Apprenticeship Navigator & Leadership Development Coach

Role Purpose

The Apprenticeship Navigator & Leadership Development Coach is a shared bridge-building role designed to ensure Black men in the Teacher Apprenticeship Minnesota program are retained supported affirmed and developed as educators and leaders.

This middle-level leadership role combines:

• Direct apprentice navigation advocacy and retention support
• Leadership coaching and culturally responsive professional learning
• Program representation recruitment and storytelling
• Deep partnership between Teacher Apprenticeship Minnesota and Black Men Teach

By operating across both organizations this role ensures Black Men Teach maintains a strong ongoing presence in the apprenticeship ecosystem while strengthening apprentice persistence leadership identity and long-term success.

While this is a shared partnership-funded role Black Men Teach maintains full supervisory responsibility with Teacher Apprenticeship Minnesota serving as a strategic funding and programmatic partner.

Core Responsibilities:

• Apprentice Navigation & Coaching
  • Serve as a trusted navigator and advocate for Black men (and select other apprentices as appropriate) enrolled in Teacher Apprenticeship Minnesota.
  • Provide individual coaching and check-ins focused on:
    • Navigating school and district culture
    • Identity belonging and racialized workplace dynamics
    • Professional growth confidence and instructional practice
  • Support apprentices experiencing unsupportive or hostile environments partnering with Teacher Apprenticeship Minnesota staff district leaders mentors and supervisors as needed.
  • Track apprentice engagement progress and risk indicators; intervene early to prevent attrition.
• Leadership Development & Cohort Learning (BMT-Aligned Work)
  • Design and facilitate cohort-based professional learning experiences grounded in:
    • Anti-racist and culturally responsive teaching
    • Leadership identity development for Black male educators
    • Classroom presence communication and influence
  • Integrate BMTs leadership and brotherhood model into apprenticeship-aligned programming.
  • Serve as a connector between apprentices and Black Men Teach programming fellow networks and leadership opportunities.
• Program Collaboration & Instructional Support
  • Collaborate with course faculty mentors field supervisors and instructional coaches to ensure apprentices receive coherent high-quality support.
  • Serve as a thought partner on:
    • Course design and refinement
    • Field-based learning experiences
    • Feedback and continuous improvement systems
  • Support data collection reflection and reporting related to apprentice experience and outcomes.
• Recruitment Partnerships & Pipeline Growth
  • Support recruitment of new apprentices with an emphasis on Black men and candidates of color.
  • Partner with:
    • School districts
    • Community-based organizations (e.g. Freedom Schools)
    • Higher education partners
  • Assist with outreach info sessions and relationship-building to grow the pipeline.
  • Help identify future apprenticeship sites and supportive placement environments.
• Representation Storytelling & Advocacy
  • Represent Teacher Apprenticeship Minnesota and Black Men Teach locally and nationally.
  • Present at conferences convenings and funder briefings.
  • Support storytelling efforts that lift up apprentice voices program impact and lessons learned.
  • Serve as a visible advocate for culturally responsive equity-centered teacher preparation.

Qualifications & Attributes

• Experience as an educator and/or in educator preparation apprenticeship or alternative certification pathways.
• Demonstrated success supporting Black educators or other historically underrepresented groups.
• Strong coaching facilitation and relationship-building skills.
• Deep commitment to racial equity anti-racist practice and culturally responsive teaching.
• Ability to navigate complex systems (districts unions higher ed nonprofits) with credibility and care.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and co-designing work across organizations.

Physical Requirements:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.
• The person in this position needs to be able to move about inside and outside different facilities (e.g. schools) or offices throughout the workday.

Work Environment

• Reports to work Monday-Friday and some weekends.
• Typical office environment or virtual space with frequent interruptions.

A Day in the Life (Illustrative)

• Morning
  • Check in with 12 apprentices via phone or Zoom who are navigating challenging school dynamics.
  • Review notes from a district site visit and follow up with a mentor or supervisor to align on support.
  • Respond to emails on apprentice needs and upcoming programming.
• Midday
  • Travel to a partner school or district to observe an apprentice attend a coaching meeting or facilitate a support conversation.
  • Meet with course faculty or an instructional coach to troubleshoot apprentice progress and alignment.
• Afternoon
  • Facilitate a BMT-aligned leadership session for a small apprentice cohort (virtual or in-person).
  • Work on recruitment planning or outreach materials.
  • Document apprentice trends successes and concerns for shared learning and continuous improvement.
• Occasional / Seasonal
  • Evening cohort sessions or community convenings.
  • Weekend recruitment events or conferences.
  • Travel for statewide or national presentations.

No two days look exactly the samebut every day centers apprentice success dignity and growth.

Grant-Funded Position Continuity Notice

This is a grant-funded full-time position with an initial two-year term. Continued employment beyond the two-year period is contingent upon the availability of grant funding and/or the securing of additional external or internal funding sources. While there is strong intent and aspiration to sustain this role long-term renewal is not guaranteed and will depend on funding outcomes program needs and organizational priorities at that time.