Director: Education Programs

We are seeking a purpose-driven and entrepreneurial leader to direct our emerging Education Programs from our headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

In this role, you will partner with our leadership team to define and lead the overall strategy for the Shared_Studios Education Programs. This will be a highly entrepreneurial role, requiring a diverse skillset and experience in both the education and business worlds. 

You will be responsible for developing and executing our market and product strategy for universities, colleges and schools (K-12), and for driving our worldwide partnerships with educators and educational institutions. You will spearhead our Education offering including development of an education-specific brand identity, value proposition and product, and go-to-market strategy. You will report to the CEO and work with and leverage the Shared_Studios Growth, Product, Experience and Engineering teams.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and deploy a deep understanding of our Education clients and partner organizations across universities, colleges, K-12 schools and other education organizations.
  • Develop and execute a detailed business plan for our Education Programs, including product development (e.g. developing curriculum and an educator platform) and a go-to-market plan for developing a pipeline of education leads and nurturing them into clients and long-term partners.
  • Prepare tailored materials and proposals which demonstrate the value of Portals to potential Education partners and clients including setting prices effectively and negotiating to reach a  agreement.
  • Monitor and manage Education client and partner satisfaction and quality of experience.
  • Represent the voice of educational stakeholders at the senior leadership table.
  • As time and resources permit; hire, grow and develop a team to support you as you develop a dedicated educational business unit.

Ideal attributes and experience

You are:

  • Entrepreneurial and strategic with the ability to imagine an ambitious future reality of our Education offer and bring it to life;
  • Able to work autonomously and be accountable for leading a business line including managing budget and accounts and reporting to senior leadership;
  • Globally-minded, appreciative of diversity in all its forms, and passionate about creating immersive first-person encounters between people of all walks of life;
  • Capable of collaborating with and leading a diverse team of designers, engineers, marketers, and salespeople to achieve the business unit strategy;
  • Articulate, energetic, and powerful communicator in spoken and written forms;
  • A lifelong learner open to feedback and always looking for opportunities to grow and improve; and
  • A problem-solver who can see the root cause of challenges and imagine possible solutions and new ways of working.

You have:

  • A multi-disciplinary background spanning education and business;
  • At least two years experience in education, preferably in the classroom, but also including curriculum development, education administration, education policy, EdTech, and/or other university or K-12 related roles. 
  • At least two years experience in entrepreneurial endeavors, business development, account management, partnerships, sales and/or other business growth type roles.  
  • A strong track record in tackling complex problems and leading teams to overcome them.

Cross-cultural experience and/or foreign language skills highly desirable.

About Shared_Studios

We bring together people separated by distance and difference to talk, dance, play and collaborate via Portals: immersive audio-visual environments in public spaces such as schools, parks, tech hubs, refugee camps and universities. At a time when people are retreating into their own bubbles and tribalism is on the rise, we break down silos to create meaningful human connections between people and communities who would not otherwise have the chance to meet. 

We operate more than 40 Portals in 25 countries around the world, each staffed by a real human being – a curator who facilitates dialogue and connects their community to the world. We give people everywhere a chance to tell their own story, to explore the diversity of human experience, and to connect with people unlike themselves as if they were in the same room.

About the Shared_Studios Education offering

Portals are a new tool for 21st century education - creating an unparalleled opportunity for global education and connections for learning. Currently we focus on:

  • Global learning. Portals emphasize global competency and provide students with direct exposure to new communities, cultures, and values. For example, students at Harvard University connected with internally displaced communities and refugees around the world through Portals, expanding their global perspectives without leaving their campus or requiring passports or visas. At Lawrence Academy High School,  students learned about the Cold War from a Professor of Afghan History in Kabul. 
  • Teaching across borders. Andover Public Schools brings the Portal to different schools within the district, allowing for students of all ages to connect to Portal sites around the world. Students develop familiarity and understanding of communities from Erbil, Iraq to Kigali, Rwanda, and engage directly with people they would never otherwise encounter.
  • Cross-cultural collaboration. Through Portals, Johns Hopkins University hosted collaborative hackathons bringing together students in Baltimore (USA), Beirut, and Gaza to solve real-world public health challenges that refugee and at-risk populations face.

Learn more about our work in Education here.

Learn more about us at www.sharedstudios.com

Learn about our team and culture, and see all of our open positions at www.sharedstudios.com/jobs

Watch a short overview here

See some of our work here, here and here

Want to apply later?

Type your email address below to receive a reminder

Apply to Job

ErrorRequired field
ErrorRequired field
ErrorRequired field
Error
Error
insert_drive_file
insert_drive_file