Managing Director of Student Supports

Excel Academy Charter Schools•Chelsea, MA

23d•$110 - $170

About The Position

The Managing Director of Student Supports (MDSS) is a senior, network-level leader responsible for setting vision, building coherence, and strengthening how Excel Academy Charter Schools designs, delivers, and sustains student support systems across its schools. This role exists to ensure Excel's programmatic model–across states, gradebands, and tiers of support–is intentionally designed to support all learners, especially students with disabilities (SWDs) and multilingual learners (MLLs), in achieving their most ambitious personal goals. The MDSS does not function as a day-to-day case manager nor compliance executor; their focus is on strategy, systems, and people. Via strong relationships, clear resources, and constant use of data, the MDSS creates the conditions for teachers and leaders to thrive. The MDSS is also a key thought partner for the broader network team, working to ensure that student supports are fully integrated into network decision-making and systems. This leader’s capacity to drive meaningful change and continuously improve will be critical as Excel prepares for future growth.

Requirements

Demonstrated experience as a senior leader in student supports, special education, or inclusive academic systems, with responsibility for setting vision, leading adults, and designing systems across multiple teams or schools.
Proven ability to lead through influence rather than authority, including partnering with school leaders, coaching senior staff, and facilitating collaboration across roles and departments.
Strong judgment and problem-solving skills in complex, high-stakes situations involving students, families, compliance requirements, and resource tradeoffs
Track record of building trust, developing leaders, and strengthening teams in environments that value collaboration, flexibility, and continuous improvement.
Ability to work across functional areas (academics, operations, finance, data) to ensure student support priorities are integrated into broader organizational systems and decisions.
Deep understanding of rigorous instructional practice across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3, including how strong general education, intervention, and specialized supports work together to serve diverse learners
Experience supporting or overseeing special education and multilingual learner systems in alignment with state and federal requirements (direct compliance management not required, but fluency is essential).
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in education, leadership, or a related field preferred
You share a commitment to and belief in all students and the mission of Excel Academy Charter Schools, including Excel’s values and educational model;
You are committed to addressing racial and economic inequity in education;
You work effectively in a team environment and have a willingness and desire to support others in doing their best work; and
You are open to change, are willing to problem-solve, and seek feedback for your own professional growth and improvement.

Nice To Haves

Preference will be given to applicants who share points of intersection with our students, such as speaking Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, or a language commonly spoken by our students and families at an advanced level, being first generation college graduates, or having grown up low-income.