Senior Director of Psychological and Social Services

About Mastery:

We believe educational inequity is the most pressing social problem facing our country and the civil rights issue of our day. Mastery exists to help solve this problem. Our ultimate goal is to create a model urban school district that serves all students with excellence. We are organized around one driving mission: All students learn the academic and personal skills they need to be truly prepared for postsecondary success and able to pursue their dreams. To fulfill this mission, we attend to the whole child - academically and emotionally - matching high expectations for students with high levels of support.

Mastery Charter Schools is a nonprofit network of more than 24 schools serving over 14,000 students in Philadelphia and Camden. We are the largest turnaround school operator in the nation and have been lauded by President Obama and the US Department of Education for our ability to dramatically boost academic achievement in historically low-performing schools.

We know neighborhood schools matter, all students deserve access to a great education, and the people in our building can grow and develop sustainably to make the biggest impact possible in this work.

Mastery's Equity Vision:

We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to achieving our mission.

We strive to be an anti-racist school district that eliminates the inequities in academic achievement that limit our students' choices; that cultivates classrooms where every student is affirmed, supported, and held to high expectations; and that nurtures a diverse organization where students, staff, and families are valued, respected, and included .

Position Summary:

The Senior Director of Psychological and Social Services (SDPSS) is responsible for the supervision of effective and evidence-based psychological and social work services across the network of Mastery Charter Schools. The SDPSS will ensure breakthrough results across all Mastery Charter Schools. The SDPSS is highly outcomes-focused and is committed to the development of services specifically created to meet our unique student needs rather than the process/compliance orientation of traditional school-based social/psychological services. The SDPSS manages the Director of Psychological and Social Services and directly reports to the Deputy Chief of Specialized Services.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Create effective and responsive systems and interventions to address student social/emotional needs, improving their potential for academic achievement and social/emotional growth.
• Ensure the psychological and social needs of all students are exceeded
• Ensure appropriate, efficient, and effective processes/services are in place to address students' psychological and social needs
• Design training, support and accountability structures to ensure all social workers, psychologists and counselors are outcomes-focused, efficient and highly effective
• Design training, support and accountability structures to ensure all instructional, and administrative staff are equipped and professionally developed to meet and exceed the needs of our students
• Ensure all contracted and community service providers are effectively delivering high quality support
• Manage the process to ensure all campuses maintain the highest standard in regards to matters of compliance and law
• Support principals and supervise psychological/social work initiatives across all schools



• Supervision of Social Work/Psychological Services
• Hire, train, and develop Social Workers
• Ensure high quality, efficient social-emotional interventions and processes (PBIS; Child Study Team/SAP processes)
• Develop and oversee trauma-Informed interventions & strategies
• Provide/facilitate professional development in evidence-based interventions
• Evaluate Social Worker effectiveness/metrics
• Provide clinical supervision of Social Workers (group supervision/case review/coaching)
• Respond to, support and coordinate responses to crises for network emergencies
• Organize and oversee multiple community partnerships including contracted



• Development and Maintenance of Child Welfare Policy and Procedure (PA & NJ)
• Remain current regarding changes to regulations; Update all related policies and procedures
• Spearhead all-staff PD for Child Abuse Reporting, Homelessness, Suicide Prevention and other regulations as needed



• Collaborate on Related Projects
• Support development and execution of Social Emotional Learning, Substance Abuse Prevention, Health/Sexuality, Parent Education

Qualifications:

• Results-oriented individual - a flexible thinker willing to do "whatever it takes"
• Belief in the Mastery Charter School mission and instructional model
• A desire to provide our students with a world class education and services
• Strong knowledge of PA & NJ regulations regarding Child Welfare Policy and Procedure
• Deliberate and frequent collaboration/integration with all related departments
• Excels in research and program development
• Detail-oriented and highly organized with strong analytical writing and communication skills (e.g., writing compliance manuals, communicating Federal and State policy to stakeholders)
• Effective leadership, management, and interpersonal communication skills
• Strong facilitation, training, and presentation skills
• Excellent judgment and effective decision-making abilities
• Strong technical/field knowledge and strong knowledge of community resources
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office and ability to design resources and trainings that clearly convey technical information to school-based teams

Education and Experience:

• Master's Degree in social work, counseling, or related field. LCSW or PsyD/PhD in Psychology preferred but not required.
• A minimum of 5 years of management/leadership experience
• High level of measurable success and outcomes within the field of social services and/or school/community psychological services
• Strong program development background that reflects ability to develop a program from inception to implementation
• Experience working with school leaders and implementing professional development sessions is a plus, but not required

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required such as traveling to network campuses and maneuvering in office space-reaching file cabinets, filing, faxing, coping, typing, mailing, and making phone calls; Must be able to sit for up to four (4) hours looking at a computer monitor, using a keyboard and mouse and typing.

Other Requirements:

• Valid driver's license and access to a vehicle for travel when necessary, preferred.

Mastery Charter Schools is an equal opportunity employer and actively encourages applications from people of all backgrounds. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. We offer a full benefits program and opportunities for professional growth.

UPDATE AS OF JULY 2020 - Please review Mastery's Back to School Plans here to learn about our response to COVID-19 for the 2020-21 school year. For ongoing positions, Mastery roles are designated as in-person, with regular on-site responsibilities, unless otherwise noted. As such, Employees must be able to support Mastery Schools' academic plan and business strategies on-site - at a Mastery campus - as required.

Exceptions to this requirement will be considered on an individualized basis.