Dir. Academies of Nashville

Metro Nashville Public Schools•Nashville, TN

About The Position

The Director of Academies of Nashville (AON) provides strategic leadership for the vision, structure, and governance of the Academies of Nashville. The director is responsible for the operational excellence, partnership infrastructure, and school-based implementation of the AON model. The Director leads a team who coordinate partnership development, work-based learning, academy design, and K–12 pathway access and enrollment. The Director is accountable for advancing the goals and strategies defined in the Academies of Nashville Strategic Plan.

Requirements

Uses strategy to translates vision into executable plans with measurable outcomes
Effectively leads a team and develops staff, manages up, and builds cross-functional collaboration
Builds strong relationships and sustains trust with employers, schools, families, and community partners
Comfort operating with urgency and adaptability in a large, complex urban district
Applies an explicit lens of access and opportunity in all program decisions
Communicates clearly and directly, leads with data, and centers student impact
Bachelor's Degree in education, public policy, business administration, or related field Required
5-7 years experience in K12 education, workforce development, community partnerships, or a related field in an urban or large-scale organizational context Required
3-5 years experience in program management, strategic planning, or organizational leadership Required
Deep knowledge of career academy models, work-based learning frameworks, and K–12 college and career readiness systems (High proficiency)
Strong command of labor market data and its application to pathway design and alignment (High proficiency)
Ability to build, manage, and evaluate high-quality employer and postsecondary partnerships (High proficiency)
Proficiency in using student outcome data to make programmatic decisions (High proficiency)
Strong written and verbal communication for diverse audiences: students, families, employers, and policymakers (High proficiency)

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree in education, public policy, business administration, or related field Preferred
Direct experience with career academies, career and technical education, work-based learning programs, or college and career readiness initiatives Preferred
Experience managing cross-functional teams and external partnership relationships Preferred
Understanding of federal and state CTE compliance requirements and Perkins funding structures (Medium proficiency)

Responsibilities

Provides overall leadership for the Academies of Nashville model, ensuring alignment between school-level implementation and the district’s College and Career Readiness strategic goals.
Oversees the ongoing pathway review and modification cycle, ensuring data-informed decision-making that includes school leaders, founding partners, and district leadership. Monitors implementation fidelity across all AON high schools and uses data to drive continuous improvement.
Directs staff to conduct ongoing gap analysis of partnership needs across all academies and schools. Supports the cultivation and stewardship of employer partners for career-based learning (CBL), internships, and apprenticeships aligned to pathway-specific skill standards.
Supports development of the Partnership Council governance framework, CEO Champion redesign, and annual performance review of school-based advisory councils. Facilitates employer and postsecondary partner input on pathway design, facility standards, and industry alignment — including through formal Partnership Council governance structures.
Oversee the implementation of a districtwide CBL continuum that provides every AON student progressively deeper, pathway-aligned workplace learning experiences prior to graduation. Oversees annual reporting on CBL participation and student outcomes.
Monitors CBL participation and quality by pathway, school, and student subgroup to ensure equitable access. Troubleshoots systemic barriers to CBL access, including transportation, scheduling, and coordination gaps.
Directs the design, quality assurance, and continuous improvement of the academy model across all AON high schools, with a focus on experiential and applied learning. Provides strategic direction for academy team planning structures, professional learning alignment, and CCR Time scope and sequence.
Leads the strategy for creating a coherent K–12 college and career readiness continuum that prepares students to enter and persist in high-quality AON pathways. Directs staff to build K–8 pathway exploration opportunities and career awareness experiences aligned to feeder high school offerings.
Leads implementation of the AON Strategic Plan, tracking progress against defined KPIs: CCR rate, EPSO participation, completion, and success, WBL participation, industry credential attainment, and postsecondary enrollment, retention, persistence, and completion.
Oversees development and annual publication of AON pathway scorecards, the pathway landscape and alignment report, and the CBL outcomes report.
Partners with the Director of College & Career Readiness and other district leaders to ensure coordination across the full Department of College & Career Readiness.
Drives the national positioning of the Academies of Nashville as a model for college and career readiness, in partnership with founding partners and the MNPS Communications Department.
Creates and maintains assigned budgets for the Academies of Nashville, ensuring strategic alignment to goals and compliance with district policies.
Coordinates with the Director of College & Career Readiness and other staff to ensure grant-funded resources are deployed in alignment with federal requirements and AON priorities.