Chief Academic Officer

Community College Preparatory Academy Public Charter Schools•Washington, DC

4d•$125,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Chief Academic Officer leads the full academic enterprise at Community College Preparatory Academy (CCPrep), from program design and instructional quality to credentials, completion, and continuous improvement. The role shapes the conditions that help adult learners who are under-credited or have aged out of traditional K–12 pathways persist, master relevant skills, earn credentials, and transition to employment or further education. The position reports to the Chief Executive Officer and directly supervises the Director of Academics and Training/Head of School, Director of Student Support Services, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Assessment Manager, and assigned academic-administration staff. It also provides executive oversight for all academic pathways and student-support functions. The Chief Academic Officer sets academic strategy in alignment with CCPrep’s charter, mission, annual goals, and Board-approved plans. The role oversees academic leaders, curriculum, instruction, assessment, faculty development, student support, academic partnerships, compliance, budget planning, staffing, and academic technology governance. It uses learner and program evidence to guide improvement, communicates performance and recommendations to executive and Board audiences, and cultivates high expectations, belonging, equity, inclusion, well-being, and shared accountability. The position is full-time, exempt, and campus-based in Washington, DC. The salary band is $125,000–$150,000 annually. Work is primarily in a professional office and on campus, with regular meetings, community engagement, and occasional evening or weekend responsibilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in a relevant field.
Seven or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including supervision and budget accountability.
Demonstrated ability to lead through data, communicate with diverse stakeholders, and translate strategy into measurable execution.
Ability to move throughout campus, use standard office technology, and communicate effectively in person and virtually, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Nice To Haves

Experience overseeing an integrated portfolio of learning-management, student-support, assessment, accreditation, student-information, or education-reporting systems; direct administration of every current CCPrep platform is not required.
Doctorate or other terminal degree in a relevant discipline.
Experience as a senior academic leader accountable for adult-education or workforce outcomes.
Leadership experience in adult education, public charter education, workforce development, or a mission-driven nonprofit.
Experience presenting to or working with a governing board.

Responsibilities

Set and execute academic strategy aligned with CCPrep’s charter, mission, annual goals, and Board-approved plans.
Lead, coach, and evaluate academic leaders, establishing clear ownership for curriculum, instruction, assessment, faculty development, and student support.
Use enrollment, attendance, persistence, completion, credential, and post-program data to identify gaps and direct improvement.
Ensure programs meet applicable academic, workforce, charter, accessibility, and documentation requirements.
Build employer, postsecondary, and community partnerships that strengthen pathways and keep programs relevant.
Present concise, candid academic performance reports and recommendations to the CEO and Board committee.
Plan the academic budget and staffing model and manage resources within approved authority.
Create a culture of high expectations, adult-learning excellence, belonging, and shared accountability.
Establish schoolwide instructional expectations that value learners’ cultures, backgrounds, and abilities; include learner choice and voice; and build confidence through challenging, achievable work.
Ensure academic programs combine authentic problem solving, collaboration, creativity, and purposeful digital learning with high expectations and individualized support.
Lead a balanced assessment system using diagnostics, ongoing checks, and end-of-course measures; review valid evidence of individual academic growth alongside persistence, credentials, and transitions.
Use learner feedback, assessment results, staff input, and service data to evaluate programs and organizational conditions each term; assign improvement owners and review whether changes advance learning.
Sponsor staff action research through focused improvement questions, planned instructional changes, evidence collection, and review of results; align professional learning with identified learner needs.
Cultivate respect, fairness, equity, inclusion, and learner well-being, while maintaining structures that strengthen positive relationships among learners, staff, and partners.
Engage the governing authority, learners, staff, and community stakeholders in academic priorities; develop leadership capacity, supervise and evaluate academic leaders, and allocate people and resources according to learner needs.
Provide executive governance for the academic technology portfolio, including Canvas, Cognia, EAB Navigate, assessment and credentialing platforms, Special Programs, and regulatory reporting tools; assign accountable owners and set expectations for access, data quality, integration, training, continuity, and responsible use.
Define, assign ownership for, and review academic goals and leading indicators on a reliable cadence.
Align academic staffing, schedules, curriculum, assessment, and professional learning before each term.
Ensure Board and executive reporting is timely, accurate, decision-useful, and transparent about risk.
Ensure program reviews document learner voice, differences in access and outcomes, decisions, accountable owners, and follow-up on the effects of changes.
Ensure assessment reports distinguish academic growth from participation and completion, and that faculty development and improvement inquiries show application to instruction.
Ensure academic systems have accountable owners, appropriate access, current procedures, trained users, reliable data, and documented resolution of material risks or gaps.