ILEAD Mentor Supervisor

Overview

The I LEAD project is designed to recruit, educate, certify, and place American Indian educators into administrative positions in schools with high populations of Native American students. The program awards either a master’s degree or an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership and provides certification for school leadership. Curriculum focuses on local school improvement initiatives through problem‑based learning assignments. Candidates receive mentorship from experienced administrators in high‑Native‑American–population schools.

Classes are delivered during the school year by computer and in summer on the MSU campus. Participants must commit to serving as administrators in Native‑American schools for the duration of their training or repay the training cost. The position is contingent upon continued grant funding.

Anticipated FTE over five years:
Year 1 0.25, Year 2 0.25, Year 3 0.40, Year 4 0.26, Year 5 0.26.

Salary $31.538 per hour, commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications.

• Assist students in developing professional networks through site visits and ongoing communication.
• Recruit, train, and supervise six mentors throughout the grant duration, providing supplemental training and guidance annually.
• Provide guidance and advice to program faculty to achieve program goals.
• Leverage knowledge of K‑12 educational practices to develop informal partnerships between university programs and K‑12 school systems serving Native graduates.
• Utilize mentor surveys, reports, training questionnaires, and evaluation tools.
• Maintain liaison with school district leaders of participant internships and induction.
• Perform site visits, provide mentor training, facilitate and support completion of mentor reports.
• Support the completion of the state‑required principal evaluation tool for each participant annually during the preparation phase of the project and semi‑annually throughout the induction phase.
• Identify and disseminate vacancy announcements.
• Facilitate participant access to current and relevant research reports and other professional materials.
• Prepare job application materials and conduct practice interviews for administrator positions.
• Support placement of participants in leadership positions.

• Master’s degree in educational leadership.
• Five or more years of experience as school or district leadership (e.g., principal, superintendent).
• Demonstrated experience designing and/or delivering professional development and mentoring programs for school leadership or adult learners.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the K‑12 administrator hiring process (application materials, interviews, placement practices).
• Strong organizational and project management skills.

• Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership or related field; advanced expertise in leadership, research, and program development.
• Seven to ten or more years of progressive leadership experience in K‑12 education, including principalship and/or district leadership roles.
• Experience as a state‑level school leader.
• Experience supervising or managing mentors, coaches, or leadership pipelines.
• Experience with grant‑funded or federally funded initiatives.
• Experience coordinating internships, residencies, or leadership placements.

• Develop and maintain excellent working relationships with faculty, administrators, graduate assistants, students, and campus support officers.
• Possess strong communication, collaboration, and coordination skills across universities, districts, partners, and state‑wide school leadership.
• Work effectively with a wide variety of groups, mentors, school leaders, and program staff.
• Bring experience with grant‑funded or federally funded initiatives.
• Adapt to changing schedules, placements, and participant needs during high‑demand periods.
• Balance multiple responsibilities such as site visits, training, reports, and ongoing communication.
• Guide, support, and develop others.
• Analyze and use data to improve program outcomes.

Although most work will be performed in an office environment in Bozeman, MT, the…