Recruitment Lead, Science Roots Impact Study

Contract type: Hourly independent contractor
Time commitment: Approximately 20 hours per week on average, with variable hours across the recruitment cycle
Contract period: September 2026 through June 30, 2027, with possible limited summer follow-through
Compensation: $45–$65 per hour, depending on experience and qualifications
Location: Primarily remote; California residence preferred but not required
Target start date: September 2026

About the Project

The Science Roots Impact Study is recruiting California schools and 8th-grade science teachers for a large-scale study of a middle school science curriculum. The project is led by San José State University in collaboration with Green Ninja and WestEd with funding by the U.S. Department of Education.

Following the first year of recruitment, the project is seeking an experienced and highly organized Recruitment Lead to manage Year 2 recruitment. The goal is to recruit 60 eligible schools, each with at least one participating eighth-grade science teacher, by June 30, 2027.

Position Overview

This is a hands-on recruitment position, not solely a planning, research-administration, or contractor-coordination role. The Recruitment Lead will personally conduct outreach, speak with teachers and school leaders, follow up persistently with nonresponsive prospects, and help move interested participants toward commitment. Success will require comfort with cold outreach, including telephone calls, individualized emails, and repeated professional follow-up.

The successful candidate will take primary operational responsibility for the school-level recruitment pipeline. This includes generating and advancing leads, maintaining recruitment volume, conducting information sessions, coordinating supporting contractors, keeping accurate records, identifying problems early, and acting quickly when response or conversion rates are below target.

The Recruitment Lead will work closely with the project director, who will provide strategic direction, institutional support, and access to existing relationships and recruitment resources.

The project has an established recruitment plan, CRM, outreach materials, lead lists, and a defined process for moving interested teachers and schools toward participation. The Recruitment Lead will implement this plan, manage the day-to-day recruitment operation, and recommend practical improvements based on Year 1 experience and Year 2 results. Experience with education or human-subjects research is helpful but not required. The Recruitment Lead will receive guidance on the study’s research procedures, approved recruitment materials, consent process, and the responsibilities of SJSU, WestEd, and other project partners.

Primary Responsibilities

• Implement the Year 2 recruitment plan and translate it into weekly activities and measurable targets.

• Personally conduct outreach to eligible schools and eighth-grade science teachers through calls, individualized emails, campaigns, referrals, conferences, and professional networks.

• Re-engage strong prospects and warm leads carried forward from Year 1.

• Move interested teachers from initial response through information sessions, school or district approval, formal agreements, and teacher consent.

• Follow up consistently with nonresponsive prospects and ensure that promising leads do not become stalled.

• Increase or adjust outreach when the pipeline is not sufficient to meet recruitment goals.

• Coordinate contractors supporting teacher outreach, district engagement, conferences, contact research, and recruitment technology.

• Conduct individual and group information sessions.

• Coordinate outreach to district administrators and other decision-makers.

• Maintain an accurate HubSpot pipeline in which every active school has a current stage, assigned owner, next action, and due date.

• Track outreach volume, responses, information-session attendance, teacher commitments, district approvals, signed agreements, and completed consent.

• Provide concise weekly updates and a more detailed monthly progress report.

• Identify recruitment problems early and recommend practical solutions.

Most Important Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to take personal ownership of a measurable recruitment, enrollment, participation, partnership, fundraising, sales, or comparable goal.

• Experience managing a complex pipeline or campaign involving numerous contacts and deadlines.

• Comfort initiating contact with people who do not already know the applicant or organization.

• Willingness to make outbound telephone calls, send cold emails, and continue professional follow-up after unanswered messages.

• Persistence and motivation when outreach involves substantial nonresponse or rejection.

• Ability to recognize when a pipeline is insufficient and increase or redirect activity without waiting to be instructed.

• Excellent organization, communication, and follow-through skills.

• Ability to coordinate multiple contributors while maintaining clear responsibilities.

• Experience using HubSpot, Salesforce, or another CRM.

• Ability to work independently while communicating openly with project leadership.

Preferred Experience

Helpful experience may include:

• Recruiting educators, schools, program participants, volunteers, customers, donors, or institutional partners.

• Managing K–12 school or district partnerships.

• Education outreach, edtech partnerships, program enrollment, nonprofit development, community organizing, fundraising, or field campaigns.

• Education research, research-participant recruitment, informed consent, or IRB-approved procedures.

• Knowledge of California schools, districts, or county offices of education.

• Running webinars, workshops, information sessions, or recruitment presentations.

• Email campaigns, workflow automation, contact research, or AI-supported outreach.

Education research experience is helpful but not required. More important is the ability to learn the project, personally conduct recruitment activity, maintain a strong pipeline, and persist until measurable goals are reached.

Location and Schedule

The position is expected to average approximately 20 hours per week. Hours will vary according to the recruitment cycle, with heavier periods around campaign launches, conferences, information sessions, and final district follow-up. Some weeks may require fewer hours, while peak periods may require additional availability.

Most work can be completed remotely and scheduled flexibly. The Recruitment Lead must be available for regular project meetings, educator information sessions, and time-sensitive follow-up during normal California working hours. Occasional evening information sessions or in-person conference participation may be needed.

California residence is preferred. Candidates outside California may be considered if they have substantial experience with California K–12 education, can work Pacific Time hours, and are available for occasional travel within California.

Approved project travel will be reimbursed separately. Contract structure and final terms will be subject to applicable university and Research Foundation requirements.

How to Express Interest

Please submit:

• A résumé or brief description of relevant experience.

• A short statement describing your experience managing recruitment, outreach, or a comparable pipeline.

• An example of a project in which you were personally responsible for reaching a measurable recruitment, participation, enrollment, partnership, fundraising, or revenue goal. Please include the numerical goal and result, the outreach methods you personally used—including cold calls or emails—and what you did when initial outreach was not producing enough responses.

• Your anticipated availability from September 2026 through June 2027.

Please send all application materials in a single PDF to eugene.cordero@sjsu.edu with the subject line “EIR Recruitment Lead Application.” Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.