A Day in the Life of a Senior Manager of Academics at TNTP
A Senior Manager of Academics at TNTP spends their days in a mix of client meetings—"a lot of motivating and influencing"— team collaboration to ensure project success, and creating professional development materials (about 40% of their week). The role also includes significant travel (up to 40%) and offers flexibility, allowing for personal time and volunteer work, reflecting a work culture that prioritizes results over strict schedules.
Leadership, Client Management, Teamwork, Professional Development, Travel
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ashley D. Essary
Senior Manager of Academics
TNTP
Texas Christian University (2010)
University of Colorado at Denver, MA in Curriculum & Instruction: Pedagogy for Urban Leadership, concentration in English Language Acquisition
Fine Arts, Music
Education
Strategic Management and Executive
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. A Senior Manager of Academics spends a significant portion of their time in client meetings, collaborating with their team, and creating materials for professional development sessions.
2. A large part of the role involves influencing clients to implement the best practices for students and ensuring that the team is set up for success.
3. The position offers flexibility in terms of work hours and location, with opportunities for travel and volunteer work, although approximately 40% of the time is spent traveling
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a senior manager of academics look like?
There are many different things involved in my role, including client meetings, motivating, and influencing. I need to understand what clients think they need and what I believe they need.
My goal isn't just to agree with client requests. Instead, I aim to push their thinking so we can better implement TNT P's theory of action and vision, ensuring the best outcomes for students.
A significant portion of my time is spent in client meetings and collaborating with my team. This ensures the work aligns with the broader contract or client context and that everyone has the necessary resources.
On one contract, I manage a couple of people who, in turn, manage a few more. Ensuring everyone is set up for success is a major part of my responsibilities.
I also dedicate a considerable amount of time to creating materials, such as professional development sessions. These sessions are for coaches, teachers, and district leaders.
About 40% of my week is spent on these session creation tasks. Additionally, I travel a decent amount for my role.
While my role allows for up to 40% travel, I rarely reach that percentage. However, every few weeks, I travel to meet clients in person. This can be for delivering training, learning more about their context, or providing in-person support.
The rest of my work is remote, which offers a nice component of flexibility. In terms of a typical day, if I want to take a break, I can.
I can take a yoga class or go for a walk. I also volunteer most weeks, supporting a first grader. I can leave work to do this and then return.
If I travel late one night, I can take a half day the next day. We have flexibility with our time as long as the work is completed. We don't need to clock in or out at specific times, which is a great aspect of this job.