Want to work for us? « The Saylor Foundation

Want to work for us?

The Saylor Foundation relies heavily on members of the academic community in order to fulfill its mission. We are always in search of progressive-thinking deans, professors, assistant professors, instructors, teaching assistants, and students of varying levels of education (from high school level interns to graduate students) willing to share the breadth of their knowledge and expertise in order to make the Free Education Initiative a success. Please see below for specific job postings. Unless specifically indicated, pay is commensurate with experience.

Due to the volume of applications received, the Saylor Foundation may be unable to respond to all queries about the status of open positions and/or to all applicants. The Foundation staff will contact eligible candidates directly.

FULL-TIME

Educational Content Development Manager, Grades K-12

Business Development Manager

PART-TIME

Academic Deans

Contributing Editor

Consulting Professor

Research Assistant

Quality Assurance Temp Positions

Educational Content Creator

Educational Content Development Manager, Grades K-12

Overview

Private foundation with web-based learning initiative seeks a qualified individual to fill the position of CONTENT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER for its K-12 educational program.

Position Description

The Saylor Foundation is currently developing open-access, cost-free courseware at the post-secondary level, but is preparing to expand its offerings to include courses at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels. Owing to this expansion, the Saylor Foundation seeks a qualified individual to fill the position of K-12 CONTENT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER. The K-12 CONTENT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER will report directly to the DIRECTOR and will be responsible for working with educational practitioners to define the Saylor Foundation’s K-12 program; assigning and overseeing the development of subject-specific curricula, individual courses, and constituent course materials (e.g., assessments, exams, original prose, and more); and providing editorial oversight to the content development process, including managing and reviewing the work of contributing editors. The K-12 CONTENT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER will also be responsible for ensuring that materials and courseware align with Common Core standards and planning a strategy for working with individual state standards. The K-12 CONTENT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER will stay abreast of developments in the open education space and will work with other staff members to respond to these developments in a strategic manner. Finally, the K-12 CONTENT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER will work with the COMMUNITY AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MANAGER to define and deploy a strategy for promoting adoption and use of Saylor courseware in K-12 classrooms. The ideal candidate will have a keen understanding of the barriers that may prevent K-12 instructors from adopting Saylor courseware and the various factors that may affect implementation.

Specific tasks include:

Researching and working with educational practitioners to define a core suite of courses that the Saylor Foundation will develop in Phase 1 of K-12 build-out;
Reviewing existing Content Development protocols in order to tailor them to K-12 course production and/or to replace them with protocols better-suited to the K-12 environment;
Familiarizing him- or herself with open educational content already in existence at the K-12 level and leveraging that content for use in Saylor Foundation courses;
Ensuring that all courseware aligns with Common Core standards and “works” within the context of individual state standards;
Defining protocols and standards for strong formative and summative assessments for K-12 courses;
Working directly with the Hiring Manager in order to define qualifications for appropriate K-12 course designers and facilitating in the recruitment and training of the same;
Training new hires in content development protocols;
Overseeing and interfacing with K-12 course designers in order to provide feedback, set deadlines, and offer guidance and support;
Overseeing and interfacing with a team of K-12 editors in order to provide feedback, assign work, and review and assess editorial work;
Maintaining various record-keeping tools in order to stay on top of assignments and course build out;
Reporting on progress and quality of designer work on regular basis to senior staff;
Supporting the Community & External Affairs Manager in crafting and deploying a strategy for promoting adoption and use of Saylor materials in K-12 classrooms;
Staying abreast of major developments in the K-12 space and reporting on these as necessary to senior staff.

Qualifications

1) Undergraduate degree from accredited institution and advanced degree in education;

2) Demonstrated grasp of principles of instructional design and curriculum development, including familiarity with Quality Matters and iNACOL standards;

3) Demonstrated understanding of the role that Common Core/state standards play in course design and classroom administration;

4) Experience with online or hybrid courseware (especially those administered via BrainHoney, Moodle, and Blackboard);

5) Teaching experience at the K-12 level;

6) Familiarity with Creative Commons licensing/open educational resources;

7) Program management experience in a high-pressure environment strongly preferred;

8) Familiarity with and/or experience designing assessments (summative and formative) for K-12 students;

9) A passion for education and commitment to educational reform;

10) Awareness of the barriers that exist in the K-12 space with regards to the adoption of new course materials/online tools;

11) Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision;

12) Excellent verbal and written communication skills;

13) Strong computer skills;

14) Experience editing and/or creating educational content encouraged.

Details

This is a full-time position.

Location: Successful candidate will work from the Saylor Foundation’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Compensation: Commensurate with experience. Excellent health care benefits provided.

Please submit cover letter, writing sample, and resume to applyCDM@saylor.org.

Business Development Manager

Overview

Private foundation launching new web-based learning initiative seeks a self-motivated business development professional to fill the position of BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER.

About the Foundation

The Constitution Foundation (DBA The Saylor Foundation) was established in 1999 by the CEO of a leading business intelligence technology company. The Foundation has launched an initiative committed to the development and structuring of open educational resources, with the goal of driving the cost of higher education down to zero. The initiative seeks to provide the architecture for a new educational model designed to disseminate free, high-quality materials to those lacking the resources to access traditional schooling.

Position Description

The Saylor Foundation has developed over 230 self-contained, cost-free, college-level courses and made them openly available to the public at www.saylor.org. The Foundation wishes to expand its reach through 1) a direct marketing campaign geared towards potential students and 2) the cultivation of partnerships with entities with extensive international popularity and a ubiquitous web presence. Ideal partners would include well-known internet-based companies and services located in Silicon Valley that rise above all others in the realm of free distribution of content. The BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER will operate under the supervision of and report directly to the Foundation Program Director. He or she will be responsible for researching, identifying, and developing partnerships with organizations in the non-profit, commercial, and government sectors with the end goal of distributing the Foundation’s educational content to as many individuals as possible. The Manager will assess the open education space, stay abreast of developments in the field, and work to establish the Foundation as a leader in the movement. He/she will work with Foundation staff in order to ensure consistent messaging and clarity of purpose in all of the Foundation’s interactions with the open education space.

Specific tasks include, but may not be limited to:

1) Identifying and contacting potential partner organizations specifically in Silicon Valley and establishing relationships with key decision makers.

2) Developing and updating a reporting mechanism for such outreach and partnership proposals in order to keep staff and trustee abreast of developments and patterns of success/failure.

3) Studying and assessing the potential integration of the Foundation’s venture with target partner’s mission, needs, and goals.

4) Conceptualizing mutually beneficial partnership proposals and negotiating and implementing specific plans for action.

5) Conducting general outreach in order to stay abreast of key developments in the industry; identifying potential funding sources and opportunities; and reaching out to grant-makers on the West Coast to pursue these relationships.

6) Developing relationships with press and media outlets (specifically those focused on technology) in order to increase awareness of the Foundation’s mission and status in Silicon Valley.

Details

This is a full-time position. The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Foundation Director, and, for a trial period of 6 weeks, will telecommute full time from San Francisco, CA, with 1 visit to Washington. The Foundation will review this working arrangement after 6 weeks and may request a change in schedule or reporting structure.

Compensation

Pay is commensurate with experience on a not-for-profit scale. Health care benefits included for hired individual.

Please contact Alana Harrington, Program Director for the Saylor Foundation, at Apply@Saylor.org, if interested. Use the subject line “Business Development Manager”

Academic Deans

The Saylor Foundation is seeking academic deans to supervise the development and operations of each of its twelve disciplines.

Overview

Private foundation launching new web-based learning initiative seeks a qualified individual with a graduate degree, several years of experience as a student affairs administrator, and a passion for education to fill the position of ACADEMIC DEAN.

Position Description

The ACADEMIC DEAN will develop academic policies and programs for the discipline and will coordinate with the deans of other disciplines in order to ensure consistency of Foundation programming and coursework.

The Dean will advise on personnel matters, oversee professors and consultants within the discipline, and recommend the implementation and manage the development of additional courses.

The Dean will serve as a liaison officer with accrediting agencies that evaluate academic programs and will advise on matters relating to accreditation.

The Dean will report to the Program Director in all of his or her activities. The Dean may work remotely, but will be required to attend bi-annual meetings with the deans of all Saylor Foundation disciplines at Foundation headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Qualifications

1) A graduate degree

2) Five years experience as an administrator in student affairs

3) Excellent communication skills

4) Demonstrated ability to continuously monitor and improve academic programs

5) Experience as leader, teacher, and public servant in a variety of settings

6) Experience with online coursework and eLearning a plus

Details

This is a part-time, contract position.

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute 5-10 hours a month.

Location

Successful candidate will telecommute, but will commit to bi-annual meetings at Foundation headquarters in Washington, D.C. IF h/she is located in the region.

Compensation

Pay is negotiable.

Apply here

Contributing Editor

Overview

Private foundation launching web-based learning initiative seeks a qualified individual with demonstrated editing experience and passion for education and educational reform.

Position Description

The Saylor Foundation seeks a qualified individual to fill the position of CONTRIBUTING EDITOR. The CONTRIBUTING EDITOR will edit educational content for new initiative and report directly to the Foundation’s Content Development Manager. Specific tasks include determining whether texts achieve the Foundation-specified level of granularity and tone; flagging portions of the text that are inadequately detailed, conceptualized, or otherwise executed; copyediting to correct errors in grammar, spelling, usage, and style; proofreading for typographical and mechanical errors; and ensuring that all materials are properly formatted according to the Saylor Foundation guidelines. The assistant editor will communicate directly with content contributors, passing along feedback and edits in a timely manner and reviewing revisions to ensure compliance with proposed modifications.

Qualifications

1) Undergraduate degree from accredited institution; advanced degree in English or certification from a Publishing Program strongly desired;
2) Demonstrated experience with editing and/or copy-editing and proofreading, particularly in the academic genre;
3) A passion for education and commitment to educational reform;
4) Ability to work independently without daily supervision;
5) Strong verbal and written communication skills;
6) Strong computer skills;
7) Ability to work a minimum of 15-20 hours a week.

Details

This is a part-time, contract position.

Location

Successful candidate will telecommute, but will commit to monthly meetings at Foundation headquarters in Washington, D.C. IF he or she is located in the region.

Compensation

$20/hr.

Please submit cover letter, resume, and writing sample. Applicants called in for an interview will likely be asked to complete a diagnostic editing quiz.

Apply here

Consulting Professor

The Saylor Foundation is seeking Consulting Professors for each of its disciplines, including: Art History, Anthropology, Astronomy, Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Computer Science, Communications, Economics, Environmental Science, ESL, Foreign Language, Geography, Geology, History, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Nutrition, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Pre-Education, Pre-Nursing, Professional Development, Psychology, Science, Technology, and Society (STS), Sociology, Standardized Test Prep, and Web Development.

Overview

Private foundation launching new web-based learning initiative seeks a qualified individual with college-level teaching experience, passion for education, and expertise in instructional design.

Position Description

The Saylor Foundation seeks qualified individuals to design course “blueprints” for an online academic community. The blueprints will identify learning objectives and define overall learning sequences for various Foundation-specified courses within a given major. They will serve as the basis for the pairing and/or development of additional web-based course materials, including e-textbooks, course lectures, assessments, lecture notes, and more.

The successful candidate will work to conceptualize an individual course, identify existing web resources that can be used for instruction, outline learning objectives, design unit progression, and pair the outline with resources. The selected individual will collaborate closely with the Foundation editor to ensure consistency and clarity of these materials.

The applicant will perform the following tasks: 1. Conceptualize a course; 2. Identify freely available web-based textbooks, readings, video lectures, assignments and assessments that satisfy various elements of assigned course; 3. Create comprehensive course “blueprints” accompanied by learning objectives using existing free online educational resources and simultaneously link instructional units of blueprint with discovered web-based learning materials; 4. Identify gaps in the curriculum unsatisfied by free educational materials currently in existence; 5. Catalyze the submission and/or creation of missing curriculum through public relations efforts, OER and University community outreach, private partnerships and a contest with a monetary reward.

Qualifications

1) Undergraduate degree and a Masters or equivalent in field completed or in progress;

2) Teaching experience at the college level;

3) A passion for education and commitment to educational reform;

4) Demonstrated experience in instructional design;

5) Ability to work independently without daily supervision;

6) Strong verbal and written communication skills

7) Ability to commit minimum of 15 hours a week.

Details

This is a part-time, contract position.

The candidate will be required to complete a 2-3 hour trial assignment, to be carefully reviewed by Foundation staff, prior to securing employment with the Foundation.

Location

Successful candidate will telecommute, but will commit to monthly meetings at Foundation headquarters in Washington, D.C. IF h/she is located in the region.

Compensation

Commensurate with experience.

Apply here

Research Assistant

Overview

Private foundation launching new web-based learning initiative seeks an organized, responsible college student or graduate to assist in the launch of a new open education initiative.

About the Foundation

About the Free Education Initiative

The Saylor Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that intends to provide free, online education to anyone, anywhere. Our formal mission is to harness technology in order to make education free. After assessing what had already been accomplished in the realm of free online education, we realized there was a need for structure. We envisioned a central website capable of routing a student through the content he or she would need to know in order to earn the equivalent of a college degree in a given field—but for free. In order to expedite the process of content development, we’re developing a strong structure by identifying: 1. the 10 most popular majors for college students in the United States, 2. the courses a student would need to complete in order to earn a degree in that major, and 3. the learning taxonomies for each of those respective courses. We are now having domain experts link the identified raw elements within each course to free learning resources online and identify the principles of each course for which free educational content does not exist. To fill the “gaps,” we will solicit the development or submission of targeted open educational resources, including open textbooks, course lectures, assessments, and so forth. We will offer monetary awards for the creation or submission of these materials.

Job Description

The selected candidates will:

1) Assist in editing, formatting, and verifying Foundation educational materials;

2) Engage in a variety of research exercises related to the Foundation’s various initiatives;

3) Perform data entry under the supervision of the Educational Content Manager;

4) Assist in the maintenance of the Foundation’s iTunes U page;

5) Compile and maintain accurate records of educational content creation and consultants’ individual progress;

6) Assist in the maintenance of the Foundation’s educational content database;

7) Research the copyright status of intellectual properties;

8) Attend Foundation meetings and events as requested;

9) Provide other administrative support as needed.

Summary: The successful candidate will be responsible for a variety of tasks relating to the expansion of the Open Education initiative and its website, including, but not limited to: research; editing, formatting, and verification of Foundation materials; the identification of mislabeled or malfunctioning web links in Foundation educational content; data entry; and the documentation of directed web-based findings.

Qualifications

1) College degree earned or in progress;

2) Ability to multi-task while remaining highly organized and motivated;

3) A passion for education and commitment to educational reform;

4) Excellent computer and web-research skills;

5) Experience and working knowledge of Microsoft Office;

6) Ability to critically examine a problem and develop innovative solutions;

7) Ability to meet expectations in a timely manner;

8) Ability to work independently without regular supervision;

9) Strong verbal and written communication skills;

10) Ability to commit minimum of 20 hours a week;

11) A personal laptop computer.

Details

This is a part-time, contract position.

Location: Selected candidates will work with their personal laptop from the Foundation’s headquarters in Georgetown.

Compensation: $10-12/hr

Please contact Devon Ritter, Personnel & Special Projects Administrator for the Saylor Foundation, at Apply@Saylor.org, if interested.

Quality Assurance Temp Positions

The Saylor Foundation seeks quality assurance temporary employees to test the academic materials it has developed for each of its ten majors.

Overview

Private foundation launching new web-based learning initiative seeks qualified individuals to complete Saylor Foundation coursework and provide feedback on quality of materials.

Position Description

The successful candidate will work through all of the materials in a given course, making a note of any content or formatting errors, website issues, and other performance-related observations he or she encounters. He or she will also flag areas of online course that seem confusing or poorly organized and will highlight portions that seem particularly useful and well-structured.

The successful candidate will complete a formal assessment packet upon completion of course and will submit this, as well as the notes referenced above.

Qualifications

1) Must possess an undergraduate degree or be in the process of obtaining one

2) Must have strong written and verbal communication skills

3) Must be able to commit 15 hours a week

Details

This is a part-time, contract position.

Location

Successful candidate will telecommute.

Compensation

$10/hour.

Apply here

Educational Content Creator: College-Level History

Overview
Private foundation with college-level web-based learning initiative seeks a qualified individual to fill the position of EDUCATIONAL CONTENT CREATOR in the HISTORY discipline.

Position Description
The Saylor Foundation seeks a current or recent graduate student in the field of HISTORY to fill the position of EDUCATIONAL CONTENT CREATOR. The ideal candidate will have exceptional writing skills and a C.V. that reflects high academic achievement.

The EDUCATIONAL CONTENT CREATOR will work as a part-time independent contractor in order to research and author modular pieces of educational content in the field of HISTORY. This content may involve definitions of historical terms, concepts, individuals, and events; brief biographies; overviews of important events, chains of events, and/or movements; introductory content on theories; and more.

The EDUCATIONAL CONTENT CREATOR must be open to a collaborative authorship environment, and must be willing to accept editorial and content-related feedback openly. He/she must also be flexible with his/her time, as assignments may ebb and flow depending on the needs of the Foundation at any given time.

The EDUCATIONAL CONTENT CREATOR will report directly to the Content Development Manager and will work closely with the Saylor Foundation’s Contributing Editors, who will provide feedback and editorial support.

Qualifications
1) Undergraduate degree in HISTORY from accredited institution;
2) Current or recent enrollment in a graduate degree (M.A. or Ph.D.) program in HISTORY from an accredited institution;
3) Exceptional writing skills;
4) A stellar GPA/transcript;
5) A passion for education and commitment to educational reform;
6) Ability to work independently;
7) Ability to commit to a minimum of 10 hours of work per week.

Details
This is a part-time, contract position.
Location: Successful candidate will work from home.
Compensation: $10 per ½ page of single-spaced, size 12 Arial font content.

Please submit cover letter, resume, and 3 writing samples, each under 3 pages in length. (Writing samples may be excerpts from longer projects.)

Applications can be sent to applyecc@saylor.org

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