Senior Executive Director of Academics

RCSD•Rochester, NY

About The Position

The Senior Executive Director of Academics serves as a key member of the Chief Academic Officer’s leadership team and as the chief operational leader of the district’s academic systems, with districtwide responsibility for PK–12 curriculum, instruction, assessment, and academic programming impacting all schools, staff, and students. This role is accountable for the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of coherent, high-quality instructional systems, with a particular emphasis on advancing language and literacy outcomes. The Senior Executive Director serves as the district’s primary champion for literacy, leading the development and execution of a comprehensive PK-12 literacy strategy that promotes literacy achievement, language development, and a culture of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and critical thinking across schools, homes, and the broader community. The role is responsible for fostering partnerships and initiatives that strengthen literacy engagement beyond the classroom and position literacy as a shared responsibility across the district and community. Acting on behalf of the CAO with delegated authority, the Senior Executive Director provides direct supervision, evaluation, and performance management of Executive Directors, including hiring recommendations, goal-setting, and accountability for measurable results. The role oversees a multi-tiered leadership structure and ensures alignment, coherence, and performance across all academic departments and initiatives. The Senior Executive Director translates the district’s instructional vision into actionable, systemwide strategy, establishes and enforces expectations for implementation, and builds organizational capacity to improve teaching and learning outcomes. In close partnership with the CAO and cabinet leaders, this role ensures that academic systems are data-driven, equity-centered, and anchored in strong language and literacy practices, strengthening alignment between central office strategy and school-based execution. The Senior Executive Director also serves as a visible advocate for literacy excellence, helping to build districtwide commitment to improving literacy outcomes for all students and ensuring literacy remains a central driver of academic achievement and opportunity.

Requirements

NYS Certification in teaching and School District Administrator (SDL / SDA) required.
Master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Leadership, or related field required.
Ten (10) years of progressive educational leadership experience.
Demonstrated success supervising and developing high-performing leaders and teams.
Strong knowledge of curriculum development, instructional best practices, and assessment systems.
Deep expertise in language and literacy development, including evidence-based practices across content areas.
Proven ability to use data to drive system-level instructional improvement.
Strong organizational, project management, communication, and change management skills.
Evidence of systems thinking and successful implementation of initiatives that improved student outcomes.
Demonstrated ability to operationalize systems that close opportunity and achievement gaps.
Familiarity with state education policies and federal accountability standards.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading work in diverse, urban, or high-needs school districts strongly preferred.
Bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary executive responsible for translating the CAO’s vision into districtwide academic strategy, with authority to make operational and implementation decisions.
Establish, implement, and continuously improve districtwide instructional systems to ensure coherence, consistency, and fidelity across all schools.
Lead the development, approval, and monitoring of districtwide academic goals, key performance indicators, and accountability structures.
Exercise independent judgment in setting instructional priorities and adjusting strategy based on performance data and emerging needs.
Set clear expectations and ensure accountability for execution of academic strategy.
Supervise, evaluate, and develop Executive Directors, overseeing accountability for measurable improvements in student outcomes and instructional quality.
Oversee a multi-tiered leadership structure to ensure alignment and high performance across academic departments.
Build leadership capacity among Executive Directors, principals, and instructional leaders to sustain systemwide improvement.
Lead the development and implementation of a coherent, districtwide approach to language and literacy instruction across all grade levels and content areas.
Ensure alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to support strong literacy development, disciplinary literacy, and language acquisition.
Ensure academic systems effectively support multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and advanced learners through a strong literacy foundation.
Serve as the district's executive leader for literacy, establishing and advancing a comprehensive PK–12 literacy vision and strategy aligned to district goals and student needs.
Lead the development and implementation of a districtwide literacy framework that promotes evidence-based literacy practices across all content areas, grade levels, and instructional settings.
Champion efforts to build a culture of literacy throughout schools, homes, and the community by leading cross-functional internal collaboration as well as partnering with families, community organizations, higher education partners, and other stakeholders.
Oversee district literacy initiatives, campaigns, and partnerships designed to increase student engagement in reading, writing, discussion, and authentic literacy experiences both inside and outside of school.
Monitor literacy achievement data and implementation indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of literacy initiatives and drive continuous improvement efforts.
Ensure literacy development is integrated into district strategic planning, school improvement efforts, professional learning, curriculum implementation, and student support systems.
Lead efforts to strengthen educator capacity in literacy instruction, disciplinary literacy, structured literacy practices, language development, and literacy leadership.
Promote equitable literacy outcomes by ensuring all students, including multilingual learners, students with disabilities, & historically underserved student groups, have access to high-quality literacy instruction & support.
Partner with Communications, Family and Community Engagement, libraries, higher education institutions, and community organizations to expand literacy opportunities and foster a community-wide culture of literacy.
Ensure alignment of district curriculum with state standards and evidence-based instructional practices.
Oversee the selection, implementation, and evaluation of instructional materials and assessment systems.
Design and maintain systems to monitor implementation fidelity and instructional quality across schools.
Use research and best practices to inform continuous improvement of academic programming.
Analyze student performance data to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities, with a focus on improving literacy and overall achievement.
Oversee the design and implementation of high-quality, system-aligned professional learning.
Ensure professional learning advances district priorities, particularly in language and literacy development.
Direct work across the Division of Teaching & Learning to ensure coherent implementation of academic priorities.
Strengthen feedback loops between schools and central office to improve responsiveness and effectiveness.
Advance equitable access to high-quality instruction and rigorous coursework for all students.
Monitor and address opportunity and achievement gaps, with attention to literacy and language outcomes.
Ensure fiscal accountability for all academic programs under their supervision.
Make recommendations to the CAO regarding resource allocation aligned to district priorities and student needs.
Act on behalf of the CAO with decision-making authority in internal and external settings.
Represent the academic division in partnerships with community organizations, higher education institutions, and state agencies.
Perform other responsibilities as assigned by the Chief Academic Officer.