Manager of Community, Insights & Learning

XQ Institute is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to rethinking the high school experience so that every student graduates ready to succeed in life. We work in communities nationwide, with individual schools and entire school systems, to help them dream big about what high school could be, turn their innovative ideas into action, and create more rigorous and equitable schools.

XQ Institute, a leader in transforming high school education, seeks a Manager of Community, Insights & Learning to enhance our mission of High School transformation. This role involves developing deep insights into educational communities, driving equitable outcomes across all XQ products and services, and building robust relationships with underserved communities. You will leverage co-design techniques, manage impact measurement frameworks, and lead the creation of a vibrant community of practice to foster continuous learning and growth among educators and students and the wider education community.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities:

• Community Engagement and Development: Establish and nurture relationships with diverse educational communities, including underrepresented groups, to ensure their needs and voices are integral to product development. Expand XQ's reach and impact by connecting these communities directly with our product, policy and systems teams.
• Insights and Research Leadership: Develop and implement research frameworks that enhance understanding of community needs and educational disparities. Translate these insights into actionable strategies that inform XQ’s product and program development, ensuring alignment with our mission of high school transformation.
• Learning and Development: Oversee the creation and delivery of educational content and programs that support the professional growth of educators within XQ’s network. Develop and refine learning outcomes to measure the impact of these initiatives effectively.
• Strategic Collaboration: Work closely with the marketing and product and schools & systems teams to ensure that community insights and learning objectives are seamlessly integrated into XQ’s overall strategy, products and operations.
• Project Leadership: Lead cross-functional projects that integrate community insights into the design and development of educational tools. Manage project timelines, deliverables, and stakeholder communications to ensure successful implementation.
• Influence and Advocacy: Serve as a key advocate for community-oriented design within the product team, ensuring that user feedback and research findings are prioritized in design decisions.

Qualifications

• Experience and Expertise: At least 5+ years of relevant experience in community engagement, educational research, or a related field, with a strong track record of leading collaborative initiatives with teachers, students and educational stakeholders.
• Skills and Abilities: Proficiency in inclusive design, systems theory, anthropology, cultural studies, or similar disciplines. Strong familiarity with research and design methodologies such as ethnography, Participatory Action Research, and co-design. Exceptional communication skills, both written and oral, and the ability to lead empathetically and inclusively.
• Strategic Vision and Leadership: Deep understanding of strategic problem-solving related to educational reform. Ability to articulate clear strategies through compelling presentations and facilitate collaboration across diverse teams.

Compensation

The salary range for this role is highly competitive and commensurate with experience. XQ offers excellent organizational benefits. The annual salary range is: $120,000-$150,000.

Location

XQ is based in Oakland, CA with offices in Washington DC and New York, NY. This role will be based in Oakland with 4 days in-person.

XQ is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Promoting, celebrating, and supporting diversity is a core value at XQ. Individuals are considered without regard to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, sexual expression, religion, color, veteran status, disability, marital status, or ancestry.

XQ Mindsets

Ours is a world defined by uncertainty, a society in flux, a state of unprecedented upheavals. While we don’t anticipate any quick fixes, we can anchor ourselves to what we see emerging. That’s why we have established a set of collective XQ Mindsets to ground us.

100% accountability: This doesn't mean you have 100% ownership. It doesn't mean you are responsible for every last thing that needs to be done. It means choosing to take responsibility for our collective success and impact.

Maker mindset: We build stuff. We won’t always get it right the first time—in fact, we rarely will. But by quickly making and testing our work, we can learn what works and what doesn’t.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for: Critique is not enough. It is on us to create the solutions—no matter where we sit in the organization. We are a well-resourced organization filled with brilliant people. No one else is coming to our rescue.

Opportunity knocks: We are ready, willing, and able to take on anything that is thrown our way. Pivots are a natural part of our approach, so let’s embrace them so that we can experience them joyfully.

Stand on the shoulders of giants: We honor those who came before us, who aren’t seated at our tables, and build on others’ and our own earlier work with respect and reverence.

To Apply

Please apply online. In your cover letter, please address why your skills, interests, and experience align with the requirements for this role.