Managing Director of Teaching and Learning

KIPP • Newark, NJ

5h • $145,000 - $185,000

About The Position

The Managing Director of Teaching & Learning is a key member of the regional leadership team and the KIPP TEAM & Family Teaching & Learning Team. This role will be largely Newark-based, with periodic travel to other KIPP regions and events as needed.

Requirements

• Kid and teacher-focused: makes recommendations and plans based on what is best for kids and teachers; exhibits a front-line obsession.
• Leadership experience -- has served as a School Leader or network leader for five years or more. As a coach and leader for other leaders in our organization, the person in this role needs to have walked the walk.
• Exceptional content knowledge and alignment to our instructional vision -- knows the ins and outs of everything related to standards, assessments, and best practices within the discipline.
• Strong data analysis skills: can look at an assessment and data set (including sets of student work), diagnose challenges, and immediately recommend clear next steps for instructional leaders and/or teachers.
• Presence and gravitas: can command the attention of a room when delivering feedback, explaining data, or leading professional development.
• Responsiveness, service orientation, and ability to invest and inspire others -- the T&L TEAM exists to support and serve our schools, and so a top-down mentality will not work well.
• Big picture thinking -- can develop and drive a vision that will serve schools across multiple cities. Does not get bogged down by logistics or uncertainty.
• Detail-orientation -- while keeping an eye trained on the big picture, simultaneously does not let important details slip through the cracks.
• Excellent communication skills -- can speak and write compellingly about the discipline and all the nitty gritty details stakeholders will need to know in order to achieve results.
• Proactiveness – does not wait for explicit direction but rather asks the appropriate questions and self-directs; takes on additional projects without compromising the integrity of existing ones.
• Flexibility -- sees unforeseen obstacles and challenges as an opportunity to design a better solution
• Content knowledge and expertise -- ideally in the early elementary school context, but if not, the ability to quickly and comprehensively learn content in order to consistently coach to a higher bar.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Implementation and Management of a World-Class Academic Program in Newark
• Design and implement a strategy for curriculum and assessment adoption and/or modification and improvement, to meet the demands of the range of standardized tests we hold as our north star: i-Ready, mCLASS DIBELS, NJSLA, ACT/SAT, and AP.
• Develop and oversee systems and protocols for quality control and vetting of curricular materials, assessments, and professional development resources.
• Develop and oversee systems for data-driven instruction that facilitates the analysis of and response to mastery data and students’ GPA.
• Actively respond to data (achievement, observation, perception, etc.) to engage in year-over-year improvement of program, as well as mid-year course corrections as needed.
• Collaborate with Heads of Schools to deploy talent and resources (e.g. additional coaching support, model leadership, etc.), based on takeaways from academic progress monitoring.
• Manage all academics and academic operations matters in the region, including but not limited to: report cards, grading and gradebooks, state testing coordination, curriculum purchasing, data and progress monitoring of academics, region-wide academic course correction, scheduling, etc.
• Lead region-wide processes for driving student outcomes such as state testing, academic progress monitoring, test preparation, etc.
• Develop and/or cultivate subject matter expertise across grades and disciplines K-12, in order to inform NJ-specific academic policies and decision-making about programs.
• Collaborate with the Data Team to develop and monitor outcomes on KIPP NJ dashboards.
• Develop and Lead a Teaching & Learning TEAM in Newark
• Work as a “bridge” between program and school management, by building relationships and investment with all parties and supporting the efficacy of T&L teammates in our schools.
• Develop the short-term and long-term strategy for growth and build-out of the Teaching & Learning TEAM in Newark.
• Directly manage Achievement Directors in Newark, including but not limited to weekly check-ins, observations and feedback on practice, and curriculum and artifact review. This will include working in schools across K - 12.
• Report to the KIPP TEAM & Family Schools Chief Academic Officer on key school health metrics, with dotted line reporting to the regional Executive Director.
• Serve as an Outstanding TEAMmate on the Regional Leadership TEAM
• Serve as a key member of the Regional Leadership TEAM, supporting with and communicating about region-wide decision-making, communication, and collaboration.
• Collaborate with Executive Directors and Heads of Schools in Newark and other regions in order to diagnose and support overall School Health.
• Develop regional strategies for driving improvements in academics, culture, and staff engagement alongside other members of the regional leadership team.
• Serve as a panelist or speaker at region-wide events like Staff Town Halls; One TEAM, One Sound; regional professional development days, etc.
• Participate in EKG Walk-Through processes, to objectively score schools on instructional practice and to generate feedback designed to move schools forward.
• Participate in teacher rubric scoring and rating, to help schools norm their scoring and calibrate the rubric scores for all teachers in a building.
• Participate in and/or lead routine meetings with the NJ RLT and the T&L team, to solve tactical matters, engage in strategic work together, build vertical content knowledge and program, etc.
• Participate in routine and non-routine meetings with Heads of Schools, School Leaders, and APs, to solve tactical matters, engage in strategic work together, and respond to the most pressing needs our schools have.

Benefits

• Robust benefits that include medical, dental, and vision
• Optional participation in our 403b retirement plan, including matching contributions
• A school-issued laptop
• Generous Time-Off, including some school vacation weeks, allocated sick and personal days
• Up to 12 weeks 100% parental leave for primary caregivers
• Employer paid life insurance
• Extensive optional ancillary benefits including, short term and long term disability and accident and hospital indemnity
• Transportation benefits for TEAMmates commuting into Newark from the New York City area

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed