Executive Director of Diverse Learners Support

NOLA Public Schools • New Orleans, LA

9d • Onsite

About The Position

Under the guidance of the Senior Chief Student Support Officer, the Executive Director of Diverse Learners Support will play a significant role in supporting and creating conditions to foster continual improvement among charter schools in New Orleans. This position requires one to consistently work across a diverse group of stakeholders, inside and outside NOLA-PS, to identify, analyze, understand and formulate solutions best suited to ensure maximum impact at both the district and school level. Priority areas include: teacher and school leader talent pipelines, English Language Learners, shared services and supports across charter schools, and operational efficiencies. The Executive Director will be expected to directly support charter school leaders and their teams when challenges arise that must be addressed at the local or state level. Given that NOLA-PS is a premier portfolio school district and presented with governance and policy development challenges unique to such a system, a successful candidate will be an entrepreneurial critical-thinker with a deep commitment to uncovering solutions to increase the efficacy of both NOLA-PS and individual charter school organizations.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Special Education or related field required
• Minimum of five years of professional experience required
• Strong interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to work cooperatively and courteously with others and communicate with a variety of personalities in a tactful, pleasant, and professional manner
• Strong public speaking and presentation skills, with the ability to tailor messaging and respond effectively to the needs of diverse audiences
• Ability to use basic office procedures and equipment
• Expertise in the use of personal computers, literacy in the following software packages: Windows, Microsoft Office Programs with proficiency in Word and Excel, and financial management software
• Excellent organizational, planning, and multitasking skills
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Excellent information-gathering and information-monitoring skills
• Problem analysis and problem-solving skills
• Ability to collaborate and partner with various stakeholders
• Ability to use good judgment and strong decision-making skills
• Ability to take initiative on projects and complete them successfully without supervision
• Ability to work well under pressure, while projecting high motivation, maintaining strict confidentiality, and handling clients with tact and diplomacy
• Ability to follow-up/follow-through on assignments is essential

Nice To Haves

• Work with or in charter schools strongly preferred
• Knowledge of state and national best practices in supporting diverse learners strongly preferred
• Experience in school leadership (teacher leadership, administration or principal) preferred
• Knowledge of and familiarity with special education and Louisiana Charter School policy and law strongly preferred
• Experience in implementation of shared services models strongly preferred
• Knowledge of state and national best practices in charter school authorization strongly preferred

Responsibilities

• Directly support and engage school leaders on their needs to increase organizational effectiveness and increase student achievement through professional development and oversight of shared services models
• Lead efforts to create and regularly convene Communities of Practice that actively support Special Education Leaders, and other identified groups needed to improve outcomes for diverse learners
• Independently generate and propose solutions to address specific needs which arise throughout engaging with a diverse set of stakeholders
• Research, develop and plan for implementation of subset policies and practices that directly impacts NOLA-PS meeting its organizational goals and strategic priorities related to school operations and improvement
• Regularly communicate, coordinate and liaise with state and local experts and partners that have experience and knowledge related to the given issue or topic
• Consistently engage with NOLA-PS staff across divisions to increase effectiveness and efficiency when supporting and engaging schools
• Works collaboratively with team members from various departments within NOLA-PS to identify emerging issues
• Communicates effectively with colleagues and a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, orally and in writing
• Evaluates and can manipulate a variety of data to inform policy and practice discussions and development
• Annually reviews and analyzes data needed to make support determinations in alignment with the Diverse Learner School Support Framework, develop and submit a Diverse Learner Support Plan, and deploy the identified supports to schools
• Provides identified school supports to schools in our portfolio, as determined by the Diverse Learner School Support Framework
• Oversees the implementation of the Special Education Ombudsman role to ensure families and schools are supported
• Collaborates with Accountability to respond to special education complaints and non-compliance issues, in alignment with the Charter School Accountability Framework
• Oversees Specialized Programming to ensure compliance with the expectations set forth by NOLA-PS
• Performs other duties as required

Benefits

• Salary offers reflect a commitment to equity and transparency. Each offer is determined by education, years of experience, and alignment with compensation across similar roles within the district.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive