Associate Director of Technical Assistance

Position Title: Associate Director of Technical Assistance

Position Purpose: 

The Associate Director of Technical Assistance is responsible for managing and advancing Advance CTE's technical assistance (TA) strategy across the organization. This role ensures high-quality, coherent, and equitable technical assistance by overseeing internal structures and processes, supporting a consistent TA vision, and coordinating the development and delivery of best-in-class tools, resources, and supports for state CTE leaders. The Associate Director will work closely with the Director of Technical Assistance to operationalize and strengthen Advance CTE's systems for TA delivery, cultivate organizational capacity, and position Advance CTE as a national leader in CTE technical assistance.

This position will also provide direct technical assistance to states, lead multi-state or multi-partner projects, and support grant-funded initiatives.

About Advance CTE

Established in 1920, Advance CTE is the longest-standing CTE-focused national non-profit, representing State Directors and state leaders responsible for secondary, postsecondary, and adult CTE across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Our mission is to support state CTE leadership to advance high-quality CTE policies, programs, and pathways that ensure career and college success for each learner.

Our organizational culture and core values are guided by our vision, which is driven by a fierce commitment to serving our members and increasing access and success in high-quality CTE. To achieve this, we are a highly collaborative team dedicated to excellence while prioritizing teamwork, values initiative, and encourages continuous learning. We hold ourselves to high expectations in terms of being content experts who are inquisitive learners, producing best-in-class work, being efficient and productive, and balancing listening and leading. We respect and expect strong communication (written and verbal) and encourage staff to identify improvements and contribute to building solutions. For more information, see

Primary Responsibilities:

Manage and Strengthen Advance CTE's Technical Assistance Strategy and Systems

• Lead the development, refinement, and maintenance of internal structures, processes, and tools that support high-quality, consistent TA delivery across the organization.
• Coordinate with the Director of Technical Assistance to implement the organization-wide TA strategy, ensuring alignment across projects, initiatives, and workstreams.
• Build and maintain systems to assess technical assistance quality and impact, including internal dashboards, shared resources, and processes for feedback and continuous improvement.
• Support staff in understanding and applying Advance CTE's TA frameworks, approaches, and standards; develop resources and guidance to increase staff capacity to design and deliver TA.
• Ensure TA design incorporates equitable, learner-centered, and evidence-based strategies and reflects the technical, political, and implementation needs of states.

Deliver and Manage Technical Assistance Projects and Initiatives

• Own or co-lead major technical assistance initiatives, including project planning, content development, team coordination, deliverables management, reporting, and budget and expense monitoring.
• Design, manage, and facilitate communities of practice, workshops, trainings, and cohort-based learning experiences for state and local leaders.
• Provide on-demand advisory support to states on topics such as CTE policy, systems alignment, high-quality implementation, career pathways, program design, data use, equity, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure project activities are coordinated across Advance CTE's member engagement, policy, data, and communications teams to maximize organizational impact.

Advance Fee-for-Service and Grant-Funded Technical Assistance

• Support strategy, planning, and execution of fee-for-service TA, including intake, scoping, proposal development, contractor management, deliverable development, and quality assurance.
• Collaborate with the Director of Technical Assistance to streamline and improve internal processes for business development, project resourcing, and TA operations.
• Contribute to grant implementation efforts by designing TA plans, managing activities, and supporting partners in meeting project goals and timelines.

Contribute to Internal and External Learning, Knowledge Sharing, and Field Leadership

• Lead or support the development of tools, resources, guidance documents, and publications that strengthen the field's capacity to implement high-quality, equitable CTE.
• Represent Advance CTE as a TA and content expert with members, national partners, funders, and other collaborators.
• Support Advance CTE's conferences, meetings, and convenings by developing content, facilitating sessions, and providing staff support.
• Maintain an ongoing understanding of the CTE landscape, emerging needs, and effective TA practices.

Additional Responsibilities

• May assist with other proposal development and fundraising efforts.
• Provide input into the strategic impact and direction of the organization as a whole.
• Regularly travel (up to 25%), staying within established spending guidelines, and support flexible work hours as needed for events, meetings, or project demands.
• Other duties as assigned. 
  

Required Qualifications & Skills:

Advance CTE values both education and work experiences that demonstrate the ability to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of this position and estimates that a minimum of 7-10 years of related experience is necessary to carry out the duties of this position. In your cover letter, explain how your combination of education and work experience demonstrates your ability to develop and share knowledge that empowers the field.

• Deep knowledge of state CTE systems, policy, and implementation.
• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering technical assistance, including facilitating small and large groups across varied partner audiences.
• Strong project management experience and ability to manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, including racial equity, and a willingness to continually deepen knowledge and practice.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex ideas for diverse audiences and write persuasively.
• Strong relationship-building skills, with the ability to develop and maintain positive, productive working relationships with state leaders, staff, partners, and funders.
• Strong critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience providing supervision, coaching, and mentorship to staff.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to work independently while also contributing to a collaborative, fast-paced team environment.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills:

• Experience working in or with a nonprofit, membership organization, or national association.
• Experience developing or managing fee-for-service or grant-funded technical assistance.

Supervision Received: The Associate Director of Technical Assistance works under the direction of the Director of Technical Assistance.

Supervision Exercised: The Associate Director of Technical Assistance will supervise a Policy Associate and may supervise additional staff or contractors as assigned.

Compensation: The salary range for this position is $80,000-100,000; salary depends on relevant experience, and new staff rarely start at the top of the range. Benefits include, but are not limited to, a casual work environment and no-cost health care for the employee; phased-in benefits include a $155 per month transportation subsidy for DC-based staff, 9% contribution to 401(k) plan (no match required), a week off between Christmas and New Year's Day, and paid parental and family medical leave.

Location: Advance CTE's office is located in the Washington, D.C. metro area (Silver Spring, MD). This position can be either an in-office position or a fully remote position filled by an employee located outside of the Washington, D.C. area. Advance CTE does not have a legal or organizational presence in the following states/territories: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, or any of the U.S. territories, and therefore is not open to accepting applications from individuals who reside in any of these locations and are not willing to relocate.

Travel Required: Up to 25% of the employee's time may be spent on non-local travel to carry out the duties of the position.