Senior Executive Director of K-12 Academics

University Prep Schools • Detroit, MI

3d • Onsite

About The Position

University Prep School is seeking an exceptional, strategic academic leader to join our Executive Leadership Team as Senior Executive Director of Academics. The leader who partners directly with the CEO to operationalize academic vision and drive measurable achievement across the entire network. The Senior Executive Director of Academics serves as a peer to the Executive Director of Elementary School Leadership and the Executive Director of Secondary School Leadership on the Executive Leadership Team. You are the CEO's primary strategic partner in translating the network's academic priorities rooted in our strategic plan into systems, structures, and initiatives that actually move the needle on scholar achievement. You lead the Academic House, operationalizing strategy and creating the conditions for rigorous, innovative, culturally affirming academic programming to thrive at scale across all grade bands.

Our Academic Model
University Prep Schools is anchored in a powerful academic model that shapes every decision we make about teaching, learning, and leadership. Our approach is designed to ensure that every scholar experiences rigorous, engaging instruction while being deeply known, valued, and challenged. Our model is built on four integrated pillars of culturally responsive pedagogy:

Culturally Responsive Teaching | Instruction that honors students' identities, cultures, and lived experiences while holding them to the highest academic expectations. At U Prep, who our scholars are is never separate from what we teach them or how.
Project-Based Learning | Scholars apply knowledge through real-world problem-solving, collaboration, and authentic STEM-driven work. PBL is not an add-on; it is the vehicle through which rigorous content comes to life.
CREW | Our advisory model that builds strong relationships, academic ownership, and the social-emotional skills students need to thrive. CREW ensures that every scholar is known, supported, and accountable to a caring community. We are Crew.
Distributed Leadership | Teachers and leaders at every level are empowered to innovate, lead, and continuously improve. We do not reserve leadership for titles; we develop it everywhere.

Together, these pillars create learning environments that are academically demanding, culturally affirming, and deeply student-centered, preparing U Prep scholars to succeed in high school, college, and beyond. The Senior Executive Director of Academics is the architect and operationalizer of this model across the entire network. Every system built, every initiative launched, and every strategic decision made must reflect and reinforce these four pillars.

Requirements

• Master's degree required; Master's in Educational Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction, or related field strongly preferred
• Michigan Administrator Certificate required, or actively working toward state completion requirements
• Minimum of 8 years in education with significant experience in curriculum, instruction, and academic leadership — required
• Experience in a senior academic role leading across multiple schools or a network — strongly preferred
• Demonstrated success designing and scaling innovative academic programming, including advanced and enrichment pathways
• Demonstrated competence in Special Education law and compliance — required
• Deep expertise in Project Based Learning and culturally responsive teaching practices
• Proven experience building and leading progress monitoring and data systems that drive instructional decisions and measurable outcomes
• Track record of leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives from design through full network implementation
• Experience developing and managing senior-level leaders and building high-performing leadership teams
• Executive presence and credibility at the leadership table and in instructional conversations with senior academic leaders
• Exceptional strategic thinking — you can see the whole system and design the moves that shift achievement
• Strong coaching and people development skills — you invest in the leaders who report to you and they grow
• Ability to translate vision into operational systems and hold teams accountable to ambitious goals
• Strong data literacy and the ability to build monitoring systems that inform strategy
• Outstanding written and verbal communication
• Collaborative and collegial approach to executive teamwork, especially partnership with the CEO
• Unwavering commitment to University Prep's Core Values: We work well by ourselves and in teams, We care about people, Our actions have a purpose, We think big and do, Learning is exciting

Nice To Haves

• Master's in Educational Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction, or related field strongly preferred
• Experience in a senior academic role leading across multiple schools or a network — strongly preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead as an Executive who serves as a member of the U Prep Executive Leadership Team alongside the Chiefs, the Executive Director of Elementary School Leadership, and the Executive Director of Secondary School Leadership. You bring the strategic academic lens to every executive conversation, ensuring that organizational decisions are grounded in what is best for scholar outcomes.
• You are the CEO's partner in operationalizing the academic strategy aligned to the network's strategic plan and priorities.
• Lead and develop the Academic House | Directly supervise and develop a high-performing team of senior curriculum and instruction leaders, including: Senior Director of Elementary Curriculum & Instruction, Senior Director of Middle School Curriculum & Instruction, Senior Director of High School Curriculum & Instruction.
• You also provide strategic oversight and support to the Executive Director of Student Experience, ensuring that academic programming and student experience are deeply integrated.
• You invest in the development of each leader, building their capacity to lead with both instructional expertise and operational excellence.
• You ensure that your team operates as a cohesive academic unit aligned in philosophy, coordinated in strategy, and relentless in their pursuit of network-wide scholar achievement.
• Operationalize the Academic Strategy | Work in close partnership with the CEO to translate the network's academic vision and strategic priorities into clear, actionable strategies and systems across all grade bands.
• You are the bridge between vision and execution, responsible for designing the systems, structures, calendars, and accountability mechanisms that ensure strategy is not aspirational but operational.
• You create the academic roadmap and ensure every leader and teacher understands how their work contributes to network-wide goals.
• Drive Network-Wide Progress Monitoring and Achievement | Own the network's academic progress-monitoring system, ensuring that data on scholar achievement with particular emphasis on humanities and STEM are rigorously gathered, meaningfully analyzed, and acted upon swiftly.
• You create the conditions for leaders and teachers to use data as a genuine tool for improving instruction and accelerating scholar growth across all three grade bands.
• Develop and Scale Innovative Academic Programming | Lead the design and implementation of innovative academic programming that expands opportunity and enriches the U Prep scholar experience.
• This includes developing and scaling enrichment and advanced pathways such as: Dual Enrollment opportunities in partnership with post-secondary institutions, Advanced Placement (AP) course offerings, College preparatory programming that builds readiness and confidence across all grade bands, STEM and PBL-integrated experiences that connect classroom learning to real-world application and innovation.
• You are constantly asking: What else is possible for our scholars? And then you build it.
• Establish Systems and Structures for the Academic Model | Build and maintain the operational infrastructure that allows the U Prep academic model to function with fidelity and consistency across all schools.
• This includes curriculum design and alignment processes, instructional calendars, assessment systems, professional development architecture, and cross-school academic collaboration structures.
• You ensure that the four pillars are not left to chance, they are embedded in every system, every leader, and teacher works within.
• Ensure Academic Excellence and Compliance | Work alongside school leaders, principals, and compliance teams to ensure all academic programs, including Special Education services, advanced programming, and all federal and state requirements are executed with rigor and equity.
• Academic innovation and regulatory compliance are not in tension; they are mutually reinforcing.
• Cultivate a Culture of Continuous Improvement and Innovation | Build a culture within the Academic House and model for the broader organization in which reflection, learning, iteration, and bold thinking are the norm.
• You hold high expectations and you create the psychological safety and professional structures that allow people to take risks, learn from failure, and continuously improve.

Benefits

• Medical Coverage — comprehensive health benefits
• 401(k) — up to 6% employer match
• Paid Time Off — 8 sick days, 4 personal days; vacation days for year-round staff
• Career Development — dedicated investment in your professional growth
• Tuition Reimbursement — Master's program reimbursement through Grand Valley State University

What This Job Offers

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