Senior Director of Family Academic Partnerships

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 â€" academically and emotionally â€" 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 buildings 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 Family Academic Partnerships is responsible for developing a family engagement vision and implementing a strategic plan rooted in our core equity belief of honoring families as authentic partners in supporting students’ academic achievement. Reporting to, and working closely with the Chief Equity Officer, this person will lead the network in ensuring that schools have the tools and resources to foster meaningful family partnerships that support academic growth for all students. The ideal candidate is a culturally competent leader who knows how to invest staff in a bold family engagement vision, and can design and facilitate learning opportunities that build critical mindsets and tangible skill sets such that school-based leaders and teachers will be able to implement the Mastery family academic partnership vision with a high degree of executional excellence.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work collaboratively with the Chief Equity Officer to strengthen Mastery’s approach to building highly effective family academic partnerships
• Lead a strategic planning process to develop a 3-5 year strategy for building family academic partnerships
• Lead the initiative to roll out network-wide family-facing data tools
• Monitor family academic partnership (FAP) key performance indicators and support schools in developing action plans to ensure FAP goals are met
• Develop a structure and programming to support monthly training and development for families
• Develop structures and programming to increase family voice and advocacy for the needs of their students
• Lead efforts to ensure engagement targets are met for extended learning opportunities for students
• Work, in collaboration with other NST departments, to ensure academic and extra-curricular programming include aspects for family engagement
• Provide professional development for school-based staff on effective family academic partnership strategies
• Develop structures and programming to expand opportunities for teachers and families to collaborate around student performance
• Partner with network operations and communications teams to increase opportunities for prospective families to understand and experience the school’s academic programming
• Develop and implement strategy to increase engagement for historically hard to reach families

Qualifications:

• Passionate about empowering families to claim more voice and ownership over the educational experience of their children
• Demonstrated family partnership skills-willingness and skill with partnering with families around effective problem solving
• Deep understanding of community context in one or more of the communities we serve and ability to quickly learn community context
• Outstanding organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to work under pressure and manage projects with a high degree of accuracy and limited direction
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to communicate complex ideas simply and succinctly
• Strong computer and technology skills; proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, familiarity with Google Drive tools, and interest in and ability to learn new platforms (specifically Student Information Systems and Learning Management Systems)
• Proven skills in a central office leadership position; past experience driving results, managing and/or coaching people, and overseeing strategic initiatives
• Strong professional development leader; experience designing and facilitating high-quality professional development.
• Ability to interact with and motivate diverse stakeholders and create adult learning communities
• High degree of emotional intelligence and adaptive leadership skills
• Ability to lead within a fast-paced, dynamic, and rapidly-changing environment
• Ability to develop a vision and create the systems-level structures to facilitate network-wide implementation of that vision.
• Zest, a sense of humor, a strong work ethic, and a one team spirit

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in education or related field preferred
• Minimum of two (2) years of central office director level leadership or school principal experience
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience managing adults in a public school setting strongly preferred
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience leading in Black and/or Latinx communities
• Teaching experience preferred

Physical/Environmental:

• Ability to physically perform the essential duties of the role â€" either on-site or remotely, and to work in the environmental conditions required, such as: traveling to network campuses; maneuvering in office spaces (including standing, walking, sitting for long periods of time, speaking loudly and clearly, seeing and hearing things both near and far away); stooping, kneeling, reaching file cabinets/shelves; fine finger and hand manipulation in use of computer, chalkboard, dry erase, &/or projectors; filing, faxing, scanning, coping, typing, mailing, and making phone calls; sitting for up to two (2) hours looking at a computer monitor, using a keyboard/mouse, and typing.

Other Requirements:

• Position requires local travel to Mastery and other sites. Must have access to reliable transportation.

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 MARCH 2021 - Please review Mastery’s Back to School Plans here to learn about our response to COVID-19 for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years. 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 â€" at a Mastery campus - as required.

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