School Network Staff Chief Academic Officer
Job Description
About Rocky Mountain Prep
Rocky Mountain Prep is a growing network of innovative public charter schools, serving students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Greater Denver Area. Rocky Mountain Prep opened its first school in 2012 with 130 students and has grown to four schools, working with over 1,500 scholars across two districts. Grounded in our culture of rigor and love, our schools consistently outperform local districts academically, while also ensuring our scholars are developing in our PEAK values of perseverance, excellence, adventure, and kindness.
Who We Seek
Our staff believes that when you love someone, you hold them to high expectations – and we apply this to our own work, the work of our colleagues, and the work of our scholars. We take our work seriously, but ourselves less so – we laugh and joke and bring joy to work every day. And finally, we value a diversity of perspectives and experiences, recognize the humanity of those around us, and seek to build an inclusive environment that models what we wish to see in the world. Overall, we’re good people with big hearts, who care a whole lot about our people – both big and small – and are constantly improving our practice to be the staff our scholars truly deserve.
About the Role
Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) is responsible for both sustaining and building upon the culture of high academic excellence in the Rocky Mountain Prep network, and will have primary authority and accountability for the academic performance of all schools. Serving as a critical member of RMP’s senior leadership team, the CAO will manage the central office’s instructional support staff and work closely with school principals and the Chief of Schools. The CAO provides leadership, vision, and strategic direction for the RMP curriculum, instruction, assessment and school improvement initiatives including overseeing implementation and training on curriculum and core instructional practices, assessments and accountability for the academic success of the schools.
This is an exciting opportunity for a results-oriented K-12 instructional leader with superior critical thinking, systems-building, communication, and management skills to help maximize Rocky Mountain Prep’s current impact and future growth.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Academic Visioning and Leadership
- Provide scalable instructional program leadership to all school leaders with specific responsibility for planning, development, implementation, assessment and improvement across all current and future schools
- Ensure that curricula are aligned to national and state standards and create curricular resources that allow for efficient and effective pacing, sequencing and lesson planning
- Evaluate assessment tools on a regular and on-going basis
- Disaggregate school data sets and implement data-driven instructional decisions at the network level
- Regularly observe and evaluate student work through classroom walk-throughs and observations
- Partner closely with the Chief of Schools to align on expectations and development for school leadership and instructional staff
Coaching and Development
- Develop principals and assistant principals in their roles as instructional leaders and provide impactful feedback and coaching to these leaders
- Manage and utilize data systems to drive results across the organization. Ensure that data is in service to learning and is accessible to teachers, parents, and students
- Support school leaders to ensure high quality implementation of the schools’ educational design, including school culture, standards, assessments, and instructional guidelines
- Lead a central office team of academic support staff on a common vision and approach to achieving long term priorities and short term goals
- Assist school leaders in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of programs as well as identifying and acquiring appropriate program resources to ensure that curricula are student-focused and aligned with the school’s mission, core values, academic standards, and strategic goals
- Facilitate collaboration among school leaders and school sites to promote “One RMP” culture and program
- Seek and maintain professional affiliations and enhance professional growth and development to keep current with instructional best practices
Strategic Thinking and Execution
- Determine and implement the organization’s academic priorities
- Play a key role in establishing and refining RMP’s academic strategy, communicating a big-picture view, and championing goal alignment for all instructional and curricular standards and supports across the organization
- Assist the CEO in the development of a strategic plan and scalability of the existing instructional model that will ensure excellence and high standards as RMP expands to serve a greater number of students
- Ensure strategies are translated into specific objectives and plans (with contingencies), encourage cross-functional collaboration to align efforts, and set realistic yet aggressive timeframes for achieving objectives
- Execute on short and long-term deliverables
Qualifications:
Experience & Results
- Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred
- A minimum of seven years of instructional work experience required
- Experience as a school leader of a high-performing urban public school
- Experience leading high-performing teams and managing staff, while providing constructive feedback and coaching to team members
- Demonstrated success leading school improvement initiatives that close student achievement gaps between racial, ethnic, and economic groups
- Demonstrated success leading strategic educational initiatives that result in measurable improved student achievement
- Deep experience in the design, integration, implementation and management of a school including knowledge of curriculum, instructional practices, school operations and management, and leadership development
Skills
- Strong leadership abilities including an encouraging, motivating presence to help with conflict management, team building, mentoring and coaching, goal-setting, prioritization and strategic planning
- Proven ability to collaborate and build relationships with internal and external stakeholders
- Ability to be flexible, resilient, and adaptable to changing priorities
- Balance between rigor and love
- Proven written and verbal communication skills
- Strong strategic planning and organization skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google applications
- Authorized to work in the United States and pass a comprehensive background check
Salary & Benefits
This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position with a salary range of $100,000-$140,000, Exact salary will be determined based on experience and track record of strong performance in other roles.
Timeline
The application process will consist of the following steps for qualified candidates:
1. Performance Task & Phone Interview
2. Virtual Interview Day (3-4 hours)
If selected for the role, the CAO must be able to start work in-person OR remotely on May 10, 2021. In-person work for the role must begin on June 1, 2021 in Denver, CO.
RMP is an equal opportunity employer. We seek applicants of diverse backgrounds and hire without regard to color, gender, religion, national origin, citizenship, disability, age, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Thank you so much for considering Rocky Mountain Prep for the next stage in your career. We look forward to getting to know you and to sharing more about us. Please reach out with any questions!
