Education Program Consultant; Charter School Program Co-Director) Des Moines Polk

The Iowa Department of Education’s mission is ensuring all students experience a world-class education. To accomplish this mission, we need talented, passionate people working together to build an excellent education system that empowers all students to achieve their full potential.

The Education Program Consultant – Iowa Charter School Program (I-CSP) provides statewide leadership, coordination, and operational oversight to support the effective implementation of Iowa’s federal Charter School Program grant. In collaboration with the Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Project Director (Co-PD), this position plays a critical role in strengthening high-quality charter school authorization, monitoring, and continuous improvement practices across the state. This consultant leads key administrative and grant management functions, including budgeting, evaluation, and reporting;

supports professional learning and technical assistance; and fosters collaboration among charter schools, districts, and community partners. A central focus of this role is advancing high-quality, equitable educational opportunities through strong charter oversight, evidence-based practices, and alignment with state strategic priorities.

• Facilitate communication and collaboration across grant-related teams to ensure clarity of roles, responsibilities, and timelines.
• Promote efficient workflow, accountability, and alignment of activities with grant goals and federal expectations.
• Coordinate meetings and activities with internal and external partners, including federal and state stakeholders.

• Manage grant operations, including budgeting, expenditures, procurement, and compliance with federal and state requirements.
• Monitor progress toward deliverables and maintain documentation for reporting and audit purposes.
• Support cost allocation, contract development, and monitoring of grant-funded activities.

• Oversee project evaluation processes and ensure timely, accurate reporting to the U.S. Department of Education.
• Collect, analyze, and synthesize program data to support continuous improvement and strategic decision-making.
• Collaborate with evaluation partners to establish meaningful performance measures and communicate outcomes.

• Establish, refine, and implement effective charter authorization and monitoring practices aligned with Iowa Code and national best practices.
• Strengthen charter application, review, and renewal processes to incorporate I-CSP expectations and high standards of quality.
• Conduct rigorous application and renewal reviews to ensure performance, compliance, and accountability.
• Develop and implement Iowa’s High-Quality Monitoring Review process for charter renewals and closures.
• Manage I-CSP grant contracts and ensure alignment between contractual obligations and program goals.

• Design and deliver research-based professional learning and technical assistance to support charter school quality, sustainability, and compliance.
• Collaborate with the Iowa Coalition as the professional development partner to ensure coherent and aligned supports.
• Establish and maintain the Iowa Charter School Network to promote ongoing, needs-based support.
• Foster peer collaboration among charter schools and between charter and traditional public schools.
• Strengthen family and community engagement to support equitable and inclusive learning environments.

A successful candidate will bring, or have the ability and desire to learn:

• Experience in grant administration, budgeting, and federal reporting.
• Knowledge of charter school…