Job Details
| Region: | 13 |
| School District/Employer: | Texas Education Agency |
| District Category/Employer: | Texas Education Agency |
| Position: | |
| Assignment Level: | |
| Job Title: | Associate Commissioner, Field Support (Director VII) |
| School: | |
| Campus Description: | |
| Date Posted: | 1/14/2026 |
| Deadline: | Until Filled |
| Openings: | 1 |
| Commitment: | Full Time |
| Description/Notes: | 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 of the salary range is reserved for candidates that far exceed the required and preferred qualifications for the role. POSITION OVERVIEW: At the Texas Education Agency’s Office of Governance (OG), we are driven by a powerful mission: to proactively support school systems, keep students safe, and uphold Texas education law with integrity, objectivity, and excellence. Our core workstreams—Field Support and Compliance & Investigations—focus on strengthening governance, fostering a culture of accountability, and promoting continuous improvement across Texas schools. By working closely with school systems and agency teams, we help ensure that every Texas public school student has access to a safe and high-quality education. The Associate Commissioner of Field Support, within the Texas Education Agency’s Office of Governance, is a rare opportunity to lead transformative changes in Texas public education. This executive leadership role oversees the design, implementation, and success of whole-district turnarounds, including state interventions in school systems. This work demands strategic vision, operational excellence, navigation of complex political and community landscapes, and effective communication in high-pressure situations. The Associate Commissioner leads bold, essential efforts to support and stabilize districts and create conditions for sustained student achievement. In addition to directing statewide intervention strategy and empowering teams to deliver measurable improvements, this role provides oversight of the agency’s school board engagement strategy, the issuance of accreditation status, the state waiver processes, and the coordination of enforcement actions and sanctions for districts and charters. These activities are critical for strengthening school district governance, meeting statutory requirements, driving improvement, and ensuring improved student outcomes. Reporting to the Deputy Commissioner of Governance and regularly interfacing with the Commissioner, this role requires exceptional judgment, political savvy, high-stakes communication, and the ability to work with and quickly build relationships with diverse stakeholders, including superintendents, school boards, legislators, and community leaders, while operating in high-risk, high-visibility environments. Success means aligning agency priorities, ensuring accountability, and shaping the future of Texas schools through systemic change at scale. Flexible work location within the state of Texas may be considered for qualified candidates. Please note that a resume, tailored cover letter, and short answer responses are required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Additionally, 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. Strategic Leadership and Intervention: lead the statewide strategy and execution of agency interventions and enforcement actions in school systems, including the placement and active management of boards of managers, conservators, and monitors; drive complex, high-stakes decisions with urgency and discretion, ensuring interventions are implemented effectively and aligned with agency priorities; oversee sensitive governance actions with full stakeholder engagement—community members, district leaders, and agency teams—while serving as a trusted advisor to executive leadership and maintaining accountability for outcomes that stabilize governance and accelerate student success 2. District Turnaround and Intervention Oversight: oversee the strategic direction of the agency’s district turnaround work, with priority focus on all board of managers interventions; engage with appointed superintendents, appointed board members, and other stakeholders to ensure effectiveness of active interventions and implementation of best practices to achieve improved student outcomes; develop and play a leadership role in a statewide strategy to replicate best practices and priority turnaround initiatives 3. Strategic Engagement and Partnerships: develop and lead a statewide strategy to build and sustain trusted relationships with school system leaders, fostering collaboration that informs agency priorities and remains focused on improving student outcomes; engage in high-level strategic conversations with education leaders to understand and surface insights on district operations and governance challenges to strengthen decision-making and intervention planning; maintain a proactive presence across Texas to anticipate emerging issues, influence governance practices, and position the agency as a trusted partner in driving systemic improvement 4. Field Support and Board Engagement: develop and lead the execution of a statewide strategic vision for school board engagement that advances and promotes governance best practices; drive proactive outreach and support for school boards, while leading initiatives to strengthen governance practices and system design in districts under intervention; provide strategic guidance on waiver decisions and other governance-related determinations, ensuring alignment with agency priorities and statutory requirements 5. Team Management and Supervision: provide visionary leadership to a high-performing team, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement; act as a force multiplier for executive leadership, ensuring seamless coordination and strategic alignment across the Office of Governance; implement systems of performance management and professional development to support team excellence |
| Qualifications: | MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: • Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university • Experience: At least eight [8] years of experience in supporting Local Education Agency (LEA) administration and/or governance systems with demonstrated experience leading and cultivating high performing teams coupled with a strong track record of successful business process re-engineering and optimization. • Substitutions: An advanced degree may substitute for two years of required experience. 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. • Exceptional strategic judgment and discretion in high-risk, high-visibility contexts. • Exceptional communication skills with the ability to engage diverse stakeholder groups, including hostile or oppositional audiences, and effectively represent the organization in high-stakes, high-visibility environments, delivering complex or sensitive information to media and the public with clarity, professionalism, and strategic intent. • Strong political acumen with proven ability to build and navigate complex relationships, including legislators and their staff, to advance agency priorities, respond to district-specific inquiries, and deliver results under pressure. • Exceptional leadership and personnel management skills, including vision-setting and coaching, with a proven track record of leading multiple concurrent initiatives, navigating shifting priorities, and driving teams toward measurable outcomes. • Demonstrated understanding of the functions, processes, and challenges of school systems, superintendents, school boards, and educational service centers, with a track record of system-level outcomes. • Experience in authentically engaging stakeholders, including community members, district leaders, and legislative staff, and leveraging feedback for continuous improvement. • Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning and improvement, including a willingness to deeply understand agency initiatives, self-reflect, and give and receive feedback to enhance performance and outcomes. • Ability to work as a contributing member of a team by establishing and maintaining positive, effective working relationships with all levels of staff (internal and external to TEA). • Knowledge of the Texas Education Code and Texas Administrative Code. • Knowledge of governance research and best practices preferred. 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 "capps.recruiting@cpa.texas.gov" 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. |
| Salary Range: | Salary (Pay Basis): 11,298.08 - 15,203.00 (Monthly) |
| Benefits: | To learn more about our benefits, please visit: https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/welcome-and-overview/employment/compensation-and-benefits |
| How To Apply: | Please apply online through CAPPS: https://capps.taleo.net/careersection/701/jobdetail.ftl?job=00055296&tz=GMT-06%3A00&tzname=America%2FChicago |
Contact Person:
| Name: | Emily Douno |
| Email: | recruitment@tea.texas.gov |
| Address: | 1701 N. Congress Ave. |
| City: | Austin |
| State: | TX |
| Zip: | 78701 |
| Phone: | (512) 463-8200 |
| Fax: | (512) 475-4293 |