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Manager, Programs

Role Summary:
Forward Arkansas is seeking an experienced program leader eager to build and manage current and future program offerings inside Forward’s ecosystem. This person should reside in Arkansas, expect a hybrid work setting, and will travel in state, including to rural and Delta regions, for program roles and responsibilities, as well as occasional national travel.

About Forward Arkansas:
Forward Arkansas (‘Forward’) is committed to reimagining learning to improve all students’ outcomes. By supporting great teachers and leaders in developing and scaling innovative practices, Forward aims to help all kids achieve success in the classroom, career, and life. As a statewide education nonprofit, Forward works to accelerate the transformation of Arkansas’s PreK–12 system, helping partners bridge the gap between policy and implementation to ensure excellent outcomes for every student. Founded in 2014 as a public-private partnership between the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Arkansas State Board of Education, Forward recognizes that lasting educational change must be built alongside, not just for, the educators, families, and communities across the state. Over the past several years, Forward Arkansas has grown its credibility, sharpened its strategic focus, and established itself as a trusted, nonpartisan partner to the Arkansas Department of Education, state leaders, school districts, educator preparation programs, and philanthropy. Forward Arkansas operates as a nimble, high-impact intermediary with a focused core team augmented by project leads, fellows, coaches, and national consulting partners, successfully harnessing grassroots innovation to deliver statewide systems change.

About the Programs Team:
The programs team at Forward is responsible for the development, execution, planning and leadership of all Forward programming, which has included cohorted communities of practice, convenings, web-based offerings, and other programs supporting teachers, schools, districts, and education preparation programs across the state. The LeARner Collective (TLC) serves as the umbrella ecosystem for all Forward programs and offerings. Our current and recent cohorts have focused on Outcomes Based Contracting, Creating Conditions for Learning Success, and Educator Preparation Transformation. You can learn more about some of the programs Forward has launched here.

About the Role:
Forward is seeking a skilled program manager from the nonprofit or education sector who is eager to leverage their strong program design and facilitation, deep content expertise, and exceptional communication skills toward Forward’s mission of empowering great teachers and leaders to reimagine learning.

Exceptional candidates should be energized about and skilled in the following competencies:

Educational Program Management and Facilitation

  • Build a deep understanding of, and ultimately manage and be accountable for, Forward’s existing programs within the TLC network, including our current cohorted communities of practice
  • Directly manage, influence, and continuously improve TLC programs over time, in response to data and local context
  • Leverage adult learning best practices, plan, design, recruit for, and facilitate new Forward TLC programs, with oversight from the Senior Director, Programs.
  • Manage some 1099 consultants and oversee vendor partners working within TLC programs
  • Look across existing and new programs to surface learnings and recommend key program changes and adaptations over time
  • Generate insights from the programmatic work to support impact reporting, data gathering, and storytelling about Forward’s program offerings

Exceptional Relationship Building

  • Be a collaborative, nimble, and curious member of Forward’s local, state-based team
  • Build meaningful and productive relationships with key stakeholders, including school-, district-, and state-based education partners, vendors, coaches, and community members, serving as the first point of contact for all TLC programs
  • Motivate, inspire and influence participants and coaches in our programs toward innovation, transformation, and a promising future for Arkansas students and educators
  • Report to and work in deep partnership with the Senior Director, Programs to architect the overall program strategy and deliver strong network offerings

Program Coherence and Alignment to National Best Practices

  • Build deep local and state education landscape expertise that informs all program offerings
  • Prioritize building expertise about educational best practices across the country, and translate those best practices to local and state contexts for coherent implementation and maximum impact
  • Support participants in our programs to design and execute sustainable plans for transformation within their local contexts
  • Write and contribute to stories about our work, which may include case studies, blogs, internal and external communications, and other opportunities to tell Forward’s story of impact

Collaborative Teamwork

  • Work on a nimble, collaborative team to support all of Forward’s aims
  • Represent Forward and our work within communities in state and national education spaces, including with the Arkansas Department of Education, at state and national conferences, and in district work

Who You Are

Highly qualified candidates should have:

  • Four to five years of experience leading initiatives or learning for adults
  • A bachelor's degree in a relevant field
  • Experience in education preferred

Additionally, candidates who would thrive in this role are:

  • Curious and learning oriented, eager to build their knowledge, skill and capacity
  • Comfortable operating in ambiguity and moving nimbly between strategic and detail-oriented work
  • Focused on finding solutions to complex challenges
  • Deeply passionate about educational outcomes in Arkansas and hungry to work toward transformation in the state
  • Able to build deep, trusting relationships with diverse stakeholders

All Roles at Forward Require:

  • Commitment to improved educational outcomes for students in Arkansas
  • Deep alignment to Forward’s mission and vision
  • Willingness and ability to travel throughout the state (and occasionally nationally)
  • Residency in the state of Arkansas
  • Authorization to work in the United States

Application Process:

  • Applications will be accepted HERE and reviewed on a rolling basis beginning on April 20, 2026, and the role will remain open until we have extended an offer.
  • While the entire process is subject to adjustment, applicants should expect at a minimum: an initial screening conversation, a group interview with members of the Forward team, and a 1:1 conversation with the Senior Director, Programs.

Compensation and Benefits

  • Compensation for this role is expected to range from $80,000 - $90,000. Final compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience. The position also includes a comprehensive benefits package.

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