Education Program Consultant (Charter School Program Co-Director)

State of Iowa - Executive Branch; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and benefits

Job summary

The Iowa Department of Education seeks an Education Program Consultant for the Iowa Charter School Program (I-CSP) to provide statewide leadership, coordination, and oversight of charter school grant implementation. You will work with the PI and Co-PD to strengthen high-quality authorization and monitoring across the state.

Responsibilities include budgeting, evaluation, reporting, professional learning, and cross‑agency collaboration to advance equitable educational opportunities and

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with five years of related experience.
• Experience in grant administration, budgeting, and federal reporting.
• Knowledge of charter school authorization, monitoring and accountability systems.
• Strong project management and facilitation skills.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate grant coordination and collaboration across teams and partners.
• Manage grant operations including budgeting, procurement and compliance.
• Oversee evaluation and reporting to the U.S. Department of Education.
• Develop and implement charter authorization and monitoring practices.
• Design and deliver professional learning and technical assistance.

Skills

Grant administration

Project management

Data analysis

Stakeholder collaboration

Professional learning design

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

Job Description

The Iowa Department of Education’s mission is ensuring all students experience a world-class education. To accomplish this mission, we need talented, passionate people working together to build an excellent education system that empowers all students to achieve their full potential.

Job Description

The Iowa Department of Education’s mission is ensuring all students experience a world-class education. To accomplish this mission, we need talented, passionate people working together to build an excellent education system that empowers all students to achieve their full potential.

The Education Program Consultant – Iowa Charter School Program (I-CSP)

provides statewide leadership, coordination, and operational oversight to support the effective implementation of Iowa’s federal Charter School Program grant. In collaboration with the Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Project Director (Co-PD), this position plays a critical role in strengthening high-quality charter school authorization, monitoring, and continuous improvement practices across the state. This consultant leads key administrative and grant management functions, including budgeting, evaluation, and reporting; supports professional learning and technical assistance; and fosters collaboration among charter schools, districts, and community partners. A central focus of this role is advancing high-quality, equitable educational opportunities through strong charter oversight, evidence-based practices, and alignment with state strategic priorities.

Your Responsibilities

Grant Coordination and Leadership

• Facilitate communication and collaboration across grant-related teams to ensure clarity of roles, responsibilities, and timelines.
• Promote efficient workflow, accountability, and alignment of activities with grant goals and federal expectations.
• Coordinate meetings and activities with internal and external partners, including federal and state stakeholders.

Administrative and Fiscal Management

• Manage grant operations, including budgeting, expenditures, procurement and compliance with federal and state requirements.
• Monitor progress toward deliverables and maintain documentation for reporting and audit purposes.
• Support cost allocation, contract development and monitoring of grant-funded activities.

Evaluation and Reporting

• Oversee project evaluation processes and ensure timely, accurate reporting to the U.S. Department of Education.
• Collect, analyze and synthesize program data to support continuous improvement and strategic decision-making.
• Collaborate with evaluation partners to establish meaningful performance measures and communicate outcomes.

Charter Authorization and Monitoring

• Establish, refine, and implement effective charter authorization and monitoring practices aligned with Iowa Code and national best practices.
• Strengthen charter application, review and renewal processes to incorporate I-CSP expectations and high standards of quality.
• Conduct rigorous application and renewal reviews to ensure performance, compliance and accountability.
• Develop and implement Iowa’s High-Quality Monitoring Review process for charter renewals and closures.
• Manage I-CSP grant contracts and ensure alignment between contractual obligations and program goals.

Professional Development and Technical Assistance

• Design and deliver research-based professional learning and technical assistance to support charter school quality, sustainability and compliance.
• Collaborate with the Iowa Coalition as the professional development partner to ensure coherent and aligned supports.
• Establish and maintain the Iowa Charter School Network to promote ongoing, needs-based support.
• Foster peer collaboration among charter schools and between charter and traditional public schools. Strengthen family and community engagement to support equitable and inclusive learning environments.

Desired Qualifications

A successful candidate will bring, or have the ability and desire to learn:

• Experience in grant administration, budgeting and federal reporting.
• Knowledge of charter school authorization, monitoring and accountability systems.
• Strong project management, facilitation and organizational skills.
• Ability to analyze data and use findings to guide program improvement.
• Experience designing and delivering professional learning.
• Ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including state agencies, school leaders, families and community partners.
• Knowledge of education policy, compliance and continuous improvement frameworks.

Hours:

8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday; some nights and weekends, occasional in-state and out-of-state travel

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

• Opportunities to make a widespread difference in the lives of children, their families, and Iowa communities
• Collaborative, positive work environment
• Talented and passionate work colleagues that will help you learn and grow
• Opportunities to collaborate with experts from around the country
• Employee discounts from a variety of vendors
• Competitive salary and benefits package:

https://das.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/hr/documents/employment/Benefits_Beyond_the_Paycheck.pdf

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E-Verify and Right to Work

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university and five years of full-time post-graduate work experience in any one or a combination of the following areas:
• Professional training, teaching, or counseling experience in an educational setting;
• Professional administrative experience in an educational setting;
• Professional finance, accounting, or auditing experience, including the preparation or analysis of financial statements;
• Professional experience in a major technical program area housed within the Iowa Department of Education;
• Professional data integration, data analysis, and statistical analysis experience;
• Professional communications experience, including public relations, marketing, or journalism; or
• Professional school safety and emergency preparedness experience.
• A combination of a total of five years of post-graduate education and full-time experience (as described in number one), where twenty-four semester hours of accredited post-graduate college or university course work equals one year of full-time experience.
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master’s degree, possession of a valid Iowa Teaching Certificate, and three academic years of teaching and/or administrative experience in PK-12 and/or a post-secondary educational institution.
• Possession of a School Business Official Authorization from the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and seven years of full-time professional experience in finance, accounting, or auditing, including the preparation or analysis of financial statements.