Senior Managing Director of School Design

Overview:

Ascend is the largest Brooklyn-based public charter school serving nearly 6,000 K-12 students in 16 schools. We exist to serve every student – to help them embody their inherent excellence by providing rich, joyful learning experiences that unlock a life of boundless choice.

Access to education is a social justice issue. As educators, we center justice and live out our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (DEIA) by ensuring that our students have the skills, tools, and confidence they need to thrive today and in the future. We are proud to have a workforce that mirrors the diversity seen in our students. Working at Ascend provides a community focused on developing an environment of support and belonging. Educators collaborate closely and encourage each other to achieve great outcomes.

Our schools honor, nurture, and challenge the whole child. Ascend fosters critical thinking skills and a love of learning through an inquiry-based learning approach, Responsive Classroom model, and anti-racist education. We are deeply committed to advancing educational equity for all of our students. Students at Ascend benefit from a rich and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that nurtures natural curiosity about the world and guides them to think critically and independently.

Ascend invests in employees by providing ongoing professional development, coaching, and career pathways in our schools. We are proud to provide a generous benefits package, which includes flexibility in our healthcare plan, and 403(b) matching starting at year one. At Ascend, we care about our workforce’s mental health and offer services covered by insurance and additional time off for our staff to utilize for their personal care.

Ascend invests in employees by providing competitive compensation, benefits, and ongoing professional development programs. Total compensation includes a generous benefits package with flexibility in healthcare plan choices, including mental healthcare services, and a 403(b) match. Our paid time off includes Wellness Days set aside for employees to focus on their personal care. We also believe in bringing joy to the office, with committees focused on employee programs and events to foster collaboration.

For more information on Ascend Public Charter Schools’ model, approach, and core values, please visit our .

Senior Managing Director of School Design

Overview

The Senior Managing Director of School Design is responsible for ensuring our continuous development of Ascend’s K-12 school design leads to student achievement and fulfillment of Ascend’s purpose:

Ascend exists to serve every student — to help them embody their inherent excellence by providing rich, joyful learning experiences that unlock a life of boundless choice.

The Senior Managing Director of School Design (Senior MD) leads the work to continuously strengthen our K-8 school model and ensure our design leads to student achievement across all schools. The Senior MD will refine our revolving middle school model, ensuring they deliver exceptional education to every student, setting them firmly on a trajectory toward success in college and beyond.

The Senior MD is responsible for the design and realization of Ascend’s path-breaking urban high schools, and oversees and develops the high schools’ leadership. The Ascend high school is the culmination of Ascend K-12 liberal arts program. Building on the academic foundation of the lower and middle school schools, the high school engages students on a great intellectual journey, preparing them for admission to four-year colleges and universities or post graduate programs of their choice. In addition to pursuing a rigorous academic course of study, a central focus of high school is the development of agency–students’ belief that they are in control of their own lives and can act on their own free choices. The Senior MD will bring this vision to life in our HS school design.

Responsibilities:

The Senior Managing Director of School Design leads the strategic planning process to strengthen, develop, and launch our K-12 school design which results in actualizing our mission, purpose, and student achievement goals.

Oversee the planning, continuous refinement, and implementation of our K-12 school design:

Develop and drive the strategic plan and systems to continuously strengthen our K-8 design and ensure our implementation leads to progress towards academic achievement goals

Develop and launch Ascend’s high school design consistent with Ascend’s commitment to a liberal arts education, restorative approach to discipline, college and alumni program, and family and community partnerships; define a distinctive and compelling vision for Ascend high schools.

Lead the high school design team, by commissioning and overseeing outside consultants, coordinating the work of staff financial analysts and curriculum developers, and engaging the Ascend Officer team.

Structure and guide the Teaching and Learning team and Academic Outcomes team to refine and develop systems that support the implementation of our school design and drives our schools’ academic, operational, and cultural success

Strengthen and drive the effective implementation of school design programs; identify and acquire appropriate program resources to ensure that curriculum and instruction meet students’ needs and are aligned with the school’s mission, academic standards, and strategic goals

Provide professional development and coaching to network and school leaders that continuously develops staff and produces strong results

Create and manage systems for collaboration with key stakeholders, production of excellent curriculum materials, and improvements:

Research and deepen best practices in school design and professional development to ensure that Ascend has the strongest and most up-to-date design in all grade levels with proven track record of academic data

Ensure collaboration occurs with key stakeholders such as the chief schools officer, talent team, managing directors, and principals by assessing educational needs, prioritizing school design revisions and enhancements

In collaboration with Ascend’s director of data and analytics, use academic data to adjust and focus instruction, using reports and data meetings to inform development of school design elements, incorporating feedback as part of the process

Oversee team members who design and deliver ongoing professional development sessions that support Ascend’s vision of school design, including hands on design and delivery of programs as well

Work closely with the chief schools officer and managing directors to monitor and support program implementation

Participate in frequent collaborative site visits focused on implementation at each school that supports the school’s implementation of Ascend curriculum. These visits will push content-specific instructional practices, gather information on best practices, and support program fidelity and instruction across all programs

Demonstrate and actualize our DEIA commitments:

Strategies and systems through a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism (DEIA) and ensure they drive towards school and network priorities and goals

Promote an organizational culture of continuous improvement by ensuring alignment between processes and systems with a focus on DEIA and excellence.

Staff and Reporting Relationships

The Senior Managing Director of School Design reports to Ascend’s Chief Schools Officer.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree, with advanced degree preferred

At least four years of experience as a school principal or a similar leadership position with track record of consistent student achievement

At least two years of experience of providing systems-wide leadership across multiple schools in school design, curriculum, and instruction with a proven track record of results

Expertise in teaching and working with students and faculty at the high school level

Record of success in leading adults; prior experience with sound management and supervision practices,

Demonstrated success leading school improvement initiatives that increase student achievement in a meaningful way for all racial, ethnic, and economic groups

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Outstanding, dynamic, and engaging trainer of adults, known for the efficacy, clarity, and effective instructional design of their adult training

Models a growth mindset with hunger and humility to improve; seeks and receives feedback in a spirit of continuous improvement

Alignment with the educational philosophy and core beliefs of Ascend

Compensation

The starting salary range for this position is $180,000 - $200,000. Several factors such as candidate's work experience, education/training, job-related skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and business considerations may influence base pay offered. This salary range is reflective of a position based in New York City.

Diversity at Ascend

Ascend is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities—opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.

Ascend's Vaccination Policy Statement

To prevent the infection and spread of COVID-19, and protect the health and safety of staff, students, family members, interns, volunteers, and visitors to Ascend’s premises from COVID-19 infection, Ascend requires all staff to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated for the coronavirus. This policy is mandatory except for staff with a documented medical or religious reason for not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

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