Today, 67% of students and 82% of low-income students can’t read at grade level by the end of third grade. That’s when students are supposed to go from learning to read to reading to learn. It’s America’s number one education crisis and we know how to fix it.
Ignite Reading delivers one-to-one virtual tutoring that teaches every student the foundational skills they need to become a confident, fluent reader. We pair students who need extra support with expert reading tutors who provide daily, 15-minute, Science of Reading-based instruction that rapidly closes their decoding gaps. We focus on the foundational reading skills—phonics, phonemic awareness, and sight words—kids need to master so they can decode a sentence. Students in Ignite Reading’s program achieve over 2 weeks of reading skills growth per week of instruction, and notably all students achieve the same outstanding results including students with IEPs, multilingual learners, students of color and those receiving free or reduced-price lunch.Ignite Reading is a mission-driven public benefit corporation.
We believe we can do well for our team members and shareholders while we solve one of the nation’s biggest challenges. We believe we will be more successful with a diverse team and are seeking candidates who have lived experience related to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Your Role
As Ignite Reading’s RFP Manager, you’ll author and compile persuasive proposals for school districts and state departments of education to secure new partnerships for our foundational reading skills tutoring services. The ideal candidate is equal parts copywriter and project manager. You will review RFP and RFQ opportunities as they come in, evaluate them for their strategic fit with our services and program operations, write proposals that clearly articulate our value proposition, project manage the assembly of all materials from across departments, and submit proposals in a compliant and timely manner.
This role requires a person who is comfortable with the fast-paced nature of a startup environment, someone who is obsessive about details, and a person who has exemplary communication skills and can easily work cross-functionally.This position is an opportunity to develop deep expertise and take considerable ownership of the RFP process: from the initial screening of an RFP, to the organization and project management of an RFP, to the actual content creation and updating of RFP language and then, finally, to the follow-up and tracking of our RFPs. The candidate will be expected to handle a high volume of requests simultaneously and productively. The ideal candidate has worked as a RFP and/or grant writer and has a background in early literacy education, high-dosage tutoring, or educational products and services. Due to the nature of RFP submission requirements, this person must have easy access to a local FedEx office and be able to print and mail proposals. Ignite Reading is a fast-paced startup with ambitious goals, and individuals applying to this role must be motivated to work in an environment where they can contribute to building and developing our processes and operations.
Core Responsibilities
- Write a high volume of RFPs, RFIs, and grant applications for school districts and state departments of education to secure partnerships for Ignite Reading’s one-to-one tutoring services.
- Liaise with departments throughout Ignite Reading to collect information needed to respond to RFPs including but not limited to sales, academics, legal, operations, finance, and IT.
- Write new narrative, customize existing proposal narrative, and gather compelling supporting documents to provide the nuanced responses required of each specific sales opportunity.
- Develop and maintain a proposal content library and help build out a database of responses.
- Own all printing and mailing of proposals and applications; Candidate must be able to easily mail proposals from a local FedEx office
- Format RFP proposal drafts into professional-looking Adobe pdf templates for submission.
- Monitor all subscription service emails for RFP opportunities (approx 10-20 per day). Track all requests and statuses in the RFP Tracker.
- In addition to proposal writing, manage all paperwork for Ignite Reading to be an approved vendor listed in education vendor procurement portals.
Competencies
- Superb writing skills. You can compose a strong narrative that clearly communicates and sells Ignite Reading’s value proposition (*See application requirements — candidates must submit writing samples as part of the application)
- Incredibly detail-oriented and organized
- Experienced with using Adobe Acrobat Pro and working with the Google Business Suite of software applications (Google Docs, Google Sheets).
- Experience using CRM systems such as Salesforce or HubSpot or content management systems such as Qvidian
- Skilled at project managing across different teams in an organization.
- Strong interpersonal communication skills
- Experience with or knowledge of early literacy education, high-dosage tutoring, or educational products and services preferred but not required
At Ignite Reading, we’ve decided to embrace a transparent compensation structure for a few reasons:
To promote fairness and equity: This approach supports fairness within our structure. When everyone knows how compensation decisions are made, it reduces the likelihood of pay discrimination based on factors like gender, race, relationships, or negotiation skills.To provide accountability for our approach: The same role receives the same compensation, with no negotiation.To build trust within the organization: When employees understand how their compensation is determined, they are more likely to trust organizational structures and decisions, which can lead to an overall better culture.To support legal considerations: Many states are moving to requiring compensation listed on job descriptions and we want to follow these rules. Salary: $105,000
We also ensure you have the tools you need to thrive both in and out of work.
- Employee Stock Options
- Medical, Dental, and Vision (80% employee coverage, 50% dependent coverage)
- Short-term disability (100% employer paid)
- Technology Stipend
- Unlimited PTO + 12 paid holidays
- Professional Development Stipend
- Wellness Reimbursement
- Internet Stipend
- 12 Weeks of Parental Leave
- Yearly Staff Retreat
- Voluntary Life Insurance
We believe in building and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer where all applicants are considered for employment without attention to color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. Research shows that candidates from underrepresented backgrounds often don't apply for roles if they don't meet all the criteria – unlike majority candidates meeting significantly fewer requirements.
We strongly encourage you to apply if you’re interested!We are seeking candidates who have lived experience related to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are a virtual organization with headquarters in the California Bay Area.
