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Chief Executive Officer

Employer
Amber Charter Schools
Location
New York City, New York (US)

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Amber Charter Schools provide our students with an academically rigorous and well-rounded education, along with strong character development, enabling them to prosper in their future endeavors.

By 2025, the ACS network will serve over 2000 students across three NYC neighborhoods.

  • Amber Charter School East Harlem was founded in 2000 as the first Latino-led charter school in New York State. It currently serves 500 K-5 students. 
  • Amber Charter School Kingsbridge opened in 2016 and serves 466 K-5 students, and will grow to serve 840 K-8.   
  • Amber Charter School Inwood will open with 200 K-1 students in 2021, and grow to serve 923 K-8 students.

The CEO will oversee these three schools, the Shared Support Team (SST) that serves them, and any future growth that will comprise the network.

Please send your resume and cover letter to dd2628@cumc.columbia.edu and mminaya@ambercharter.org.

Chief Executive Officer, Amber Charter Schools

Education: Master’s degree in an education field/administration and supervision.

Spanish-speaking is a preference.

Skill Sets

The ideal candidate will have the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

  • Leadership and Managerial Experience

The Amber CEO is an experienced leader who develops and supports team members throughout the school community and who deepens functional expertise as well as personal professional development in all team members. The successful candidate will set an organizational vision that is operationalized through effective internal processes, transparent decision-making, coordination among teams, and an inclusive work environment. They will be adept at using diverse types of quantitative and qualitative data to measure impact, inform decisions, and advance the work of Amber. They will have demonstrated skill negotiating legal contracts with organizations like charter authorizers, the teachers’ union, and related entities with whom Amber Charter has maintained positive, productive working relationships. The CEO will also be an external champion for Amber working in partnership with the Board to promote and enhance the brand of Amber with potential funders, policy-makers, and the local and national education community. 

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Depth of Knowledge 

The CEO is entering an organization that has earned high marks for its prioritization of hiring and promoting teachers and leaders that reflect the target community and will build on this success to expand the vision for equity and anti-racism. The right candidate possesses a deep personal and professional commitment to anti-racism, belonging and inclusion. The CEO will have experience creating space for staff to connect about diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism topics while also holding space for individuals as they share experiences, vulnerabilities, and perspectives. The CEO is comfortable challenging and educating both internal and external stakeholders on DEI practices and methodologies while simultaneously serving as a thought leader and champion for the importance and value of a diverse, equitable, inclusive, anti-racist school environment. The CEO will lead the ongoing enhancement of organizational culture to ensure a safe, inclusive, and emotionally supportive environment for all.

  • Cultural Competence

The CEO will have strong observational skills combined with empathic depth. These cultural competencies would manifest in an ability to notice and understand the perceptions, concerns and insights of internal constituents and external stakeholders. They recognize and respect the different cultural environments and practices of students, families, staff, and the Amber community. This person leads with sensitivity, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence as they consistently center the impact of Amber to its students and families in all decisions and initiatives. The CEO will have a hyper-awareness of culture and environment across the larger school and community combined with a healing approach to cultural challenges and changes that serves as an accelerant and amplifier of the mission.

  • Educational Expertise

While the CEO will lead the administration of Amber, they consider themselves to always be an educator first. The successful candidate will have a successful track record in an educational environment in an urban setting that primarily serves children of color and their families, and does so prioritizing students’ holistic development and achievement in measurable ways. They possess a deep understanding of character education in a school environment and can understand and prioritize the differing needs of teachers, staff, students, parents, and the community. This educator and administrator is a lifelong learner who brings a growth-centered approach to their work.

  • Stakeholder Relationship-Building Skills

With success as a hands-on and collaborative leader, the CEO serves as a thought partner to the constituents across the Amber community. With an approachable, accessible style, the CEO will be a natural relationship-builder with the ability to develop, enhance, and sustain productive and trusting relationships with stakeholders from different backgrounds spanning the different Amber communities. They embrace Amber’s culture while continually enhancing it through learning from the many stakeholders within the Amber community. The CEO will be an empathic leader and an individual of unquestioned integrity, ethics, and values, who has a passion for what an effective family-focused school can do for individuals and communities.

  • Superior Communication Skills

The CEO is a confident, influential, and effective communicator with the ability to work across all levels of the school with a high degree of competence. They are a charismatic, high-energy visionary who can convey organizational, programmatic, and mission-oriented objectives across various audiences both internally and externally. The CEO is an exceptional presenter, facilitator, and communicator with strong interpersonal skills and a natural ability to convey Amber’s priorities in a way that builds trust and galvanizes support. Possessing an inherent ability to listen, think, and respond effectively to a variety of inquiries and challenges, the CEO will remain firm and steady in delicate situations and in high-level strategic discussion. Candidates who are fluent in Spanish are required.

Roles and Responsibilities

  1. Understands, effectively communicates, and implements the mission and vision of Amber schools.
    1. Effectively translates the Amber mission and vision into tangible and measurable actions for Amber’s faculty, staff, students, and families and ensures delivery of such.
    2. Communicates Amber’s mission and vision to its faculty, staff, students, families, and neighboring communities.
    3. Proactively addresses any issues that impact the effective delivery of the mission and vision of Amber.
    4. Pro-actively anticipates where change ought to be made to ensure effective delivery of Amber’s mission and vision. 
    5. Ensures that all schools deliver the mission of Amber and the vision of:
      1. Effective Instructional Practices and Systems are Employed
      2. Decision making is Data-Driven
      3. Rigorous Curriculum Programs and Materials are Utilized Effectively
      4. Amber Charters Schools Meet the Academic and Social Emotional Needs of All Students
      5. Strong Amber Charter School Culture and Community is Established
  2. Oversees staff management.
    1. Directly supervises and evaluates all chief level personnel, such as Chief Academic Officer, Chief Finance and Administration Officer, etc.
    2. Oversees the recruitment plan and personnel growth of the organization.
    3. Ensures administration of human resource policies and programs.
    4. Ensures the implementation of a personnel evaluation system. 
    5. Oversees communication with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) concerning any matters regarding the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CSA).
    6. Oversees employee discipline consistent with Board policies, employment standards and any “in-effect” UFT CBA guidelines.
    7. Determines salary changes, bonus allocations, stipends for consultants and other compensation measures in conjunction with appropriate department heads and the Chief Finance Officer.
    8. Oversees dismissal/renewal of staff in conjunction with appropriate department heads.
  3. Oversees compliance with all federal, state, city, and other related agencies requirements.
    1. Oversees preparation and timely submission of financial reports to required stakeholders.
    2. Oversees preparation and timely submission of all compliance reports to required stakeholders.
    3. Oversees compliance with all government agencies as required by law.
  4. Administers all Board related activities.
    1. Serves as an ex-officio member of the Board. 
    2. Reports to the Board chair and supervises staff to set agendas and documents for all Board meetings and committee meetings. 
    3. Attends committee meetings.
    4. Serves as an ex-officio member of the Amber Foundation to ensure the interests of Amber Charter Schools.
    5. Works collaboratively with Board trustees on special projects and responds to their requests as needed.
    6. Advises the Board of new or revised policies; government initiatives; and any information highly relevant to the success and running of the schools.
  5. Promotes positive community relations.
    1. Serves as the face of Amber and keeps the public informed regarding the success and challenges of Amber.
    2. Ensures partnerships are established with key cultural and community-based organizations that enhance the services provided to our students and their families. It also ensures student recruitment efforts support the targeted enrollment of all schools.
    3. Ensures communication is maintained with all Amber families through effective, consistent, and efficient means.
    4. Actively engages members of the government, charter school sector, Latino community, and public and private educational institutions to ensure they are acquainted with Amber and establish a presence for Amber.
    5. Ensures alignment of community outreach activities to engage and retain financial, educational and community supporters of Amber.

The CEO reports to the Amber Charter Board of Directors and works closely with the Board Chair and Executive Committee to promote effective governance of the school. The CEO will be evaluated annually by the Board for annual performance against charter goals. 

Please send your resume and cover letter to dd2628@cumc.columbia.edu and mminaya@ambercharter.org.

Amber Charter Schools offers competitive benefits for full-time employees including but not limited to:

  • Medical, Dental and Vision Benefits
  • 403(b) Retirement Plan
  • Paid Time Off
  • Professional Development 

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