Executive Director, Custom Consulting Services

This is a full-time, remote position anywhere in the contiguous United States, with national travel expected up to 50%What You’ll DoThe Executive Director of Custom Consulting Services provides strategic vision and leadership for custom consulting partnerships, driving initiatives that help school systems solve complex instructional challenges. This leader guides early-stage service innovation, evaluating market demand and student impact to pilot responsive consulting models before scaling them across the organization. As a senior leader, the Executive Director expands national reach, cultivates high-trust partnerships with school and state leaders, and mentors senior consulting talent to ensure custom engagements deliver sustainable outcomes for educators and priority student groups.Responsibilities:Custom Consulting Strategy & Service Line InnovationSets division-wide vision and strategic priorities for custom consulting, ensuring service quality, partner impact, and alignment with organizational learning goalsLeads early-stage discovery for prospective service lines by evaluating market demand, student outcomes, and mission fit to capture emerging opportunitiesLaunches early-stage pilot offerings outside core services to address emerging partner needs, using real-time insights to inform long-term scaling strategiesTranslates successful pilot programs into sustainable, financially viable service models aligned with organizational strategyEstablishes systems and routines for data-driven iterative design that continuously refine custom and early-stage consulting offeringsChampions the codification of project learnings across the division, integrating emerging insights into broader organizational offeringsEvaluates complex, multi-faceted challenges with a systems lens as the primary decision-maker on custom contracts, balancing risk and opportunity to deliver sustainable impactNavigates organizational change with resilience while modeling curiosity and innovation, positioning new service lines for long-term growthBusiness Development & Revenue GenerationOwns custom consulting business development strategy, maintaining accountability for achieving annual multi-million dollar revenue goalsNurtures high-trust relationships with current and prospective partner leaders, building a strong pipeline for new service identificationGuides the end-to-end partner engagement process from initial diagnostic needs discovery through custom solution design and final contractingBuilds external partnerships that expand design and delivery capabilities, collaborating across teams to extend organizational reachCommunicates strategic vision and priorities across broad audiences, serving as a thought leader to build national awareness and buy-in across school systems and state agenciesContributes design and instructional expertise to grant proposals and reporting in support of broader organizational fundraising effortsTeam Leadership & Organizational AlignmentGuides and coaches senior leaders across the division, providing strategic direction and senior-level support on complex partner engagementsActively mentors and develops senior talent, building technical and adaptive competencies to prepare leaders for expanding responsibilitiesTranslates organizational strategy into clear, compelling priorities and aligned resourcing for the teamInspires alignment and guides teams toward a shared vision by modeling strong organizational leadership and sound judgmentEmbodies and elevates organizational values, building a team culture grounded in accountability and continuous learningPartners across divisions to align custom consulting strategy with organization-wide priorities and initiativesEstablishes operational routines to support project management and quality assurance while planning for downline staffing and succession needsCandidate Qualifications and Traits:​​​​​​12+ years of professional experience in K-12 consulting, instructional improvement, or organizational leadership, including extensive senior leadership experience managing complex, cross-functional teamsCustom Service Design & Innovation: Mastery in evaluating market demand and student impact to conceptualize, pilot, and scale new service offerings in highly ambiguous environmentsBusiness Development & Revenue Generation: Deep skill in cultivating partner relationships, building consulting pipelines, and consistently achieving multi-million dollar revenue targets in the education sector  Instructional System Leadership: Expertise in K-12 instructional improvement at the system level, including leadership levers that accelerate outcomes for priority student groups  Senior Leadership Development: Mastery in coaching, mentoring, and developing senior leaders, building talent pipelines, and guiding teams through organizational change and innovationStrategic Advisory & Influence: Exceptional ability to build strategic, high-trust relationships with senior school system and state leaders to influence system-level decision-makingComplex Portfolio Management: Deep skill in overseeing multi-faceted consulting portfolios, balancing iterative design, revenue targets, and high-stakes partner deliveryInstruction Partners provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Instruction Partners complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.Compensation:The salary for this role is $192,000. Detailed information about the organizational compensation philosophy can be found here. Competitive benefits and private retirement investment options are available, as well as a generous vacation policy. See our detailed benefits package here: Benefits in Brief Overview. Additionally, Instruction Partners participates in E-Verify. Please see the E-Verify “Notice of Participation” and the Department of Justice “Right to Work ” posters for more information.Our Mission: We strengthen instructional leadership in schools, school systems, and states to ensure teachers have the support they need to improve learning experiences and learning outcomes for students— with attention to students of color, students experiencing poverty, multilingual learners, and students with disabilities.Our Vision:All students experience an excellent education that prepares them to contribute to their community, achieve economic security, and pursue their dreams.