Policy Director

Company Overview:

Do you enjoy making a difference in a child's life, transforming education, and evolving learning? Come join Teachstone, the interaction company! Teachstone was founded in 2008 to deliver the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) nationwide and around the globe. Developed through years of research, the CLASS observation tool measures the interactions between teachers and children, which have been shown to drive learning and lifelong achievement. Teachstone helps organizations conduct classroom observations and provides professional development so that teachers improve, and children learn more. Our online subscription service, myTeachstone, simplifies CLASS implementation by combining observation data with a robust library of CLASS resources and professional development.

At Teachstone, everything we do is about improving the ways teachers interact with their students. We train coaches and observers, build and deliver online support programs, design professional development - all of it grounded in one proven fact: the interactions teachers have with students have a lasting impact on their academic and developmental success. By helping educators describe, measure, and improve their interactions and relationships with students, Teachstone is transforming education nationwide, one interaction at a time.

Role Overview:

As the Director of Policy, you will play a pivotal role in expanding Teachstone's influence in the early childhood and K-12 education sectors by cultivating strategic relationships and shaping initiatives that support system-level impact. You will partner closely with state and federal agencies, advocacy organizations, education associations, and internal teams to align Teachstone's products and research with policy priorities and partner needs. You will be responsible for identifying and fostering opportunities to expand Teachstone's impact through meaningful policy change in the early childhood education, K-12, and workforce sectors. This role balances strategic policy engagement with partnership development to help Teachstone inform, influence, and improve educational ecosystems.

Primary Responsibilities:

Policy Engagement

• Support the development, execution, and tracking of a company-wide policy agenda that identifies key deliverables and metrics at the federal and state level supporting Teachstone's mission, vision, and goals
• Coordinate policy planning efforts with client-facing team members to grow reach of policy agenda within a specified region
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with policymakers, state and federal education agencies, advocacy groups, and education nonprofits to support Teachstone's mission and influence system-level change.
• Represent Teachstone at key policy forums, education conferences, and cross-sector tables, presenting insights and influencing conversations about early childhood quality and assessment systems.
• Work with external partners to co-design or advise on policy initiatives, pilots, or research partnerships that advance quality improvement in classroom interactions.

Internal Alignment & Thought Leadership

• Partner with Impact, Professional Services, Client Success, and other stakeholders to translate policy and partner insights into actionable strategies for product, marketing, and implementation teams.
• Track current trends with early childhood education policy, research, and funding; prepare internal briefings and guidance to inform organizational strategy; and demonstrate impact through summative metrics on policy shifts.
• Contribute to Teachstone's thought leadership with white papers, recommendations, and presentations that elevate our perspective and influence.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure partners understand cultural context, organizational goals, and potential for implementation or scale.
• Support advisory boards, policy councils, and stakeholder workgroups to broaden Teachstone's footprint and inform product direction.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with sales leadership to ensure a seamless handoff of prospects and that sales coverage aligns with strategic goals.
• Collaborate with analytics and product teams to ensure policy and partner insights inform product roadmap and lifecycle strategy.
• Support teammates across departments as relevant-sharing insights, co-creating solutions, and modeling teamwork.

Professional Development

• Leverage available training, conferences, fieldwork, and self-study to deepen knowledge of education systems, policy environments, and CLASS research and tools.

Role Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in partnership development, policy engagement, education systems work, or sales in the education or like sector.
• Proven track record of cultivating strategic relationships with policy makers, agency leaders, or organizational decision makers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to influence, present and represent the organization with authority.
• Strong interpersonal skills; able to build trust with external partners and internal stakeholders alike.
• Demonstrated ability to manage priorities, operate independently, and navigate complex stakeholder environments.
• Experience analyzing policy landscapes, interpreting education funding trends, or supporting state/federal engagement preferred.
  
  Preferred Qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree in public policy, Education, Early Childhood Education, or related field.
• Deep familiarity with U.S. early childhood education systems, CLASS products, and quality improvement frameworks.
• Experience working with state education agencies, federal education programs, advocacy coalitions, or research partnerships.
• Demonstrated comfort with translating policy implications into actionable organizational strategy.
• Demonstrated experience using project management tools (e.g., Asana, Monday.com, Jira, Trello) to plan, track, and manage cross-functional projects, ensuring clear task ownership, timeline visibility, and on-time delivery.

What We Offer:

• Fair, Competitive Pay: We ensure equal pay for equal work, using consistent salary bands based on market benchmarks, reviewed annually. Prior salaries, negotiation skills, or fear of conflict don't influence your pay.
• Salary Range: $102,500-$122,900 determined by your experience, skills and internal equity
• Comprehensive benefits: Medical/dental, 401(k), PTO, insurance, development opportunities. Details provided at offer. Eligibility depends on your role and employment status

Ready to Make a Difference?

At Teachstone, we believe that every interaction shapes a brighter future. If you're passionate about transforming education and want to be part of a team that's committed to meaningful impact, we want to hear from you. Apply today and help us create classrooms where every child thrives!

We encourage all individuals to apply and bring their unique perspectives to our team. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. We value the different experiences and ideas our team members bring and believe they are essential to solving complex challenges and driving our mission forward.