Teachers College - Jobs - Job Details - Project Coordinator: Making Democracy Real & OUTREACH Platform

Posting Summary:

The Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University, is seeking a full-time Project Manager to support the strategic growth of Making Democracy Real (MDR) — an applied civics education initiative — and the development and implementation of OUTREACH, a digital platform for democratic engagement in public education.

Job Summary/Basic Function:

This position focuses on scalability, sustainability, infrastructure, and institutional coordination across both initiatives, which are led by Professor Jonathan Collins through the School Board and Youth Engagement (S-BYE) Lab. The Project Manager will play a key role in deepening cross-sector partnerships, coordinating implementation logistics, and ensuring long-term alignment between pilot outcomes and system-level goals.

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Planning & Scalability

• Lead strategic planning and sustainability efforts for Making Democracy Real as it expands beyond the pilot phase.
• Develop internal systems for documenting and codifying scalable implementation practices.
• Identify and coordinate new district and school partnerships.
• Collaborate with fellows and team members to build replicable implementation
  pathways.

OUTREACH Platform Coordination

• Support the implementation of the OUTREACH platform in participating schools and districts.
• Serve as the primary liaison with platform developers, ensuring school and user needs inform design.
• Coordinate onboarding materials, usage protocols, and stakeholder feedback loops.
• Monitor implementation progress and troubleshoot challenges in real time.

Communications & Development Support

• Draft updates, memos, and reports for funders, district leaders, and other stakeholders.
• Contribute to public-facing materials, including newsletters, slide decks, and evaluation briefs.
• Assist the PI and Center leadership with grant reporting and strategic communications.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in education, public policy, nonprofit management, political science, or related field.
•  At least 1-2 years of experience in project management, education program strategy, or nonprofit leadership.
•  Strong communication, planning, and stakeholder engagement skills.
•  Ability to manage complex timelines across multiple initiatives and workstreams.
•  Proficiency in Google Workspace, Zoom, and project management tools (e.g., Asana, Airtable, Notion).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Graduate degree or graduate coursework in civics, education policy, political science, or related field.
• Experience in civic education, democratic innovation, or digital platform implementation.
• Familiarity with NYC public education systems or experience in urban school partnerships.
• Comfort navigating relationships across education, philanthropy, and community sectors.
• Strong commitment to equity and democracy, particularly in historically underserved communities.

Salary Range:

$59,000-$60,000

Work Modality:

Hybrid

Competitive Compensation and Benefits 

The salary range reflects the College’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the compensation for the position at the time of the job posting.  Salary decisions are dependent on several factors, including but not limited to market and organizational considerations, experience, and qualifications of a selected candidate as well as internal and external equity.

Our benefits contribute significantly to the total compensation package that includes medical, dental, vision, and supplemental insurance plans; flexible and hybrid work schedules; tuition remission; life insurance; short and long-term disability insurance; an exceptional employer retirement matching program; health savings accounts (HSA), flexible spending accounts (FSA), Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility, and a robust Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Hybrid/Remote

Teachers College maintains a hybrid work environment, which provides employees with flexible work arrangements while ensuring we preserve the important aspects of our unique in-person college-campus culture. Depending on role and business needs, colleagues will either work onsite or in a hybrid model (a combination of in-office and virtual days). Employees are expected to live within a 150-mile radius of the College.