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Director of Academic Operations

MISSION: The mission of Marion P. Thomas Charter School is to build culturally rich, transformative educational spaces that cultivate successful, lifelong innovators who use their passions, character, and intellect to better themselves, the greater Newark community, and the world beyond.

WHO YOU ARE:
You are a systems-driven operator who turns academic priorities into clear, executable plans across multiple schools. You are detail-obsessed, deadline-driven, and hold a high bar for quality and consistency. You do not just design systems, you ensure they are used correctly and produce results.

You are comfortable holding leaders accountable, managing across multiple stakeholders, and stepping into ambiguity to bring structure. You know that strong instruction depends on strong operations, and you take ownership of the systems that make teaching and learning run smoothly.

Position Overview: The Director of Academic Operations is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing the core systems that drive instructional quality across the district.

This role owns the infrastructure behind teaching and learning, including professional development, assessments, observation systems, academic scheduling, and compliance areas such as grants and home instruction.

The Director ensures that all academic systems are:

• Clearly defined
• Consistently executed across schools
• Measurable in impact
• Aligned to district priorities
  

Success in this role means that school leaders experience academic systems as clear, predictable, and useful, not fragmented or reactive.

Core Responsibilities:

Professional Development Systems

• Design a year-long professional development scope and sequence aligned to instructional priorities
• Ensure all professional development is grounded in strong adult learning practices, including clear objectives, active engagement, modeling, opportunities for practice, and structured reflection
• Develop a professional development budget to ensure accurate spending for external professional development partners as well as outside opportunities for staff members
• Build differentiated PD plans for new teachers, returning teachers, and leaders
• Implement systems to track attendance, feedback, and evidence of impact on instruction
• Ensure 80% of participants complete weekly professional development surveys and follow up with appropriate parties as needed
• Ensure 100% of survey feedback reflections for district and school leaders
• Adjust PD offerings based on observation data and student performance trends
• Build sustainable systems and internal capacity so that schools and teacher leaders can increasingly design, lead, and scale high-quality professional learning independently over time
  

Grants Management (ASP, Perkins, Title III)

• Own full lifecycle of assigned grants: planning, budgeting, execution, and reporting
• Align all grant-funded activities to specific academic priorities and student outcomes
• Monitor spending to ensure funds are used fully and appropriately
• Coordinate with finance and school teams to ensure compliance and documentation
• Prepare and submit all required reports accurately and on time
  

Grant Utilization Rate: 100% of allocated funds fully expended by grant deadlines with approved use of funds

Compliance Integrity Rate: 100% of grants submitted with zero audit findings, corrections, or late submissions

District Testing Coordinator

• Build and manage the full assessment calendar, including state and internal assessments
• Lead all testing logistics, including training, materials, scheduling, security protocols, and compliance
• Ensure accuracy and timeliness of all assessment data
• Establish clear protocols for data distribution and usage by school leaders
• Troubleshoot and resolve any testing issues in real time
• Ensure appropriate testing accommodations for students with disabilities and multilingual learners
• Collaborate with special education and multilingual departments to ensure compliance with IEPs, 504 plans, and language supports
• Train school staff on proper implementation of accommodations
• Investigate and document testing irregularities and breaches, and coordinate required reporting
• Manage and support assessment platforms and technology portals
• Coordinate with IT to ensure device readiness, bandwidth, and troubleshooting protocols
• Lead contingency planning for technology disruptions
  

Instructional Observation and Evaluation Systems

• Develop and maintain the district's observation and evaluation handbook; train school leaders and building staff members on expectations and compliance expectations
• Train network and school leaders on observation quality, feedback, and calibration
• Assign and monitor second observers (network and school leaders) to ensure consistency
• Oversee integration of student growth measures into evaluations
• Ensure all staff are correctly set up and managed within the evaluation platform
• Monitor completion, quality, and timeliness of all observations
• Ensure compliance with state reporting in NJSLEDS and for teachers with mSGP scores
  

Observation Completion Compliance: 98% of required observations completed within designated evaluation windows across all schools.

Academic Calendar and Assessment Cycle

• Build and publish the academic calendar with clear assessment windows and milestones
• Ensure alignment across schools on grading periods, data cycles, and reporting timelines
• Monitor adherence to the calendar and proactively address conflicts or gaps
• Include deadlines for data analysis protocols for network and school leaders and their respective teams
  

Summer Programming

• Design academic summer programming aligned to student needs and district priorities
• Set enrollment targets and build systems to track recruitment and attendance
• Oversee daily operations, staffing, and program quality
• Evaluate program effectiveness based on participation and student outcomes
  

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

• Define PLC structure, expectations, and meeting cadence across schools
• Ensure PLCs are aligned to data cycles and focused on instructional improvement
• Provide tools, protocols, and exemplars for effective PLC meetings
• Monitor implementation quality and consistency across schools
• Develop systems for PLC artifact submissions such as no show charts and looking at student work protocols
  

Website (Academic Content Oversight)

• Ensure all academic programming, calendars, and offerings are accurately reflected on the website
• Coordinate updates with internal teams to keep information current
• Review content regularly to eliminate outdated or unclear information
  

Instructional Walkthrough Systems

• Build and maintain a district-wide walkthrough tracking system
• Define expectations for frequency, look-fors, and documentation
• Train network and school leaders on logistical aspects
• Monitor completion and follow-up actions
• Analyze trends and report key insights to leadership
• Ensure walkthrough data leads to concrete instructional adjustments
  

Home Instruction

• Oversee identification and approval process for home instruction
• Ensure timely assignment of instructors and start of services
• Monitor compliance with all state requirements and documentation
• Track student progress and ensure continuity of learning
  

Other Duties as Assigned

• Undertake additional responsibilities as assigned by the Superintendent or their designee in support of district priorities
  

What This Role Owns

This role owns the execution layer of academics. That means:

• Systems are not just created, they are used correctly across all schools
• Deadlines are met without exception
• Data is accurate, accessible, and actionable
• Network and school leaders are clear on expectations and follow through
  

Salary range: Commensurate based upon experience

Term of Employment: 12 months

Union: Unaffiliated

Do you have what it takes?

• Education and Experience:
  • Master's degree in Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction, or a related field required
  • Minimum of 5-7 years of successful experience in education, including experience in instructional leadership roles (e.g., principal, assistant principal, instructional coach, or district leader)
  • A deep sense of personal accountability and a drive to foster that same mindset in others. You take ownership, not just of tasks but of outcomes.
  • Strategic thinking and strong problem-solving skills with the ability to proactively identify challenges and implement smart, scalable solutions.
  • An eagerness to "own" all MPTCS operations, ensuring that every system is executed with precision and care.