Transform to Thrive Project Manager

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is the state agency that advances public education and libraries in Wisconsin. Our mission is to advance equitable, transformative, and sustainable educational experiences that develop learners, schools, libraries, and communities in Wisconsin. Working at DPI offers you the opportunity to build on our long-standing commitment to public education so that students are learning the skills and knowledge necessary to become contributing members of our communities.

At DPI, we are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels safe, supported, and valued. Equity and inclusion are at the core of our organizational values, which include belonging, integrity, love, humility, and honor. These values guide how we build our teams, develop our leaders, and create a culture that empowers everyone to be their authentic selves. When employees are respected and valued for who they are and staff are held accountable for demonstrating that respect to others, we believe it drives greater engagement and collaboration, ignites creativity and innovation, and fosters connection between teams and those we serve.

We invest in our employees both at work and beyond. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, employees receive access to an Employee Assistance Program with wellness resources, two hours of paid wellness time each month, and eight hours of paid volunteer time each calendar year to support causes that matter to them. We have a team-oriented atmosphere, focus on work-life balance, and offer a flexible work schedule for this position. This YouTube video shares the benefits of working at DPI.

The Federal Projects Section within the Bureau of Grant Administration and Monitoring is seeking applicants for a Transform to Thrive Project Manager position. This project position is scheduled to end November 30, 2029. If you’re passionate about creating systems and support so that justice-involved youth with disabilities can thrive, please apply!

The major responsibilities of this position are to provide statewide leadership in the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of services for justice-involved youth, particularly youth with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). This position plays a key leadership role in the cross-agency federal grant entitled Transforming Systems so that justice-involved youth with disabilities can thrive: A multilevel system of reintegration supports (Transforming to Thrive or T3). This position will work with community-based organizations, school districts, state agencies, county agencies, federal agencies, and other public or private agencies, as appropriate, and related organizational groups.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead statewide efforts and work with agency, school, and community partners to improve education and employment outcomes for Wisconsin youth involved in the justice system, especially youth with disabilities, and reduce repeat involvement in the justice system.

• Lead statewide efforts to develop and coordinate support systems for Wisconsin youth with disabilities involved in the justice system by working with state and national partners, managing grant activities, and improving communication and collaboration across agencies.

• Provide leadership, coaching, and support to project staff through hiring, training, supporting team collaboration, and providing guidance on federal program requirements and educational equity.

This position is in the Education Consultant classification. Depending on qualifications, the salary will be between $37.00-$49.50 per hour (approximately $76,960 - $102,960 per year). For current and eligible former State employees, compensation will be set in accordance with the State Compensation Plan effective at time of hire. This position is in pay schedule 13, range 02.

Check out the excellent benefits this position offers on the Employee Trust Fund’s information page. The State of Wisconsin is a qualifying employer for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Project Details: Project positions are eligible for benefits including health insurance, but the incumbent does not attain permanent civil service status. The funding for this project position ends November 30, 2029. Wisconsin residency is required for project positions.

Remote Work: This position allows for up to 100% remote work within the State of Wisconsin, with the expectation that the employee maintains secure, high-speed internet access. Remote work from neighboring states may be approved only in very rare and limited circumstances. Please note that remote work arrangements may be rescinded at any time based on business needs, and employees may occasionally be required to report to a Wisconsin work location on short notice.

Travel: This position requires monthly travel to Milwaukee and other cities in Southeastern Wisconsin. At least once annual out-of-state travel to Washington, D.C., is also required.

Headquarters: The position is headquartered at 201 W. Washington Ave. in Madison, WI, and employees are required to report there on their first day of employment. In addition, the employee may need to report to their headquarter location as operational needs require. Reimbursement for traveling to or from the employee’s headquarters is not provided (e.g., mileage, meals, parking, lodging, etc.).

Pre-hire requirements: A criminal background check will be conducted prior to an offer of hire. A tuberculosis screen will be required prior to start.

Legal authorization: Applicants must be legally entitled to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the U.S., without DPI sponsorship). The Department of Public Instruction does not sponsor visas, either at time of hire or at any later time.

Please address the following in your resume and/or letter of qualifications.

A minimally qualified applicant must meet both the below requirements:

• Experience planning, developing, implementing, or evaluating services to improve outcomes for justice-involved youth
• Experience serving as a project manager for a federal education-related grant with responsibility for multiple of the following grant activities: budgeting, understanding and applying federal regulations, or compiling and submitting grant data

Please note that a college degree is not required for this position.

Well-qualified applicants will also meet some or all additional items below:

• Experience planning, developing, implementing, or evaluating services improve outcomes for justice-involved youth with disabilities

• Experience providing team leadership (e.g., coaching and mentoring staff, participating in hiring activities, training new teammates, facilitating team meetings, etc.)

• Experience collaborating with internal and external partners (e.g., government partners within Department of Health Services, Department of Corrections, Department of Workforce Development; engagement groups; advisory boards; etc.)

• Experience leading or assisting in the completion and timely submission of an Annual Performance Report to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

• Experience in designing or implementing policies or practices that protect student rights, demonstrate respect for student dignity and potential, and address gaps for students particularly students with disabilities and students in the youth justice system.

For this position, please submit an updated resume and a letter of qualifications limited to two pages. Any information included beyond the second page of the letter of qualifications will not be considered as part of the application review. Review our Application Tips page on the DPI website for additional guidance.

Application materials will be evaluated, and the most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the process. References will be requested from top candidates once interviews have taken place.

The State of Wisconsin offers a special program for qualified veterans with a 30% or greater service-connected disability. If you are a qualified veteran, please visit the Veterans Employment page for application instructions to be considered for the Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment program. Once you have applied, please send an email indicating your interest in being considered for the Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment program to the HR staff listed in the job posting.

The State of Wisconsin is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to applicants of any race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities.

Questions? Please contact the recruiter Maria Butters at Maria.Butters@dpi.wi.gov.

The deadline for this announcement is 11:59 p.m. CST on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.