Director of Schools

AMS Schools•Tempe, AZ

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

AMS Impact Group (AIG) is seeking a mission-driven, strategic, and results-oriented Director of Schools to provide leadership, coaching, and accountability to a portfolio of Academies of Math and Science (AMS) campuses across Arizona, Arkansas, and Nevada. The Director of Schools is a key member of the network leadership team responsible for ensuring assigned schools achieve strong academic outcomes, maintain operational excellence, develop high-performing leaders, and foster safe, structured, and joyful school environments. This role provides direct support and accountability to school principals and leadership teams while partnering closely with AIG's academic, operations, finance, talent, enrollment, ESS, and other network teams. The Director of Schools serves as a strategic partner to campus leaders, translating network priorities into effective school-level execution. Through regular campus visits, leadership coaching, data analysis, and performance management, the Director of Schools identifies opportunities for improvement, removes barriers to success, and ensures consistent implementation of AMS's academic and operational model. This is a highly visible leadership position requiring strong instructional leadership, business acumen, relationship-building skills, and the ability to lead through influence, accountability, and continuous improvement across multiple schools and states.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in Educational Leadership, Education Administration, or a related field preferred.
Minimum of five (5) years of K–8 education experience, with significant school leadership experience.
Prior experience as a Principal, Assistant Principal, or comparable school leadership role required.
Demonstrated experience leading, coaching, and developing school leaders and high-performing teams.
Proven ability to lead schools or teams toward ambitious academic, operational, and organizational goals.
Experience using data to evaluate performance, identify challenges, and develop actionable improvement strategies.
Demonstrated understanding of K–8 instructional practices, school operations, talent management, and scholar achievement.
Exceptional leadership, coaching, and relationship-building skills.
Strong instructional leadership and knowledge of effective K–8 teaching and learning practices.
Ability to analyze academic, operational, enrollment, talent, and other performance data and translate findings into strategic action.
Strong organizational and project-management skills with the ability to manage multiple schools, priorities, and initiatives.
Excellent written, verbal, and public-speaking skills.
Strong judgment, problem-solving ability, and strategic thinking.
Ability to build trust while maintaining high standards of accountability.
Demonstrated ability to lead through change and navigate complex organizational challenges.
Commitment to educational equity, high expectations, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement.
Ability and willingness to travel regularly to assigned AMS campuses across Arizona, Arkansas, and Nevada.
Reliable transportation and the ability to travel between campuses, attend meetings, and participate in school and community events as required.
Must pass applicable state and federal background checks, including fingerprinting and other required child-safety clearances.
Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends for school, network, community, or organizational events.
Commitment to the mission, vision, and values of AMS Impact Group and Academies of Math and Science.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Educational Leadership, Education Administration, or a related field.
Principal certification or eligibility for applicable state licensure.
Experience leading multiple campuses or schools within a network or multi-site organization.
Experience opening or launching new schools.
Experience working in a public charter school or education management organization.
Experience working across multiple states or diverse school communities.
Familiarity with the educational and regulatory environments in Arizona, Arkansas, and/or Nevada.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership, coaching, and accountability to principals and school leadership teams across an assigned portfolio of campuses.
Establish clear expectations and performance goals aligned to network priorities, including academic achievement, enrollment, attendance, school culture, talent, and operational performance.
Conduct regular campus visits, leadership meetings, and performance reviews to assess progress, identify challenges, and provide actionable support.
Monitor school performance data and partner with principals to develop and execute targeted improvement plans.
Hold school leaders accountable for achieving ambitious academic, operational, and organizational goals while providing the support and resources necessary for success.
Identify and address barriers that impact school performance, scholar outcomes, staff effectiveness, or campus operations.
Partner with principals and AIG academic leaders to ensure consistent implementation of AMS's instructional model, curriculum, assessment practices, and academic priorities.
Monitor scholar achievement, instructional quality, intervention effectiveness, and progress toward academic goals.
Use academic and school performance data to identify trends, establish priorities, and drive continuous improvement.
Support principals in strengthening instructional leadership, teacher development, classroom culture, and scholar achievement.
Collaborate with Academic and ESS teams to ensure schools effectively support diverse scholar needs and maintain high expectations for all students.
Coach and develop principals and school leadership teams through regular feedback, goal-setting, performance reviews, and leadership development.
Build the capacity of school leaders to effectively lead instruction, culture, talent, operations, and family engagement.
Identify leadership strengths and development opportunities and establish individualized growth plans when appropriate.
Support succession planning and the development of future school and network leaders.
Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous professional growth.
Ensure schools maintain safe, structured, inclusive, and joyful learning environments aligned with AMS's mission and values.
Partner with school leaders and Talent Acquisition/HR teams to develop strategies for recruiting, onboarding, developing, and retaining high-performing educators and school leaders.
Monitor staff engagement, retention, vacancies, and organizational health across assigned campuses.
Support principals in addressing performance concerns and strengthening staff accountability and school culture.
Promote practices that foster strong scholar engagement, family partnership, belonging, and academic achievement.
Partner with school leaders and AIG's Operations, Finance, ESS, HR, and other functional teams to ensure effective campus operations.
Monitor compliance with applicable state and federal requirements, charter obligations, network policies, and organizational procedures.
Ensure principals maintain strong systems for attendance, enrollment, staffing, safety, facilities, budgeting, and day-to-day school operations.
Identify operational risks and partner with appropriate network teams to develop and implement solutions.
Support schools in maintaining readiness for audits, authorizer reviews, state monitoring, and other compliance activities across the states in which AMS operates.
Partner with school leaders and Enrollment teams to support enrollment growth, scholar retention, and strong daily attendance.
Monitor enrollment performance and collaborate with campuses to address enrollment gaps and capacity challenges.
Support principals in developing strong relationships with families, community organizations, authorizers, and local stakeholders.
Represent AMS and AIG at community events, meetings, and other stakeholder engagements as needed.
Support organizational efforts to strengthen the AMS presence and impact within the communities we serve.
Serve as a critical liaison between school campuses and AIG's network support teams.
Collaborate with Academic, Finance, Operations, Talent, Enrollment, ESS, Marketing, and other functional leaders to ensure cross-functional alignment and effective execution.
Translate network strategy and priorities into actionable campus-level plans.
Lead or participate in network-wide initiatives, strategic projects, and organizational improvement efforts.
Share best practices, identify trends across campuses, and promote consistency while allowing schools to respond appropriately to their local communities.
Support organizational growth and strategic initiatives across the AMS network as needed.