Design and Coaching Specialist, ELA

About Leading Educators

At Leading Educators (LE), we believe excellent teaching is the most important driver of student success. 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.

Position Overview

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.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide high-impact coaching to teachers, teacher leaders, and school leaders focused on lesson internalization, student work analysis, goal-setting, and reflective improvement cycles.
• Design and facilitate professional learning aligned to curriculum, standards, and observable instructional practice—adapting resources based on school context and district priorities.
• Analyze student work, classroom observation data, and instructional artifacts to inform both coaching decisions and professional learning design.
• Build trusting relationships with school leaders and instructional teams while maintaining instructional credibility and reliability.
• Conduct classroom observations and co-observations to assess instruction and provide actionable, growth-oriented feedback grounded in literacy best practices.
• Facilitate learning walks, grade team meetings, and Professional Learning Communities that strengthen instructional leadership capacity in ELA.
• Integrate design and coaching to create coherent cycles of learning that deepen teacher knowledge and shift literacy practice.
• Analyze ongoing evidence of student learning, teacher practice, and PLC leader development to monitor and refine program impact.

Qualifications

• 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.

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.

Benefits

• Compensation: Base salary range: $115,368 to $146,832 annually, with a standard starting salary of $131,100 for candidates meeting minimum requirements. Potential for higher starting salary up to $137,842 for those with more than 7 years of relevant experience.
• Medical, Dental, and Vision: 100% paid for individual employees. 60% covered for partners and dependents.
• Retirement: 4% matching 401k plan.
• Other Benefits: Flexible Spending Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Benefits valued at or above $9,000 annually.
• Time Off: Accrue 22 days per year for the first three years, increasing to 27 days after six years. Plus, 16 additional paid holidays and three floating holidays.

Key skills/competency

• Instructional Design
• Educational Coaching
• K-8 Literacy
• Curriculum Development
• Teacher Professional Development
• Data Analysis
• School Leadership
• Adult Learning
• Classroom Observation
• Assessment Design