Deputy Chief of Schools

Noble Schools - Chicago, Illinois - Full time

The Role

The Deputy Chief of Schools reports to the Chief of Schools and is responsible for managing and developing a portfolio of principals to ensure strong outcomes in school culture, staff engagement, and academics. This leader plays a critical role in supporting principal effectiveness, strengthening campus operations, and driving continuous improvement across 5–6 campuses.

The Deputy Chief of Schools will directly manage 5 - 6 principals as well as high-leverage initiatives aligned to our Principal Success strategy as identified by the Chief of Schools.

Key Responsibilities

Principal Success, Development, and Succession

• Coach, evaluate, and develop principals to drive excellent and consistent outcomes in school culture, staff engagement, and academics.
• Provide differentiated leadership coaching based on principal needs and campus performance.
• Support principal onboarding and succession planning in partnership with the Chief of Schools.
• Ensure principal performance expectations are clear and aligned to network goals.

School Culture

• Ensure physically safe spaces and clear, consistent, and connected learning environments across assigned campuses.
• Diagnose culture challenges and implement proactive, innovative solutions.
• Partner with principals, other Deputy Chief of Schools, campus leaders, and the Noble Support Team to support campus discipline systems, Tier 1, 2 and 3 culture strategies and student experience improvements.
• Monitor culture metrics and support continuous improvement cycles.

Academic Oversight

• Support principals in setting and executing a strong academic vision.
• Ensure instructional leadership teams receive the coaching and support needed to implement high-quality instruction.
• Partner with principals and central academic teams to address academic gaps with innovative solutions.
• Monitor academic outcomes and lead weekly data-driven rhythm cycles to drive improvement.

Staff Engagement

• Ensure principals have the tools, coaching, and strategies needed to build strong, engaged campus teams.
• Work with principals to address staff culture, retention challenges, and morale with clear, actionable plans.
• Monitor staff engagement data and lead continuous improvement efforts.

Operational Management

• Serve as the primary point of support for principals, ensuring they have the resources, clarity, and guidance needed to lead effectively.
• Partner with the Campus Accountability Officer to ensure findings from campus reviews translate into meaningful action.
• Collaborate with other Chiefs and central teams (e.g., safety, culture, special education, multilingual, HR) to ensure coherence and excellence across campuses.
• Support execution of principal retreats, leadership development sessions, and network-wide initiatives as directed by the Chief of Schools.

Ideal Candidate Qualifications

The ideal candidate for Noble’s next Deputy Chief of Schools should demonstrate:

• Deep understanding of school culture, staff engagement, and academic leadership in a multi-campus or high-accountability environment.
• Experience coaching or supervising principals or campus leadership teams.
• Strong ability to diagnose school-level issues and implement strategic, evidence-based solutions. Exceptional leadership presence, communication skills, and relationship-building ability.
• A commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion through practice and leadership.

Minimum Candidate Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in education or leadership preferred.
• At least 5 years of school leadership experience in grades 9–12, including as a principal or principal manager.
• Demonstrated success improving school culture, academic outcomes, and/or staff engagement.

Compensation

We strive to be the best place to work, and our employee benefits are thoughtfully designed to support us in this ambition. Compensation for this position falls between $170,000 and $190,000 per year. Factors such as years of experience and skill sets may impact placement within, or outside, this range.

District / Charter Chief Academic Officer

Noble is Chicago’s highest-performing and largest network of public charter schools. Our 17 campuses and 1,680 employees serve 12,000 students, 99% of whom identify as persons of color, 90% of whom are from under-resourced communities, and 81% of whom are first-generation college attendees.