Principal - State Teacher III - Lookout Mountain Youth Service Center

State of Colorado•Golden, CO

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Principal leads the school program at Lookout Mountain Youth Service Center, creating a structured, supportive, and secure environment where students advance across educational domains and develop social-emotional regulation and treatment skills that support their transition back to the community. The role supervises, plans, and ensures delivery of daily educational services, including individualized and integrated general education, special education, intervention, career and technical education, and postsecondary programming. Instruction must align with grade-level expectations, state standards, graduation competencies, workforce-readiness goals, and DYS instructional models and curriculum guidelines. The Principal oversees educational data collection, analysis, management, monitoring, and reporting; uses evidence to guide instruction and student support; and ensures compliance with state and federal education requirements, accreditation expectations, and agency processes. The position coordinates communication and collaboration between the school program, facility programs and leadership, the Education Office, families, and community partners, while maintaining safety and security and following facility policies. The Principal supervises education staff and oversees coaching, observations, performance management, hiring, onboarding, training, and applicable human-resource processes. The role develops and monitors the School Development Plan, oversees required educational reporting, manages the site education budget, and builds a positive school culture through trauma-informed practices, restorative processes, student recognition, and collaboration. The position requires maintaining CDE Principal or Administrator licensure and working at the assigned location during scheduled work times; work arrangements may change.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a field of study related to the work assignment.
Current, valid Professional Teacher license issued by the Colorado Department of Education.
Four years of professional experience in an occupational field related to the work assigned to the position.
Professional Principal License.
Special Education Director License.
Professional Administrator License.
Colorado residency at the time of application and throughout employment.
Ability to complete a full background check and reference check.
For positions within 30 miles of the Colorado state border, a valid, non-restricted Colorado driver's license or non-restricted U.S. driver's license is required; holders of an out-of-state license must obtain a valid, non-restricted Colorado driver's license within 30 days of starting employment.
Experience implementing articulated systems and structures with fidelity.
Knowledge of effective research-based instructional strategies and classroom behavioral interventions.
Ability to build rapport with students while maintaining boundaries.
Systems thinking, teamwork, cross-curricular collaboration, interpersonal skills, oral communication, oral comprehension, problem sensitivity and solving, safety and security awareness, and ability to use technology to enhance instruction.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with at-risk or adjudicated youth.
Leadership experience or relevant state service.
Proficient use of assessment data to inform instructional practice and decision-making.
Experience building a program.
Licensure aligned to the position or ability to obtain licensure.
Experience with special-needs populations, including youth with IEPs, 504 plans, or multilingual backgrounds.
Leadership roles such as Dean, Coach, Coordinator, or Assistant Principal.
Secondary school experience.
Knowledge of trauma-informed practices for at-risk populations and classroom instruction.
Experience with differentiated instruction, lesson or curriculum development, and providing differentiated instruction.
Project-based learning experience.

Responsibilities

Supervise, plan, and ensure delivery of daily educational services across general education, special education, intervention, CTE, career, and postsecondary programming.
Guide curriculum development and instructional practices, monitor unit and lesson plans, observe instruction, provide feedback, and assess program effectiveness.
Plan and provide ongoing professional development and instructional coaching for teachers.
Collect, track, and analyze student progress, assessment, classroom observation, behavioral, and other educational data; use findings to guide instruction and interventions.
Lead data-driven instruction and ensure current, accurate progress monitoring for general and special education students, including postsecondary youth skill monitoring.
Use required data, observation, student-information, supervision, and HR tracking systems within established timelines.
Supervise and evaluate academic, Title I, special education, vocational, and postsecondary programs for compliance with applicable guidelines and requirements.
Establish systems to monitor compliance with state and federal laws, DYS education policies, and audit standards.
Develop, implement, and monitor the annual School Development Plan and oversee reporting related to QAYS standards, accreditation, and educational outcomes.
Review student records, transcripts, assessment data, and performance to determine academic needs and inform student plans, schedules, course offerings, and graduation planning.
Communicate school operations, student plans, and cross-departmental decisions to stakeholders and seek collaboration before implementing decisions.
Provide timely updates to facility leadership, the Facility Director, the Education Office, and the Director of Education on programming, staffing, compliance, testing, HR processes, and other required matters.
Plan and facilitate education-team, MTSS, and special education coordination meetings, with agendas, documented decisions, and follow-up actions.
Manage the site education budget and provide monthly financial reports to the Education Director.
Conduct classroom observations, walkthroughs, and observations in other professional settings; model lessons, instructional practices, classroom management, and professional expectations.
Evaluate staff performance, provide actionable feedback, establish improvement steps, and complete performance evaluations and improvement plans as required.
Communicate expectations and monitor staff work, instructional planning, schedules, safety practices, classroom management, behavioral interventions, and restorative approaches.
Approve annual and sick leave in alignment with staffing and operational needs.
Lead hiring, onboarding, and training of new staff and maintain accountability for action plans, agreements, and performance expectations.
Collaborate with facility staff, clinicians, students, parents, and other stakeholders about student progress, educational needs, program practices, and goals.
Promote student efficacy and recognition through student-led conferences, recognition processes, honor roll, open houses, goal sharing, and stakeholder outreach.
Schedule staff roundtables and feedback forums, monitor action items, and participate as an active member of the facility leadership team.
Participate in monthly DYS Principal meetings, collaborative supervision, and cross-facility communication processes.
Support workplace culture and climate by modeling Sanctuary tools and language, trauma-informed practices, restorative processes, and facility behavior and recognition systems.
Design and implement principal-led and education-led programming, special events, student recognition, and school climate initiatives.
Enforce workplace policies, professional boundaries, conduct expectations, and professional behavior standards.
Evaluate and maintain student and staff safety and security in accordance with agency and facility standards; assess school spaces for safety concerns.
Coach staff on safe practices, coordinate with facility leadership and other staff on safety needs, document behavioral data and responses, use de-escalation when needed, and monitor youth activity as required.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus 401(k) and 457 plans
Medical and dental health plans
Employer-supplemented Health Savings Account
Paid life insurance
Short- and long-term disability coverage
11 paid holidays per year, plus vacation and sick leave
State of Colorado Employee BenefitHub Resource Center
Employee Wellness program
Work-life programs, including flexible schedules and training
Remote work arrangements for eligible positions
Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program