About this role

Educator Development Specialist

Charlotte Chess Center (CCC)
Location: Charlotte, NC
Employment Type: Part-Tim
Reports To: Director of School Programs

Position Summary

The Charlotte Chess Center seeks an experienced Educator Development Specialist to strengthen the instructional skills of our chess coaches working in school enrichment programs.

This role is ideal for an experienced classroom teacher, instructional coach, educator, or school-based professional who can train chess coaches to create a structured, engaging, and positive learning environment for students. The successful candidate will bring practical classroom-management expertise and translate those skills into training and coaching for CCC's chess coaches.

Our coaches have a strong understanding of chess, but many are developing their skills as classroom instructors and management of diverse student needs. This position will help bridge that gap by providing practical training, coaching, observation, feedback, and resources focused on classroom management, student special needs and engagement, behavior management, routines, and instructional control.

The goal is to help our chess professionals become better educators and classroom leaders by enabling them to break down concepts to grade K-5 students level, manage student behavior, and deliver engaging lessons.

Essential Responsibilities

Coach Training & Development

- Provide practical instruction on classroom management, instructional excellence, and establishing clear expectations, routines, procedures, and boundaries.

- Review when and how to deploy various teaching styles, including traditional teacher-centered frameworks and student-centered strategies, to match diverse developmental needs and program goals

- Teach strategies for managing student behavior while maintaining a positive, engaging, and supportive environment.

- Provide strategies for managing different student personalities, energy levels, and behavioral needs.

- Train coaches how to transition effectively between activities and minimize downtime and disruptions.

- Help coaches balance classroom structure with fun and engaging chess instruction.

- Develop practical tools, checklists, scripts, and resources coaches can use in their classrooms.

Observation & Coaching

- Observe CCC coaches in school enrichment programs and provide feedback.

- Identify opportunities for individual coach development and provide targeted recommendations and written progress notes.

- Model effective classroom-management techniques when appropriate.

- Partner with program leadership to identify recurring challenges and opportunities for improvement.

- Help establish consistent classroom-management expectations across CCC's school programs.

Program & Resource Development

- Assist in the development of practical classroom-management training curriculum for CCC coaches. Recommend improvements to coach training and development based on observations and feedback.

- Create resources addressing common challenges in school-based chess programs, including:

Breaking down complex concepts

- Managing large groups

- Getting students' attention

- Setting and reinforcing expectations

- Handling disruptive behavior

- Managing transitions

- Maintaining appropriate noise levels

- Keeping students engaged

- Responding to challenging student behaviors

- Creating a positive classroom culture

- Communicating effectively with school staff

- Collaborate with CCC leadership to ensure training aligns with the organization's expectations and school-partner relationships.

Qualifications

Required

- Minimum of 5 years of full-time classroom teaching, instructional coaching, or comparable professional education experience.

- Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience teaching and managing groups of children in a structured learning environment.

- Strong understanding of classroom-management principles and student behavior.

- Ability to train and coach adults in a practical, approachable manner.

- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

- Ability to provide constructive feedback while building trust and rapport with coaches.

- Comfortable working with individuals who have varying levels of teaching and classroom experience.

- Ability to assist in developing practical training materials and resources.

Preferred

- Bachelor's degree in Education or a related field.

- Teaching certification or comparable educational credential.

- Experience as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, mentor teacher, or school administrator.

- Experience training or mentoring other educators.

- Experience working with elementary and/or middle school students.

- Experience working in before-school, after-school, enrichment, or extracurricular programs preferred.

- Familiarity with classroom-management frameworks and evidence-based behavior-management strategies.

- Experience working with diverse student populations and learning environments.

Key Competencies

The ideal candidate will be:

An Educator: Understands what it takes to create a productive learning environment and can translate educational theory into practical techniques.

A Coach: Can observe performance, provide useful feedback, and help others improve without being overly critical or prescriptive.

A Classroom Leader: Has demonstrated experience managing groups of students and maintaining structure, engagement, and appropriate behavior.

A Communicator: Can explain concepts clearly and adapt communication to coaches with different backgrounds and levels of experience.

A Problem Solver: Can identify the root causes of classroom-management challenges and help coaches develop practical solutions.

A Relationship Builder: Builds trust with coaches and approaches development as a partnership rather than a disciplinary process.

Schedule & Work Environment

This is a part-time role with a flexible schedule based on CCC's coach-training and school-program needs.

The position may include:

- In-person coach training sessions

- Observation of coaches at school programs

- Individual or small-group coaching sessions

- Development of training materials

- Occasional meetings with CCC leadership

Because this role is focused on school-based programs, most work may take place during before-school or after-school program hours.

Success in This Role

Success in this position will be demonstrated by measurable improvement in CCC coaches' ability to:

- Establish and maintain classroom expectations.

- Gain and maintain student attention.

- Manage student behavior effectively.

- Keep students engaged and participating.

- Transition smoothly between activities.

- Maintain an appropriate classroom environment.

- Handle challenging situations with confidence and professionalism.

- Build positive relationships with students while maintaining appropriate authority.

- Deliver a consistent and positive experience across CCC school programs.

About Charlotte Chess Center

The Charlotte Chess Center is dedicated to making chess accessible, engaging, and educational for students and families throughout the Charlotte region. Through school programs, clubs, tournaments, camps, and community programming, CCC uses chess to help students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, confidence, and other valuable life skills.

Our school-program coaches play an important role in that mission. This position will help ensure our coaches have not only the chess knowledge they need, but also the classroom-management and instructional skills necessary to create successful learning environments for students.