Operations Specialist (Education Specialist IV) -Internal Vacancy

MISSION: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will improve outcomes for all public-school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

Core Values: 
• We are Determined: We are committed and intentional in the pursuit of our main purpose, to improve outcomes for students. 
• We are People-Centered: We strive to attract, develop, and retain the most committed talent, representing the diversity of Texas, each contributing to our common vision for students.
• We are Learners: We seek evidence, reflect on success and failure, and try new approaches in the pursuit of excellence for our students.
• We are Servant Leaders: Above all else, we are public servants working to improve opportunities for students and provide support to those who serve them.

New hires, re-hires, and internal hires will typically receive a starting salary between the posted minimum and the average pay of employees in their same classification. Offers will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience and qualifications and will thoughtfully consider internal pay equity for agency staff who perform similar duties and have similar qualifications. The top half of the posted salary range is generally reserved for candidates who exceed the requirements and qualifications for the role. The maximum salary range is reserved for candidates that far exceed the required and preferred qualifications for the role.

This is a 5-day internal posting. We are only accepting applications from current Texas Education Agency (TEA) employees. External applicants will not be considered.

Position Overview

​​The Office of District Planning and Implementation (ODPI) provides statewide support to districts and campuses through high-quality instructional materials, aligned instructional leadership implementation, superintendent and board capacity building, school improvement, and strategic planning. ODPI partners with Education Service Centers (ESCs), district leaders, and internal TEA teams to ensure systems and practices that drive student outcomes are implemented effectively.

​The Operations Specialist is a key member of the Field Support Coordination Team (FSC) that is centrally located within the ODPI, reporting to the Director of Field Support Operations. This role provides centralized operational and project management support across ODPI and emerging cross-team initiatives, including but not limited to School Improvement (SI), District Strategic Leadership (DSL), and Leadership and Instructional Foundations for Texas (LIFT) initiatives, ESC Strategy and Support, and other strategic priorities. The Operations Specialist is responsible for maintaining and executing operational systems, workflows, and communication structures that enable consistent, high-quality implementation across multiple programs. This role executes within established processes and guidance, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and alignment across teams. The position ensures smooth execution of statewide professional development, ESC communications, and operational systems that enable ODPI to deliver high-quality support to districts.

​The role requires strong project management skills, attention to detail, and the ability to coordinate across multiple teams and stakeholders, facilitating alignment conversations that ensure operational priorities support agency goals.​ 

Flexible work location in Texas may be considered for qualified candidates.

Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.

Essential Functions 
Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.

1. Manage Performance and Knowledge Management Systems: Maintain and enhance SI and DSL knowledge platforms, including SharePoint sites, websites, and resource libraries. For SI, partner with data teams to oversee survey administration and data collection routines. Provide operational support in collaboration with Center for Effective Schools (CES) and data teams to ensure accurate data entry, system functionality, and timely execution of platform-related projects. In collaboration with data teams, track and update SI dashboards and performance management metrics to inform divisional routines and leadership decision-making. Maintain and execute operational workflows that reduce inefficiencies and support scalability across ODPI initiatives. Ensure data accuracy, system integrity, and timely updates across platforms (e.g., SharePoint, Smartsheet). Coordinate SI division responses to Public Information Requests (PIRs) by tracking requests, ensuring timely team follow-through, and maintaining organized records of responsive materials. 

2. Coordinate Strategic Communications and Professional Development: ​Maintain and update communication contact lists for SI and DSL teams. Develop dashboards and reporting mechanisms that enable real-time visibility into project progress and performance metrics. For SI, project manage and ensure timely updates to internal communications, including team-wide next steps tracking and Teams project/tracker progress updates. Support development and dissemination of field-facing guidance documents and templates for LIP, DRP, and Talent Plans. Coordinate operational logistics for hybrid, in-person, and virtual SI and DSL events. Manage run-of-show, speaker preparation, venue coordination, and materials development. Manage shared program inboxes (e.g., School Improvement and Local Classroom Review) to ensure timely triage, routing, and response.
Execute communications in alignment with established guidance from program leads, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and adherence to response protocols.
Monitor incoming communications for trends, recurring questions, and urgent issues, elevating key risks or themes to leadership as needed.
Ensure communication workflows align with program timelines and operational priorities.​ 

3. Support Local Classroom Review and Diagnostic Operations: Maintain and communicate progress by overseeing LCR and Diagnostic operations (logistics and data management) through a single, unified tracking system that consolidates diagnostic status and outputs across CES, SI, and DSL. Coordinate scheduling and timelines with partners to ensure quality reviews of diagnostics, including LCR artifact collections, adherence to TEA protocols, and timely escalation of issues to key leadership teams. Work with CES to monitor and ensure timely execution of key logistics for LCR events (including initial trainings and calibration sessions), covering registration, stakeholder communication, participant materials, and training support to maintain consistency and integrity of reviews across regions and providers. Performs secure uploading and downloading of review materials in accordance with established protocols to support review processes. Collaborate with the IMRA team and software vendor(s) to support technical assistance, reporting, and quality assurance. Support implementation of established diagnostic and LCR processes, including logistics, tracking, and communication coordination.

4. Support Grant Planning and Management: ​Draft program guidelines and external communications for SI and DSL impacted grants. Coordinate application logistics, scoring processes, and applicant support, in collaboration with the grants team and other leaders. Maintain grant documentation and ensure compliance with agency timelines and requirements. Track progress toward grant milestones and support cross-team alignment. ​ 

5. Provide Operational and Special Projects Support: ​Support DSL–SI–LIFT alignment efforts, ADU development, and EDRS charter progress monitoring. Provide operational support to priority initiatives and special projects, executing defined tasks and workflows under the direction of program and operations leads. Prioritize core operational responsibilities while providing additional support to high-priority cross-team initiatives as capacity allows.​ 

Minimum Qualification

• Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university

• Experience: At least [​4​] years of experience in operations, project management, and logistics, including managing professional development events, coordinating strategic communications, and maintaining knowledge management systems (e.g., SharePoint, data dashboards). Experience establishing or leveraging data and project management systems to track progress and ensure timely execution of deliverables. 

   

Other Qualifications

• Share the belief that all Texas students can achieve at high levels and are able to succeed in college, career, or the military.
• Proficiency in project management tools and data systems (e.g., Smartsheet, SharePoint, Qualtrics, ISAM) and experience with CRM platforms or ability to learn and implement new systems. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects at different stages of development while maintaining quality and consistency.
• Strong written and oral communication skills for internal and external audiences.
• Ability to build relationships and manage multiple stakeholders, including internal teams and external partners. Experience applying change management principles to support adoption of new processes and tools.
• Meticulous approach to planning and execution in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• ​​Experience supporting Education Service Centers (ESCs) or statewide education initiatives.
• Experience coordinating grant processes and compliance tracking.

• Knowledge of event planning best practices for hybrid and virtual environments.​

   

As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age or veteran status, unless an applicant is entitled to the military employment preference.

To review the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces to each job classification series in the State’s Position Classification Plan (provided by the State Auditor's Office), please access the Military Crosswalk (occupational specialty code) Guide and click on the military “occupational category” that corresponds with the state classification in this job posting title.

This position requires the applicant to meet Agency standards and criteria which may include passing a pre-employment criminal background check, prior to being offered employment by the Agency.

To learn more about working at TEA, including hiring timelines, process details, and candidate resources, please visit the Employment at TEA page.

No phone calls or emails, please. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not accept telephone calls and cannot reply to all email inquiries. Only candidates selected for interview will be contacted. Please add "[email protected]" and "@tea.texas.gov" to your safe senders list to ensure you receive email notifications from our talent acquisition team and/or hiring division regarding your candidacy.