Chief of Academic Programs

Achievement First Public Charter Schools prepare every student to excel in college and career, deepen their knowledge of self and community, and lead lives of purpose. In partnership with our families and communities, we work to disrupt the legacy of inequity in education.

 

About the Organization

Achievement First (AF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supporting 39 public charter schools across New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. For more than 25 years, AF has been recognized as one of the top tuition-free public charter school networks in the country. We are committed to creating schools of academic excellence within nurturing environments — schools that prepare students to be college-ready and to pursue and succeed in whatever paths they choose in life.

The majority of AF students are Black and Latinx children from low-income families, many of whom will be the first in their families to graduate from college. Across our network, we employ more than 2,200 staff members — 64% of whom identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color — who collectively educate nearly 15,000 students in Brooklyn and Queens, NY; New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford, CT; and Providence and Cranston, RI.

Our mission is to prepare every student to excel in college, career, and life; deepen their understanding of self and community; and lead lives of purpose. We believe in the limitless potential within our students and their power to shape a more just society. That belief drives our deep commitment to student achievement: we aim to set a high bar for learning and create warm, demanding classrooms where rigorous instruction is paired with the care, encouragement, and consistency every student deserves.

 

About the Role

What You'll Do

To achieve AF's strategic vision and graduate aims across our three regions (New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island), we need an aligned, high-quality K-16 program that prepares our students for success in college and beyond. The Chief of Academic Programs (CoAP) will set the vision for excellence across academics and student supports, translate that vision into coherent systems, and partner closely with regional leaders to drive transformative learning outcomes. Reporting directly to the CEO, the CoAP will be a key member of AF's senior leadership team (called "the Executive Team") and will serve as a strategic partner to the organization's Regional Executive Directors (EDs). This role combines responsibility for leading AF's program team (including our teaching and learning, special services, student experience, college, and academic operations teams) with influence across regional and school teams to ensure all students – including students with special needs, multilingual learners, and students in crisis – have access to exceptional teaching and learning.

 

Key Responsibilities

Define and Uphold the K-16 Programmatic Vision

• Codify a clear, actionable vision of excellence across all core content areas and enrichment programs
• Integrate academics and student supports to ensure the vision reflects and meets the needs of all learners
• Develop models of exemplar practices and student work expectations that raise the ceiling for instructional quality and the student experience across classrooms and schools
• Use feedback from students, alumni, educators, leaders, and community members to continuously refine the K-16 programmatic vision

Improve and Evolve the K-16 School Design

• Translate the programmatic vision into a coherent, research-informed school design that articulates the core elements of an AF K-16 school experience
• Lead and/or co-lead the organizational-wide processes to codify, pilot, and continuously improve aspects of the K-16 school design
• Leverage school (re)design processes both to address current implementation challenges and to innovate or reimagine with a thriving K-16 model entails
• Partner with regional and school leaders to align and operationalize the overarching K-16 school design

Build Coherent Systems to Drive Improved Learning Outcomes and Improved Student Experience

• Establish and refine goals and metrics for student learning and student experience aligned to the programmatic vision
• Design programmatic infrastructure that ensures coherence across curriculum, assessment, professional learning, and pedagogical and instructional leadership practices
• Define the use of high-quality curricular and instructional programs and approaches and support regions in implementing and scaling them effectively
• Establish a comprehensive assessment strategy that enables data-informed instruction and improvement
• Lead the organization-wide professional learning strategy to strengthen educator capacity and achieve goals around student learning and the student experience
• Define the practices and systems necessary for high-quality instructional leadership that enable and support excellent instruction and attainment of goals around student learning and the student experience

Lead, Manage, and Develop the Program Team

• Support the work, systems, and objectives through designing an impactful organizational structure (within program team and in partnership with regional teams) to accomplish programmatic goals
• Manage a team of direct reports, including heads of teaching and learning, special services, student experience, college, and academic operations teams, reinforcing collaboration and alignment of goals and objectives
• Build the capacity of direct reports and their teams to accomplish goals and influence regional teams to advance the programmatic vision
• Establish shared ownership and accountability within the team for driving improved outcomes for all learners
• Strengthen aligned systems for strategic planning, professional learning, performance management, and communication

Partner with Regional Leaders to Ensure Impact

• Collaborate with Regional EDs and Regional Superintendents (RSs) to operationalize the K-16 programmatic vision and school design within schools
• Define and codify decision-making rights across programmatic and regional leaders
• Align with Regional EDs on both the overarching and region-specific strategy for improving student learning outcomes and the student experience
• Build the instructional leadership capacity of Regional EDs and RSs to ensure consistent and high-quality enactment of the programmatic vision
• Ensure communication to regional teams is coherent, clear, and actionable, and supports team members' ability to drive improved results

Contribute as Strategic Leader within AF's Executive Team

• Partner with executive team members to drive the organization's long-term strategy
• Partner with cross-functional leaders to ensure that programmatic priorities are effectively resourced and supported
• Ensure programmatic priorities are reflected within educator onboarding, performance and talent management systems, and incentives
• Review and report out on network level academic data with both internal and external constituents, including governing boards, funders, and community members

 

Who You'll Work With

• You will report to the CEO.
• You will lead and manage the teaching and learning, special services, student experience, college, and academic operations teams.
• You will frequently collaborate with AF's senior leadership team and will serve as a strategic partner to the organization's Regional Executive Directors (EDs) and Regional Superintendents (RSs).

 

Required Skills and Experience

• A Bachelor's degree is required; an advanced degree is preferred
• A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in school and system leadership/management with deep expertise in curriculum and assessment development, program design, and/or pedagogy at the network or district level in a multi-site context
• 5+ years experience and results as a trusted member of an organization's senior leadership team
• 5+ years of people management experience including experience managing through managers
• Experience driving significant improvement and deep change management across a network of schools
• Experience managing organizational transitions, clarifying roles, and implementing systems and processes that codify decision-making rights and accountability
• Experience driving learning for all learners including students with special needs, multilingual learners, and students in crisis
• Alignment with Achievement First's mission and values and a demonstrable commitment to pursuing equity and meeting the needs of all learners
• Excellent communication and influencing skills to interact effectively with all levels of the organization and the school network
• Exceptional strategic, analytical, and critical thinking skills with the ability to interpret and analyze large data sets and drive from vision to goals to execution

 

Additional Details

Location and Work Environment

This is a hybrid role. The expectation is that the person in the role would be able to come into the Network Support office (Brooklyn in New York City; New Haven, CT; or Providence, RI) or be in schools at least three days per week, plus additional travel to regions outside your home region. This role requires regular in-person presence at schools and/or offices across the region. On-site and travel expectations may evolve as organizational needs change.

Compensation

Achievement First salaries are set through a lens of equity, and based on the requisite skills, education, and experience relevant to the role. The salary range for this position is $250,000 - $300,000.

 

Benefits

Achievement First is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. People from all diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. Spanish language proficiency is a plus. You can learn more about diversity at Achievement First here.