Job Description

Job Function

The Chief Academic Officer serves as the leader of the district’s education department, with broad day-to-day responsibility and accountability for the school’s academic and campus-based operations. The CAO exercises these broad responsibilities by working with and through a wide variety of groups and individuals to ensure the educational goals of the organization are fully realized. The CAO works closely with campus principals to ensure all district campuses achieve at a high academic level. The CAO position is hands-on, at campuses, working selflessly and collaboratively with campus leadership to drive positive results.

Duties:

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include, but are not limited to, the following. Other duties may be assigned by the DSS.

Organizational Management and Improvement:

• Works collaboratively with the CEO, DSS, and the executive team in formulating and refining the school’s academic mission and goals. The CAO works collaboratively with campus leadership teams to ensure that the district achieves its educational mission.

• Monitors and evaluates, as necessary, all educational programs and operations to determine improvements required.

• Collaborates with a wide variety of personnel to ensure effective communication regarding the school’s educational philosophy and activities.

• Proactively seeks stakeholder input to maximize programmatic success and efficiency.

Accountability Management:

• Works collaboratively with the executive team and a wide variety of personnel to ensure that the district is in compliance with all applicable state, federal, and local accountability and compliance measures.

• Collaborates with a wide variety of personnel to ensure effective communication regarding the district’s external compliance and accountability performance.

• Collaboratively mentors, coaches, and trains all principals in the district. Advises the CEO and DSS on campus placement and hiring decisions for all campus principals in the district.

• Collaborates with educational staff to ensure that all required or necessary materials are purchased and used so that all campuses are fully compliant with all accountability requirements.

• Collaborates with the Special Programs Department and campus leadership to ensure that all testing meets applicable federal, state, and local requirements.

Academic Management:

• Persists in staying informed about all aspects of the district’s instructional program(s), and brings any proposed changes or updates to the executive team for approval.

• Consults with a wide variety of district stakeholders to fully and accurately implement, monitor, and supervise the district’s approved curriculum.

• Ensures all campuses operate according to federal, state, and local laws, and ensures campus compliance with Board policy and campus operating procedures.

• Ensures that all required or necessary curriculum materials are purchased and used so that the educational mission of the school can be achieved.

• Collaborates with a wide variety of district staff to develop and implement an effective and engaging instructional staff in-service, training, and evaluation program, including teacher and instructional support staff observations.

• Works transparently as a strategic partner with campus leadership to fully support the academic mission at every campus in the district.

• Serves as the primary liaison between the instructional personnel and the CEO and DSS.

Student Management:

• Oversees the development and implementation of the student discipline policy for the district.

• Collaborates with campus administration to ensure compliance with all student rules and policies, and reviews, as necessary, student discipline decisions.

• Works as necessary with the staff, principals, Executive Team, appropriate agencies, and the community in planning and implementing support services for students or parents that are required by state or federal programs.

• Works as necessary with the Parent Teacher Organization to lead, guide, and support the work of the parents and to lead in the building of the school community.

• Performs other duties as assigned by the DSS.

Skills/Qualifications:

The CAO must have and maintain an overarching passion for education and an unending desire to transform the mission of the school into a reality. The CAO must demonstrate the ability to understand the ever-changing compliance and accountability measures applicable to the organization, and must be dedicated to collaborating with other members of the organization to ensure the success of the school in achieving those measures. The CAO must be collaborative, goal-oriented, flexible, open, honest, transparent, and willing to work on campus on a regular basis to effect positive change and growth throughout the district.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to speak effectively before groups of constituents or employees of the organization.
• Ability and/or willingness to learn to use and understand Microsoft Office for spreadsheets, letters, and other written communications in order to effectively communicate information with employees, administration, and the Board.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to grasp, handle, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and /or move up to 25 pounds.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university. Master’s degree preferred.

• 1-2 years of related Elementary and Middle school experience preferred.

• Charter school experience preferred.

• 2-plus years’ principal experience required. Elementary and Middle school experience strongly preferred.

• Reliable means of transportation.

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