Company description

Pilot Light is a Chicago-founded 501(c)(3) Food Education nonprofit organization that partners with educators to support them in teaching their students through food and about food. Students develop knowledge and skills to advocate for informed food choices for themselves, their families, and their communities.
 

Pilot Light’s teacher-led model is game-changing: through our approach, PreK–12 teachers are provided with the support and resources needed to integrate Food Education into their classrooms and engage students during implementation while also teaching them about food and its importance in their lives outside of school. 
 

Over the past 10 years, Pilot Light has grown from one Chicago elementary school to reach over 20,000 students across the country. During the pandemic, the organization scaled its offerings nationwide through virtual content and the introduction of several new programs and partnerships.
 

Pilot Light leads in Food Education through programming and professional development rooted in our Food Education Standards. We serve districts, schools, teachers, and learners through our Food Education Center, the annual Food Education Fellowship, Fellowship Alumni Network, and a variety of rapidly growing school and district partnerships. 

Job description

The Feeding Futures Program Manager is a new, part-time position at Pilot Light managing operations of the Feeding Futures Fellowship (FFF) program in collaboration with our partners in the Food-Integrated Education Alliance (FIEA), which includes Pilot Light, the Chicago High School for Agriculture Science, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Decatur Public Schools Foundation, Illinois State Board of Education, Jackie Joyner Kersee Food, Agriculture and Nutrition Innovation Center in East St. Louis, Office of the Lt. Governor of Illinois, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). 
 

The FFF invests in a cohort of 3rd-5th grade teacher leaders in (3 in East St. Louis, 4 teachers in Decatur, and 3 teachers in Chicago) over the 24-26 school years, who are committed to bringing Food, Nutrition and Agriculture Education to their students weekly to align to core curriculum to expose young people to how food systems impact their lives, particularly from a culturally relevant perspective.
 

Location: Must be authorized to work in the USA, live in the State of Illinois, and in close proximity to the East St. Louis area. Hybrid role with travel to Chicago, East St. Louis, and Decatur for site visits and in-community events.
 

Position Type: Part-time, as needed, an average of 20 hours per week. Position isn't overtime exempt, and we will track hours and pay overtime accordingly.
 

Start Date: July 22nd-July 29th, 2024 

Duties:

(60%) Coordinate implementation of FFF with East St. Louis, Decatur, and Chicago teachers:  

• Co-lead onboarding of 10 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade teacher “Fellows”(year 1)
• Provide school-year support on Agriculture and Food Education integration and community partnership planning to Fellows via regular Zoom meetings, monthly professional development sessions, constructive feedback, and support managing program requirements (year 1 and year 2)
• Steward relationships with teachers and FIEA, between Fellows in regional cohorts, and across all regions through regular email and virtual interactions and share outs (year 1 and year 2)
• Plan, prepare, and co-lead monthly virtual professional development sessions (year 1 and year 2)
• Provide regular summaries, action items and other necessary program communication following and between monthly PD sessions (year 1 and year 2)
• Oversee completion/submission of Fellow EOY materials and surveys (year 1 and year 2)
• Co-plan a Summer Curriculum Summit to develop localized Agriculture Education lessons and unit plans with PL staff and Fellows (year 2) 

(10%) Site Visits and Community Engagement

• With PL staff, Fellows, and FEIA, schedule and attend 1 classroom visit and/or 1 community-led event per year per Fellow to support Food Education implementation and development of student-led advocacy projects 
• Assist with logistics for in-person professional development and events with FEIA to share out learnings and connect with community partners 

(30%) Program Administration & Evaluation Support 

• Update and maintain the FFF website and its related resources/documents as necessary (year 1 and year 2)
• Support administrative tasks associated including reminders for submitting monthly reflection portfolios and Fellow, school, and partner stipend payments (year 1 and year 2)
• Collaborate with PL and FIEA on FFF initiatives and communications (year 1 and year 2)
• Collaborate with UIUC evaluation team and PL to develop an evaluation plan showing teacher growth over time (year 1)
• Collaborate with UIUC evaluation team, PL, and Fellows to make recommendations for future implementation based on teacher and student data, feedback, and personal observations/reflections (year 2)
• Support identification of/communication with community partnerships in East St. Louis, Decatur, and Chicago in collaboration with FIEA (year 1)
• Engage in meetings with PL staff, FIEA, and Fellows 

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required of employee for this job.
 

Qualifications and Experience

• Prior teaching experience 
• Urban food system and agriculture education knowledge – preferred 
• Peer to peer coaching experience – preferred not required 
• Familiarity with Google Suite, Google Classroom, and Zoom platforms 
• Willingness and comfortability learning/using new digital platforms
• Experience working with multiple community members – parents/caregivers, administrators, students, and teachers to bridge ideas
• Passion for Pilot Light’s mission and vision
• Must be available August 15th and 16th 9a-4p CST for Summer Institute and 5-7p CST on monthly professional development dates (year 1): September 11th, October 9th, November 13th, December 11th, January 15th, February 12th, March 12th, April 9th, May 14th, and June 4th. Year 2 dates TBD.

Skills and Knowledge

• Organization, project management, and ability to prioritize tasks and manage concurrent assignments under tight deadlines
• Comfortable with supporting food education integration into multiple educational content areas – preferred but not required 
• Excellent verbal, writing, presentation, and interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with partners and co-workers in a friendly and professional manner.
• Accountable and committed to personal growth and development regarding diversity, equity, inclusion, and access
• Familiarity and dedication to learner-centered framework of education 
• Working knowledge of best practices in pedagogy and commitment to understanding the current educational landscape 
• Understanding of instructional design & authentic assessment 
• Familiarity with inquiry-based learning 
• Simultaneously a team player & self-starter with exceptional organization and time management skills 
• Maintain high level of enthusiasm, energy, initiative, and drive 

Travel will be required to East St. Louis, Decatur, and Chicago, plus attending weekend and evening functions. Access to a car is required and travel will be reimbursed. 

 

Compensation

this position is: salaried, varies DOE, $27,000.00 - $30,000.00

Application instructions

Deadline

July 09, 2024