Literacy Specialist $100,000 USD/year Pay is set based on global value, not the local market.
Most roles = hourly rate x 40 hrs x 50 weeks
Description
- $100,000 annual salary paid weekly, health/dental/vision coverage from 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 kindergarten through second-grade students
You have spent years developing expertise in structured literacy. Whether through Orton-Gillingham, LETRS, Wilson, IMSE, or a Master's in reading instruction, you can identify a student's miscue and pinpoint the exact phonemic weakness to address. You can build a phonics lesson from scratch without relying on scripted materials. These skills are expected. They are not your differentiator.
What sets you apart is your ability to captivate six-year-olds. At Alpha, this position is first and foremost a Guide: a dynamic, engaging presence that children are eager to work with. Structured-literacy credentials open the door; your capacity to hold a K-2 classroom's attention during a 20-minute workshop is what secures the role. If "dynamic, engaging presence" does not reflect who you are, this position is not the right fit.
Alpha has reimagined traditional education. Students progress through academic content independently using AI-adaptive applications—no lectures, no textbooks, no district pacing calendars. Your role represents the irreplaceable human element. You create small-group reading workshops using live student performance data, and you facilitate motivation sessions designed to ensure 100% of students achieve their weekly app targets through Alpha's motivational framework (school currency, leaderboards, developmentally appropriate gamification).
The initial months focus on building rapport and credibility. Workshops must be engaging, appropriately leveled, and demonstrably effective. Student satisfaction metrics and "love your Guide" survey results (target 90%+) provide direct feedback. Once you establish yourself, your responsibilities expand: analyzing AI-generated performance reports to refine upcoming instruction, communicating fluency improvements and decoding progress to parents, and contributing to how Alpha's K-2 literacy model evolves alongside adaptive technology. As Alpha grows to additional campuses, the systems you develop become the blueprint for reading instruction across the network.
Prior to hiring, you will submit a short video of yourself telling an engaging story for young children, and you will complete a full day on campus working directly with K-2 students. Low energy with children will disqualify candidacy regardless of credential strength. 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 equivalent), informed by live student data
- Facilitating daily motivation sessions designed to drive 100% of students toward their weekly adaptive-app targets, leveraging Alpha's motivational framework (school currency, leaderboards, developmentally appropriate gamification)
- Conducting and evaluating running records, fluency assessments, and decoding diagnostics to monitor progress and refine subsequent instruction
- Analyzing AI-generated performance outputs from Alpha's adaptive learning platforms to differentiate instruction in real time, beyond advance planning
- Serving as the approachable, high-energy adult your K-2 students are excited to see every day
What you will NOT be doing
- Implementing a published reading curriculum, scripted sequence, or district pacing calendar; you build your own lessons using student data
- Delivering full-class lectures; all instruction occurs in small, targeted groups while students complete academic subjects through adaptive apps
- Serving as a reading consultant, instructional coach, or district-level specialist; you work directly with kids in the classroom daily
- Managing a traditional classroom schedule—subject-by-subject lectures, homework checks, test preparation; your time is allocated to workshops, motivation sessions, and data-informed small groups
- Grading homework or issuing report cards; student progress is tracked through app analytics and your running 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 Master's degree in reading instruction
- Bachelor's degree in any discipline, plus a minimum of 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 content and methods 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 work with all K-2 learners (not exclusively struggling readers) and to incorporate AI and adaptive-learning technologies into daily practice
- Legal authorization 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
- Direct experience with AI-powered or adaptive reading platforms (e.g., Amira, Lexia, i-Ready, Reading Plus) for instructional planning or student data interpretation
- Documented reading outcomes (fluency gains measured in WCPM, accuracy improvements, decoding level advances) that you can quantify
- Experience in non-traditional or innovative educational environments (charter, micro-school, Montessori, hybrid models)
- Experience in performance, youth sports coaching, or other activities involving engaging K-2 audiences outside traditional reading instruction
You will be working for
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