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: $50–$65 per hour, depending on relevant experience
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 through 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 approximately 60 eligible teacher-school participants by June 30, 2027.

Position Overview

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.

This is primarily a project-management and execution role. The successful candidate will keep a multi-stage recruitment effort moving, ensure consistent follow-up, coordinate the contributions of supporting contractors, maintain accurate records, and identify problems early enough for the project team to respond.

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 director will retain formal authority over contractor selection, contracts, compensation, scope changes, and termination.

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

Recruitment Plan and Execution

• Implement and manage the established Year 2 recruitment plan.

• Translate the plan into weekly activities, assignments, deadlines, and measurable recruitment targets.

• Recommend updates based on recruitment results, emerging opportunities, and lessons from Year 1.

• Take primary operational responsibility for moving prospects through the recruitment process.

• Identify bottlenecks, test improvements, and ensure that promising leads receive consistent follow-up.

Outreach and Lead Management

• Coordinate cold outreach to eligible California schools and 8th-grade science teachers.

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

• Coordinate outreach through personal networks, conferences, referrals, districts, county offices of education, and other institutional partners.

• Develop segmented outreach campaigns using approved project materials.

• Ensure that outreach is accurate, professional, appropriately personalized, and consistent with study requirements.

• Coordinate the appropriate use of AI and automation for contact research, email drafting, scheduling, routine follow-up, and lead routing.

Teacher Engagement

• Move interested teachers from initial response to an informational session.

• Coordinate and, when needed, conduct individual or group information sessions.

• Ensure that teachers understand the study, participation requirements, and next steps.

• Conduct structured follow-up after information sessions.

• Request appropriate school or district contacts and colleague referrals from interested teachers.

District and Partner Engagement

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

• Work with district and county-office specialists to develop institutional partnerships and partner-hosted webinars.

• Help interested districts understand the study and agreement process.

• Introduce qualified district contacts to WestEd and monitor progress after the handoff.

• Maintain recruitment follow-through while WestEd completes the formal agreement process.

Contractor Coordination

• Coordinate the day-to-day contributions of contractors supporting teacher outreach, district engagement, conferences, contact research, and recruitment technology.

• Establish clear responsibilities, deliverables, timelines, and handoffs within each contractor’s approved scope.

• Convene brief recruitment coordination meetings focused on progress, next actions, and obstacles.

• Monitor progress against agreed deliverables.

• Provide contractors with the information and project context needed to complete their work.

• Advise the project director about contractor performance, workload, resource needs, and recommended adjustments.

• Escalate contract, compensation, scope, or performance decisions to the project director.

CRM, Tracking, and Reporting

• Maintain an accurate recruitment pipeline in HubSpot.

• Ensure each active school has an assigned owner, current stage, next action, and due date.

• Track results by original source, campaign, and partner.

• Monitor outreach volume, responses, information-session bookings and attendance, teacher commitments, district approvals, WestEd handoffs, signed agreements, and completed teacher consent.

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

• Maintain organized documentation so recruitment status does not depend on one person’s memory or inbox.

Measures of Success

Success in this role will include:

• Approximately 60 eligible teacher-school participants fully recruited by June 30, 2027.

• Consistent progress toward interim recruitment milestones.

• Timely follow-up for all interested and high-potential prospects.

• A clean, current, and usable HubSpot pipeline.

• Effective coordination among project staff, supporting contractors, teachers, district partners, and WestEd.

• Reliable reporting that allows the project team to identify and address problems early.

• A well-documented recruitment system that can be handed off cleanly at the end of the contract.

Most Important Qualifications

• Excellent project-management, organization, and follow-through skills.

• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of a measurable outcome.

• Experience managing a complex pipeline, campaign, program, or effort involving many simultaneous contacts and deadlines.

• Ability to coordinate multiple contributors while maintaining clear responsibilities and accountability.

• Strong interpersonal and written communication skills.

• Persistence and good judgment when following up with busy professionals.

• Comfort learning new systems, procedures, and subject matter.

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

• Experience using a CRM such as HubSpot, Salesforce, or a comparable system.

Preferred Experience

The following experience is valuable but not required:

• Participation in an education, evaluation, or human-subjects research project.

• Familiarity with research recruitment, informed consent, IRB-approved procedures, or research documentation.

• Knowledge of California K–12 schools, districts, or county offices of education.

• Experience recruiting educators, schools, research participants, program participants, or institutional partners.

• Existing relationships within California education networks.

• Experience coordinating contractors or distributed project contributors.

• Experience with email campaigns, workflow automation, or AI-supported outreach.

Candidates do not need to arrive with expertise in every aspect of education research. More important is the ability to learn the project’s requirements, follow established procedures carefully, and operate the recruitment effort with consistency and sound judgment.

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 strongly 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 responsible for reaching a measurable participation, enrollment, partnership, or revenue goal.

• 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.