Learning Partner - Washington State

Job description

ABOUT PLAYLAB Playlab is a tech non-profit dedicated to helping educators and students become critical consumers and creators of AI. We believe that an open-source, community-driven approach is key to harnessing the potential of AI in education. We equip communities with AI tools and hands-on professional development that empowers educators & students to build custom AI apps for their unique context. Over 40,000 educators have published apps on Playlab – and the impact is growing every day. At Playlab, we believe that AI is a new design material - one that should be shaped by many to bring their ideas about learning to life. If you're passionate about building creative, equitable futures for students and teachers, we hope you’ll join us. THE ROLE Playlab seeks a full-time, Washington-based Learning Partner to anchor the Washington AI Innovation Ecosystem — a statewide initiative, supported by the Gates Foundation and anchored by Gonzaga University, that partners with roughly ten diverse Washington schools and districts and funds all nine of Washington's Educational Service Districts (ESDs) as active recruiters and participants. As Playlab's go-to person in Washington, you will be the connective tissue between Playlab, partner schools and districts, Gonzaga, and the ESDs. You will build deep, trusted relationships with school and district leaders across the state; recruit and help select a diverse cohort spanning eastern and western Washington; design and facilitate high-impact professional learning; and coach educators as they integrate AI into their daily practice. You'll help partners move from curiosity to capacity — from experimentation to systemwide innovation. This work spans AI literacy for both educators and students, strategic AI adoption, and partner-defined success. You'll help plan and run three in-person convenings at Gonzaga, support partners through the AI Innovation Index assessment, and bring insights from the field back to our team to improve the platform, learning materials, and partnership models. This is a hands-on, high-impact role for someone who knows Washington's education landscape and is excited to help define the future of AI in education across the state. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Serve as Playlab's on-the-ground lead in Washington — the day-to-day relationship owner for partner schools, districts, Gonzaga, and the nine ESDs. - Recruit a diverse cohort of ~10 school and district partners across eastern and western Washington, and support the application, review, and selection process alongside Gonzaga and the ESDs. - Design and deliver high-quality professional learning — school-based trainings, PLCs, and coaching that build educator capacity in both AI literacy and app-building with Playlab. - Coach and co-design with educators and school teams, helping them create AI tools and learning experiences aligned to their pedagogy, curricula, and context. - Support strategic AI adoption at the system level, helping school and district leaders identify high-leverage entry points for AI across teaching, learning, and operations. - Help plan and facilitate the three in-person convenings at Gonzaga (Launch, Showcase, and Capstone), and support partners through the AI Innovation Index pre/mid/post assessment. - Partner with the ESDs so that what works in cohort schools is disseminated to the districts they serve across the state. - Bring insights from the field back to the Playlab team to improve learning resources, platform features, and partnership strategy. YOU MIGHT BE A FIT IF YOU... - Bring deep, current statewide knowledge of and experience in Washington's education landscape — spanning eastern and western Washington — with strong existing relationships across schools and districts, institutions of higher education, and education nonprofits. (Required) - School leadership and teaching experience. (Required) - Have experience working in or with K–12 schools in Washington, and care deeply about equity, innovation, and educator empowerment. - Are a skilled facilitator who knows how to lead engaging, inclusive, outcomes-driven adult learning. - Are passionate about helping educators and students not only use AI, but understand it, critique it, and create with it. - Have coached educators or supported school teams in implementing new instructional tools or practices. - Are a relationship-builder who can navigate complex school systems and build trust across diverse communities and regions of the state. - Are flexible, strategic, and thrive in fast-paced, mission-driven work. - Are confident using and explaining AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, or other LLM-powered applications, and understand how to align them with instructional values. BONUS POINTS FOR... - Existing relationships with Washington ESDs, Gonzaga University, or statewide education networks and nonprofits. - Experience leading large-scale instructional-technology or professional-development initiatives. - Familiarity with Playlab or similar AI-literacy tools and platforms. - Experience supporting both student- and adult-facing AI initiatives. - Bilingual (especially Spanish/English). WHY JOIN US? - Real impact: Lead the effort to bring AI literacy and innovation into schools across Washington. - Creative leadership: Co-create and execute a statewide strategy for transformative professional learning and implementation. - Mission-aligned team: Join a small, passionate group committed to equity, creativity, and joyful learning. - Flexible work: A remote-first role with autonomy and a strong culture of collaboration. - Competitive pay and benefits: Salary, healthcare, retirement, generous time off, and opportunities for professional growth.