The Team

At Edovo, our mission is to unlock the potential of every person affected by incarceration. We run a secure online platform to support the educational, vocational, and treatment needs of the 2.2 million people in jail and prison. Users have access to thousands of hours of self-guided learning materials with the option to continue their progress upon release. Edovo offers courses in subjects ranging from basic literacy and GED to career exploration and cognitive behavioral therapy.  We’re also building tools to keep people in touch with jobs, social services, friends, and family. Our team is committed to bridging access to meaningful education behind bars and improving outcomes for justice-involved people everywhere.

We believe that teams with bold missions need diverse backgrounds to generate the most impact. For that reason, we are committed to building diverse and inclusive work spaces. Women, people of color, and people from underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply. And yes, we believe in second chances.

(For a brief picture of our program from the perspective of the people who use it, see the following videos: https://vimeo.com/edovo)

Don’t take it just from us -- awards, publications, grants, and partnerships all around the country are recognizing the momentum and impact of Edovo.  A select few: Global EdTech Startup Champion in London out of 1,000+ competitors; GIIRS Platinum Rating for social impact; MacArthur Foundation grant award winner; Forbes article feature; Chicago Community Trust grant award winner; Impact Engine portfolio member; SXSW Civic Tech Innovation Pitch Competition runner-up; Chicago Innovation “Up and Comer” Award winner; and so much more.

The Role

The Director of Content will set the path to impact in this fast-growing, mission-driven startup.  Your work every day will be to make the learning experiences that create the impact we seek.

You will:

1. Form new relationships with content partners, both well-established entities and independent ones focusing on making an impact with justice-involved people

2. Grow strong relationships with existing content partners

3. Prioritize, negotiate, and handle portfolio of content licenses within budget

4. Handle a grant and research partnership portfolio encompassing cutting-edge federal and foundation-funded research, development, and evaluation

5. Lead Edovo content team of additional full-time employees and contractors to successfully deliver on content integration and custom content creation

Future areas that this role could cover would include leading the prototyping and development of a deep academic coaching function, as well as deepening Edovo’s work in custom content creation.

Essential skills, mindsets, and experience

• Strong understanding and judgment to prioritize based on social impact, client needs, and economic sustainability

• Strong negotiation ability

• Tenacity, drive, ownership mindset, and problem-solving spirit, including an ability to roll up sleeves and do all types of work necessary

• Deep passion / experience around criminal justice reform, adult education, etc. or some area of social impact

• Education or education technology experience

• Strong written and verbal communication ability

• Strong/demonstrated management skills

• Intellectual curiosity to learn as much as possible about the Edovo technology stack and all content areas outside of own immediate expertise

• Excitement to work directly with correctional staff and people who are incarcerated to design learning experiences with great educational outcomes in a challenging environment

It’s a plus if you have

• Exposure to software development processes

• Teaching experience, especially in adult education

• Deep expertise in a particular content area important to Edovo (academic, therapeutic, job skill, research, assessments, etc.)

• Experience with academic coaching

This is a full-time position in Chicago, IL.  We’re looking forward to hearing from you.  If you’ve had the chance to read all the way to the end, please let us know by putting “[Unlock potential]” at the beginning of your e-mail subject line.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.