
• At least five to seven years of experience in K-12 education, at least two of which include experience as a K-12 educator, and at least three of which include experience working with curriculum or a similar position. 
• Additional experience, preferred: 
  • Experience leading a curriculum selection committee.
  • Experience writing curriculum for a range of grade levels.
  • Experience working in a 100% work-from-home environment

Benefits

• Autonomy and independence within a flexible work-from-home environment and family-friendly business practices.
• Salary:  $65,000 annually  with an opportunity for organization and individual performance-based bonuses. 
• Competitive benefits, including healthcare with 100% employer paid health care for the employee. 15 days of PTO and 12 sick days in addition to the two weeks of company closure in December and July.
• The opportunity to work for a mission-based, social enterprise that is revolutionizing education.

Role Structure 

• Location: thinkLaw is a national organization and the Curriculum and Systems Specialist can be located anywhere.  
• Schedule: Occasional evenings and weekends may be required. 
• Travel: Significant travel is not expected for this role. 

Commitment to Equity 

thinkLaw is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and is committed to addressing issues of racism and inequity.  We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace where every staff member feels heard, supported, valued, and can share their authentic brilliance to move the mission forward. Applicants who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, parents, women, people with disabilities, queer, trans, non-binary, immigrants, and anyone who has experienced systemic oppression and/or gender-based violence are encouraged to apply. 

Apply Now!

If you have a passion for the K-12 ecosystem, education equity, and critical thinking, we want to hear from you!  Please review the job description details and apply using the Application Guidance below as soon as possible to have your candidacy considered for this amazing role! 

OneTeacher is conducting the search for thinkLaw’s Curriculum and Systems Specialist. At OneTeacher we care deeply about education equity and connect individuals and organizations that will advance this cause. We partner with like-minded organizations like thinkLaw to support them in making a match with professionals who will make their vision and mission a reality. 

Application Guidance

The final application deadline is March 20th. You’re encouraged to share your completed application (given the components below) as soon as possible. 

Please submit all application components directed to Erin Tobin, erin.tobin@oneteacheraz.com. Applications should include the components listed below:

1) A resume.

2) A thoughtful and compelling cover letter that addresses:

• Why are you interested in working with thinkLaw? Please share what inspires you about thinkLaw and why. 
• A brief description of relevant work experience and achievements in this field.  
• What relevant qualifications and attributes do you bring to this role? 

3) A list of three references* that includes names, affiliation, relationship to you while you worked together, email addresses and phone numbers. Please ensure that at least two of your references are either current or former supervisors. 
*References will not be contacted until the final stage of the search and candidates will be given an opportunity to notify their references in advance.