Partner, Learning & Development

Start Date: Immediate
Role Type: Full-time
Reports to: Nikhil Kawlra  
Team: School Design, Learning & Development  

Location/Travel: Remote (U.S.-based); Willingness to travel approximately ~15–30% 

Who We Are

Transcend is a national nonprofit that helps communities reimagine and redesign schools so every young person can thrive in a rapidly changing world. Across the country, communities are recognizing that classrooms built for the industrial age aren’t preparing learners for what’s next. Instead, schools must be designed for continuous evolution: relevant, resilient, and ready for the future. For more than a decade, Transcend has partnered with school and system leaders to build the capacity for bold, lasting change—change led by the people who live it every day. We’ve worked with nearly 500 schools and 200 districts serving over 225,000 students in 35 states. Together, we’ve seen what’s possible when communities lead redesign with proven methods, insight, and support. From that work, we develop and share tools, research, and models that help schools everywhere make the leap to extraordinary learning—for every child, in every community.

For more information, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn.

The Opportunity 

For years, Transcend has partnered directly with communities to lead and facilitate multi-year school redesign journeys. That work has taught us something important: lasting transformation doesn’t come from outside support alone, it comes from local leaders who are equipped to drive change themselves. That’s why Transcend’s School Design, Learning & Development team is investing in building the capacity of leaders and communities to lead this work directly, with the goal of gradually shifting ownership and reducing dependence on Transcend’s facilitation over time. This role sits at the heart of that strategic shift by helping us design, scale, and bring to market the credentials, certifications, and capacity-building offerings that make community-led transformation possible. 

The Partner, Learning and Development is equally a designer and a facilitator. This role is responsible for translating Transcend’s approach into practical, usable tools and high-quality experiences that make it easier for others to launch and sustain design journeys independently over time.

In This Role, You Will Get To:

Design and Facilitate Capacity-Building Experiences

• Design engaging, high-impact adult learning experiences (virtual and in-person) that build participants’ ability to lead design work
• Facilitate sessions that build participants’ knowledge and skills, spark reflection, shift mindsets, and drive toward action and ownership
• Adapt experiences in real time based on participant needs and context
• Create environments that are both challenging and supportive, enabling honest dialogue and breakthrough thinking

Build Tools and Learning Assets that Scale Capacity

• Translate complex ideas into clear, practical, and engaging tools (e.g., protocols, guides, templates, case studies)
• Adapt resources that help partners independently apply community-based design in their context
• Contribute to our bank of existing tools and resources and modular design supports (design kits, learning modules, etc.) that reduce reliance on direct Transcend support
• Continuously refine tools based on user feedback and real-world application

Support External Partners to Build and Apply Capacity 

• Collaborate with partners to understand their goals and co-design learning experiences that meet their needs
• Support partners in applying what they learn to real work (e.g., planning sessions, facilitating design teams, testing ideas)
• Build strong, trust-based relationships that enable honest feedback and growth
• Gauge partners’ readiness to lead aspects of the work independently and adjust support accordingly
• Provide clear, actionable feedback to help partners strengthen their ability to lead design work over time
• Contribute to partners’ progression from exposure → skill-building → independent leadership

Contribute to a Coherent Capacity-Building Strategy  

• Align experiences and tools to Transcend’s broader capacity-building model and certification pathways
• Capture insights from partner work to inform continuous improvement of offerings
• Collaborate across teams to ensure coherence between tools, experiences, and partner outcomes
• Help define what high-quality capacity building looks like in practice

Who You Are

You are a skilled facilitator and experienced designer who is energized by helping others learn, grow, and lead. You are just as comfortable commanding a room as you are behind the scenes. You are able to translate complex ideas into tools and resources that make hard work feel manageable. You don’t just deliver great experiences—you design them with intention, always asking: what will this person be able to do on their own after this? You think in systems and sequences. You care about the immediate experience and the lasting impact. And you bring a rare combination of creative vision and practical rigor — knowing that the best learning designs are both inspiring and actionable.

And, to all of this, you bring: 

• You share a deep commitment to Transcend’s mission of transforming education and a passion for designing learning experiences where all students thrive. 
• You show up with curiosity, care, and a drive to make meaningful change—living into Transcend’s values through how you work, connect, and lead.
• Skill at creating learning environments that are both challenging and supportive, where honest dialogue happens and breakthrough thinking is possible.
• A track record of designing and facilitating high-impact adult learning experiences that build participants' capacity for independent leadership. You translate complex ideas into practical, scalable tools and learning assets that enable people to apply and sustain the work with decreasing reliance on direct support.
• Systems thinking and strategic alignment. You can connect individual learning experiences to a broader capacity-building model and ensure coherence across tools, experiences, and outcomes.
• A collaborative, co-designing orientation. You know how to partner with stakeholders to understand their goals and shape experiences that meet them where they are.
• The ability to gauge a partner's readiness and adjust your level of support accordingly, scaffolding when needed and stepping back when they're ready.
• The ability to adapt in real time, reading the room and adjusting your facilitation approach based on participant needs, energy, and context.
• Strong feedback and coaching skills. You give clear, actionable input that helps partners grow their capacity to lead design work.
• Comfort capturing and synthesizing insights from the field to continuously improve offerings and inform strategy.
• Meaningful experience working in or alongside schools or education systems, whether as a teacher, leader, coach, or designer. 

Application & Hiring Process

We review applications on a rolling basis and are committed to a thoughtful and people-centered hiring experience that helps candidates feel what it’s like to work at Transcend. Here’s what you can expect if you are selected to move forward:

• Initial interview with the team via Zoom to learn more about your interest and experiences. A note on compensation: during your initial interview with the team, we will confirm your location and accompanying salary range. *More on how we determine this is below. 
• Try-on activity to engage in a role-aligned exercise. This helps us get a sense of how you approach the work and gives you a feel for what the role might be like. 
• Interview with the hiring manager, where we’d debrief the try-on task and engage in some scenarios you are likely to encounter in the role.
• Interview with the team, where you will meet with a small group of Transcend teammates with whom you would most likely collaborate in the role.
• Final interview with the hiring manager.
• Reference checks to learn more about your superpowers and working style. 

Salary 

As a national team, we apply a cost-of-labor adjustment by adjusting salaries into 3 geographical bands (geo-band) in order to offer competitive compensation for all employees across the US. These geo-bands help us tailor compensation appropriately based on the specific location of each teammate. Below are the three salary geo-bands for this role, and we will confirm the individual range for your location during this initial interview, if you move forward in the process. 

• Geo Comp 1:  Currently Includes: NYC metro area, CA Bay Area, Boston City, LA City, Washington, D.C, Seattle  $115,000-$150,000
• Geo Comp 2: Currently includes locations such as: San Diego; New Haven, CT; Ventura, CA  $109,250-$142,500
• Geo Comp 3: Currently Includes: Most other US locations   $103,500-$135,000 

A Few Nuts & Bolts

We are an experienced team focused on extraordinary learning for all. We welcome candidates who are passionate about ensuring that all students thrive. We are also committed to providing our colleagues with a competitive benefits package and offer medical, dental, and vision coverage options, org-wide holidays, paid time off, paid parental leave, professional development opportunities, and fully remote work. We take pride in our collaborative environment, exceptional team, and shared commitment to principled, impactful work.

We look forward to learning more about you!