Chief Schools Officer Jobs

Description

Chief Schools Officer

About UP Education Network

UP Education Network manages and operates three schools in Boston, MA. We serve over 1,400 elementary and middle school students in grades PK-8. UP is invited by local school districts to transform district schools into exceptional learning environments. Each UP Academy shares the same mission: to ensure that students acquire the knowledge, skills, and strength of character necessary to succeed on the path to college and to achieve their full potential.

Role

The Chief Schools Officer (CSO) will oversee UP’s portfolio of schools, ensuring that schools are meeting internal goals and achieving UP’s mission and vision. The CSO will be a member of UP’s Leadership Team and will report to the Chief Executive Officer. The position will require travel across UP’s three schools.

Mindsets

You are a compelling and persuasive visionary. We are at an inflection point in our organization as we embark on more clearly defining excellence at UP and striving to better ensure our practices are equitable. You enjoy using data and evidence to ground stakeholders in a compelling vision. You instill confidence and buy-in from critical stakeholders who may hold different goals and different agendas. You enjoy being at the seat of change in an organization and state that is at the forefront of education reform.

You live and breathe curriculum, instruction and assessments. You have deep and relevant curriculum and assessment experience in the K-12 education sector. You deeply believe in the need for growing organizations to standardize curriculum and assessments, while still providing school leaders with the flexibility and autonomy to lead their schools. You know what excellent principal leadership looks like and what works and what doesn’t in high performing schools. You are comfortable translating a variety of information (qualitative and quantitative) into clear, actionable steps that help diverse audiences work smarter.

You are a talented manager of workflow. You enjoy developing effective ways to streamline and create processes and protocols for maximum efficiency. You enjoy digging into complex initiatives. You are an organizational guru. You are the one others seek out when they need support with organization or with prioritization. At the same time, you are flexible and always default to action.

You are a talented manager of people. Our people are our most valuable asset. You look forward to coaching and helping managers (and managers of managers) achieve aggressive goals while creating a culture in which people can grow personally and professionally. You hold yourself to incredibly high standards and expect the best from your people.

You find turnaround work motivating. Even as we put our existing schools on a path to excellence, we firmly believe that we must continue to grow given the depth of the need for excellent schools in our communities. You believe in our mission of transformation and believe that we are equal partners with districts, communities and families.

You believe in earning the right to do the work. This expression anchors us in humility and respect. You check your title at the door, listen closely, learn constantly, and build coalitions inside and outside our network that are rooted in teamwork and trust.

Specific Responsibilities

• Track and analyze student data to inform best practices and to determine next steps towards improving student outcomes
• Collaborate with the network’s Leadership Team to create and execute on annual priorities and to advise on the strategic direction of the network
• Oversee Crisis Management in partnership with network Leadership Team and CEO for school level events
• Ensure that every UP Academy school has a best-in-class approach to educating students with disabilities and ELLs
• Manage UP’s three turnaround campuses in Boston
• Collaborate closely with Boston Public School staff on key levels of executions
• Define excellence in school culture, and ensure that every UP Academy school effectively implements our network’s school culture vision
• Manage, develop, and coach co-leaders (Principals and Directors of Operations), of UP Academy campuses to increase leadership capacity and to achieve school goals, including staff engagement and retention goals
• Report out to UP Board(s) about school progress and strategic direction
• Facilitate professional development for Principals and Directors of Operations
• Assume personal responsibility for student outcomes and positive student experiences across academics and school culture
• Work closely with members of the Academic Team and help set the arc for the year
• Collaborate closely with Academic Team and Operations Teams members to ensure alignment and smooth execution of priorities
• Ensure that co-leader management, professional development and leader-to-leader collaboration protocols and practices allow every co-leader to make meaningful improvement and growth in their role every year
• Manage and oversee school strategic plans and priorities on an annual basis

Qualifications

• 5+ years of School Leadership managing both Operations and Academics
• Ability to adapt quickly in the face of change
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Incredibly high standards of excellence for self and for others
• Bachelor’s degree required (advanced degree preferred)
• Deep belief in our mission and vision for partnering with districts to transform chronically underperforming schools into extraordinary schools
• 2+ years of coaching and managing school leaders
• Ability to effectively communicate a compelling vision for school success and instill confidence and buy-in from critical stakeholders
• Ability to organize effectively, ruthlessly prioritize and oversee implementation of multiple complex initiatives
• Track record of successful school turnaround as demonstrated by measurable results
• Current authorization to work in the United States – A candidate must have such authorization by his or her first day of employment.
• Incredible work ethic and ability to do whatever it takes to get the job done

Compensation And Benefits

The Chief Schools Officer role is a full-time, salaried position. Additionally, UP offers medical, dental and vision insurance coverage that subsidizes the majority of the employee, spouse/domestic partner, and child premiums. Other benefits include disability, life insurance, paid parental leave, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, commuter benefits, and a 403(b) plan.

We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply for any open position for which they are qualified. Our students must be exposed on a daily basis to a diverse group of powerful role models. Therefore, we have a responsibility to recruit, retain, develop, and reward a diverse and talented staff from a wide range of backgrounds to join our creative, mission-driven team.