Manager of Instruction

The Manager of Instruction oversees vocational ESOL, job readiness training, and related activities to support immigrant and refugee participants’ success toward job placement and career advancement goals. They build, strengthen, and grow key partnerships; supervise and support direct service staff; monitor and report all relevant program data and outcomes and evaluate programmatic success; and provide leadership around curriculum development, pre/post assessment tools, instructional quality, and staff professional development to assure participant and programmatic success.

Responsibilities include:

• supervising and training vocational ESOL instructors and monitoring the effectiveness of instructional techniques and pacing;
• instituting any necessary upgrades and changes to ensure success of the program;
• collaborating with career coaches, support staff, and management across the division and across the agency as needed to assure goal attainment;
• reporting and creating documentation for submission to JVS leadership, funders, and other stakeholders; and
• at the discretion of the Director, leading instruction for classes or workshop(s) and/or provide coverage for instructors as needed.

The Manager is part of a larger JVS team, all of whom are supporting the education, training, and employment needs of participants and employers.  As an active member of JVS, they equitably contribute to agency performance goals and work to support the overall mission and philosophy of JVS.          

Program participants include immigrant and refugee adults seeking to advance their careers through training, education, and/or securing a new or better job. In addition to vocational ESOL services which this Manager oversees, all participants receive integrated, tailored career coaching overseen by other managers in the division.

Build relationships, collaboration and teamwork:

• support and promote the mission and philosophy of JVS both internally and outside the agency
• understand the role of project collaborators, particularly if from other programs, and work together to achieve outcomes
• establish relationships with key stakeholders (participants, managers, instructors, coaches, employers, partner organizations, funders) and work collaboratively in a structured and on-going manner
• work collaboratively with and encourage collaboration between team members to assist participants in obtaining the skills needed to find and secure employment and ensure performance goals are met
• attend and actively participate in staff meetings, strategic planning, and team-based projects
• provide leadership and support to lead instructors, instructors, and coaches on site at the program
• communicate regularly with the Director and other program leadership to ensure smooth delivery of services
• regularly observe instructors and provide constructive feedback to staff
• lead regular staff meetings and team-based projects
• provide assistance to other JVS programs when needed
• provide leadership in resolving disagreements and conflict in a professional and productive manner
• establish instructor-student and student-student collaborative structures to help develop community and expressive environments
• perform other duties as requested

Accountable and Results Focused:

• take ownership of the Manager role as a leader with lead instructors, instructors, and other program staff
• hire, train and supervise program staff
• model expected behaviors for JVS staff and participants
• generate strategy and solutions in response to unforeseen and planned changes, setbacks and challenges
• be flexible to staff and participant learning styles, and set appropriate limits to ensure all staff perform successfully to meet program goals
• assist program staff in areas of difficulty and provide additional support when needed
• provide oversight of assessment, enrollment, delivery of services, pre/post assessment with the goal of ensuring that participants obtain their predetermined goals
• create a work environment where all staff and participants feel heard, can express ideas, learn, problem-solve and succeed
• work collaboratively with colleagues from across JVS to achieve and track outcomes
• develop and modify curriculum based on the needs of both the participants and program
• provide regular updates for the leadership team with dashboard indicators and details about enrollment, attendance, retention, and job placement
• intervene where necessary in classes where goals are not being met and provide support and strategies for instructors to improve performance

Delivery of Instruction:

• develop and modify contextualized curriculum and daily lesson plans for English classes with the goal of supporting participants to get a new or better job
• deliver training to participants including all subject matter outlined in the curriculum with the goal of ensuring participants obtain the predetermined outcomes
• assign, edit and correct participant work in a timely and ongoing basis
• evaluate participant progress on a regular basis, as well as provide participants with feedback regarding performance in class and any obstacles that may be impeding progress
• provide guidance and support around differentiated curriculum development; participant engagement, retention, attendance and skill development; and substitute teach classes for the site as needed. 

Administrative/Communication:

• establish, track and meet program dashboard indicators (ex. enrollment, attendance, retention, skill attainment, client satisfaction)
• evaluate program performance on a regular basis and provide course correction when necessary
• communicate regularly with supervisor to ensure successful program performance
• ensure that all key program data in entered into relevant data tracking systems, is accurate and complete
• perform all administrative duties associated with instruction and class coordination – including coordinating and delivering information sessions and assessments, enrollment, participant learning plans, ensuring engagement and communication with enrolled participants, verifying attainment of program competencies/skills, and program completion
• develop and update class-related forms and procedures on an ongoing basis
• track and report attendance, homework completion, classroom participation and testing outcomes on a weekly/monthly basis
• regularly follow up and engage with participants who are not attending class
• contribute to program performance and summary reports for employers, funders, JVS leadership and other stakeholders regularly and as needed
• provide all supervisees with a written annual evaluation in accordance with agency procedures and deadlines

• program development & oversight
• coaching, developing & managing staff
• quality improvement
• leadership
• instructional planning & delivery
• accountability & results-focused
• building relationships, collaboration and teamwork
• communication skills
• problem solving & judgement