Project Manager

 
 
 

How to Apply

Send a CV/resume to Matt Best (matt@motivatelab.org) and answers to the following questions in lieu of a cover letter:

  1. What about Motivate Lab, and the Project Manager role in particular, is most intriguing to you?

  2. What skills and experiences make you a uniquely qualified candidate for this role?

  3. What is your experience working with specific underrepresented groups and how do you intend to bring a focus on practices that promote justice, equity, and inclusion to this role?

Each response should be no more than 300 words.

About Motivate Lab

The mission of the Motivate Lab is to improve people's lives through rigorous motivation research. We develop tools to infuse learning-mindset supportive practices into educational and policy contexts, with a particular focus on supporting students from historically marginalized and underserved backgrounds in higher education. We are driven to lead system change in practice, as we see the many inequities which exist in education in the United States while also knowing how powerful learning-mindset supportive practices and similar interventions are in ameliorating inequity. This drive has led us to design and test classroom interventions in higher ed and K-12 systems. We also aim to change the field of research through our innovative and agile methods of developing evidence-based practices. We utilize our rigorous methods to design valid and reliable quantitative measurement tools, qualitative research protocols, and translational activities, such as professional development and training for educators and learners. Putting these methods into practice lead to our dissemination efforts in which we share our learnings with both academic research and practitioner audiences.

Position Summary

Motivate Lab is beginning a 3.5-year partnership with the California Community Colleges’ Chancellor's Office (4CO) System to accelerate its corequisite education implementation by focusing on instructor and student mindsets and professional development. The Motivate Lab is looking for a Project Manager who can serve in this full-time role immediately. The Project Manager will play a central role implementing and scaling math and English corequisite education with a particular focus on instructor and student learning mindsets and professional development. The Project Manager will report to the California Research Director and Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships and Equity Initiatives and operate with a degree of agency and self-direction. This position is renewed on an annual basis pending satisfactory job performance.

Key Responsibilities

Motivate Lab is working on several major projects to help instructors and administrators across higher education build more motivationally supportive learning contexts for students. The focus of this collaboration with 4CO is to bring this research and translation process to the community college context in California. The project manager will work with a team to fulfill the management of all aspects of the project, including working with the project team to develop and implement the Motivating Learners Course, develop and implement surveys, evaluate the project, and communicate with internal and external partners.

Project Coordination

  • Coordinate with project personnel to ensure progress and accomplishment of deliverables (through tracking deliverables)

  • Identify 5-10 4CO institutions for site visits and develop site visit protocols

  • Facilitate focus groups and similar sessions to empathize and learn with stakeholders throughout the 4CO system

  • Support in the development of performance tasks and the construction of the MLC as a whole

  • Communication and meeting facilitation between ML staff, 4CO, and representatives from community colleges (fellows, directors, participating faculty)

  • Manage the MLC experience by onboarding course participants, troubleshooting course participants’ engagement, reading discussion posts in the course platform and raise them to course facilitators, confirming participants’ course completion, and answering questions about the course or logistics

Marketing and Communications

  • Facilitate the achievement of high survey and course completion rates by course participants via campus coordinators

  • Support in the recruitment and training of pilot faculty, faculty fellows, and course participants

  • Provide uptake opportunities and marketing to all community colleges to encourage course participation and retention of the use of the course

  • Support the formation of an ongoing communication and support group for all trained faculty

Project Logistics

  • Coordinate logistics for course development and implementation

  • Coordinate travel logistics for ML staff

  • Travel to community colleges and project events in the state of California

  • Ensure we are on schedule and in line with the budget

Research & Analysis

  • Conduct literature review of current measures in education and professional development

  • Coordinate measurement development work with the project team

  • Synthesize data analyses with team members to identify next steps for project development and reporting

  • Support in the development and revision of the logic model for the MLC

The current position’s responsibilities are primarily specific to the deliverables and scope of work outlined in the 4CO Contract, but will also include Motivate Lab-wide duties, such as participating in our equity work and attending project manager meetings.

Qualifications and Skills/Experiences

The ideal candidate will have a background and interest in psychology, education, higher education reform, and/or equity research. This person will have a passion for shaping how community colleges serve students, implement and scale corequisite education, and create equitable spaces for students from historically marginalized and underserved populations.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Experience managing projects, including updating project management systems, defining and assigning tasks, regularly updating stakeholders on project progress, facilitating internal planning, update, and retrospective meetings

  • One year of experience in social science or education research involving data collection and/or statistical analysis

  • Strong organizational skills, including attention to detail and managing multiple priorities

  • Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills

  • Ability to interact effectively with a diverse team of internal and external stakeholders

  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team

  • Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Education, Sociology, or a related discipline

  • Ability to maintain confidentiality and demonstrate professional judgment

Preferred Qualifications

  • Attended a community college (preferably one in California, but not required)

  • 3-5 years higher education or practical experience in the California higher education context

  • 3-5 years project management experience

  • 3-5 years education reform experience, specifically corequisite education reform

  • Coding and synthesizing qualitative data

  • Experience administering surveys via an online platform (e.g., Qualtrics)

We know there are great candidates who might not check all these boxes or who possess important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

Commitment to Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Motivate Lab is committed to:

  • Recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce of high-quality Motivators

  • Promoting a culture of bravery, growth mindset, enthusiasm, equity-mindedness, aggressive humility, and a focus on impact.

More about Motivate Lab LLC

Motivate Lab LLC is an independently run organization with an annual operating budget of over $1.5M. It is completely supported through external grants and contracts. Our current five-year strategic plan has ambitious goals of growing the size, scope, and impact of our work in education and beyond, including sports and workforce settings.

Target start date: June 1, 2023

Compensation

Competitive salary is commensurate with individual’s experience and skills. The total compensation range for the position is $107K - $117K. All full-time Motivate Lab LLC consultants are independent contractors and are responsible for purchasing their own medical insurance and other benefits. Full-time Motivate Lab LLC consultants receive 24 days of paid time off, 15 paid holidays, and financial support for professional development.

Application process

  • Motivate Lab LLC is an equal opportunity employer and encourages a diverse pool of candidates to apply. We accept applications on a rolling basis and will remain open until filled. For more information, please send an email to Matt Best at matt@motivatelab.org.