- $100,000 annual salary, paid weekly, with health, dental, and vision coverage beginning day one
- Full-time on-site position at a single Alpha campus: Phoenix, AZ; Oklahoma City or Tulsa, OK; Nashville, TN; Austin, Fort Worth, Houston (South Houston or The Woodlands), or Plano, TX; Park City (Salt Lake City), UT; or Dorado, Puerto Rico (relocation assistance available)
- 40-hour workweek, 100% classroom-based with K-2 learners
You have dedicated years to becoming an expert in structured literacy. Perhaps you hold training in Orton-Gillingham, LETRS, Wilson, IMSE, or a Master's in reading instruction. You recognize a student's miscue instantly and know precisely which phonemic skill requires attention. You can construct a phonics lesson independently, without relying on a scripted curriculum. These qualifications are baseline. They do not set you apart.
What distinguishes you is that young children respond to you with enthusiasm. At Alpha, this position is first and foremost a Guide: a dynamic, engaging presence that students enjoy learning alongside. Your structured-literacy credentials open the door; your capacity to captivate a K-2 classroom during a 20-minute workshop is what secures the role. If a compelling, energetic presence is not your natural mode, this position is not a fit.
Alpha has fundamentally redesigned traditional instruction. Students advance through academic content independently on AI-adaptive platforms—no whole-group lessons, no textbooks, no preset pacing calendars. Your position is the one space where a human expert cannot be replaced. You create small-group reading workshops informed by live student performance data, and you facilitate motivation sessions designed to ensure every student reaches their weekly app targets using Alpha's behavioral framework (school currency, competitive leaderboards, developmentally appropriate gamification).
Your initial period centers on establishing credibility with students. Workshops must be engaging, differentiated, and visibly effective. Student satisfaction data and "love your Guide" survey results (goal: 90%+) directly measure your success. Once you demonstrate mastery, your responsibilities expand: analyzing AI-generated performance insights to refine subsequent instruction, communicating fluency improvements and decoding progress to families, and contributing to the evolution of Alpha's K-2 reading model alongside adaptive technology. As Alpha opens additional campuses, your work becomes the blueprint for reading instruction across the network.
Prior to hiring, you will submit a brief video in which you tell an engaging story suitable for young children, and you will complete a full day on campus working directly with K-2 students. Low energy with children will disqualify you, regardless of credentials. This is intentional. Apply today.
What you will be doing
- Creating and facilitating small-group K-2 reading workshops rooted in structured-literacy approaches (Orton-Gillingham, Wilson, LETRS, IMSE, or comparable), informed by live student assessment data
- Facilitating daily motivational sessions designed to drive 100% of students toward their weekly adaptive-app targets, applying Alpha's motivational framework (school currency, leaderboards, age-appropriate game mechanics)
- Conducting and evaluating running records, fluency assessments, and decoding diagnostics to monitor growth and refine upcoming instruction
- Analyzing AI-generated performance insights from Alpha's adaptive learning platforms to differentiate instruction responsively, not only during lesson planning
- Serving as the engaging, approachable adult presence your K-2 students are excited to work with each day
What you will NOT be doing
- Implementing a published reading curriculum, scripted lesson set, or district pacing calendar; you create lessons independently using student data
- Delivering whole-class lectures; all instruction occurs in small, targeted groups while students complete academic subjects through adaptive platforms
- Serving as a reading consultant, instructional coach for other educators, or district-level literacy specialist; you work directly with students in the classroom daily
- Operating a traditional classroom schedule—subject-by-subject lectures, homework checks, test preparation; your time is structured around workshops, motivation sessions, and data-informed small-group instruction
- Grading homework assignments or issuing report cards; student progress is tracked through app data and your assessment records
Key Responsibilities
Provide structured-literacy instruction that produces measurable acceleration in K-2 reading performance across phonics, fluency, and decoding domains.
Candidate Requirements
- Structured-literacy certification (Orton-Gillingham, LETRS, Wilson Reading System, IMSE, CERI, Neuhaus, UFLI, or equivalent) OR a Master's degree in reading instruction
- Bachelor's degree in any field, plus at least 2 years of full-time K-2 structured reading instruction in a school or clinical environment, utilizing systematic phonics or structured literacy
- Proven ability to independently design reading lessons and clearly explain instructional methods and content, without dependence on a published program
- Willingness to work on-site full-time at one Alpha campus: Phoenix, AZ; Oklahoma City or Tulsa, OK; Nashville, TN; Austin, Fort Worth, Houston (South Houston or The Woodlands), or Plano, TX; Park City (Salt Lake City), UT; or Dorado, Puerto Rico (relocation assistance available)
- Willingness to instruct all K-2 students (not solely struggling readers) and to incorporate AI and adaptive-learning platforms into daily teaching
- Legally authorized to work in the United States or Puerto Rico without requiring visa sponsorship
- Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish required for the Dorado, Puerto Rico campus
Nice to have
- Practical experience with AI-powered or adaptive reading platforms (e.g., Amira, Lexia, i-Ready, Reading Plus) for instructional planning or student data interpretation
- Documented record of measurable reading gains (fluency improvement in WCPM, accuracy gains, decoding advancement) that you can quantify
- Experience in non-traditional or innovative educational settings (charter schools, micro-schools, Montessori, hybrid models)
- Background in performance, youth sports coaching, or other activities involving engaging a K-2 audience outside a traditional reading classroom
This position is also known as:
- Literacy Specialist
- Reading Specialist
- Reading Coach
- Reading Interventionist
- Reading Tutor
- Learning Specialist
- Educational Technology Specialist
- Instructional Coordinator
- Literacy Coordinator
- Reading Program Coordinator
- Literacy Program Coordinator
