Senior Associate Commissioner District and School Assistance

Job Summary

The Senior Associate Commissioner of District and School Assistance will be responsible for the overall management and strategy related to the improvement of persistently low‑performing schools in the Commonwealth. The position serves at the cabinet level, reporting to Deputy Commissioner Lauren Woo, and oversees the Commissioner’s Accelerating Achievement Initiative—a new school‑improvement support initiative targeting selected low‑performing schools. The office will develop and implement a rigorous approach to improvement planning and refine the support and assistance model to sustain progress in these schools.

• Provide administrative leadership and supervision to assigned unit offices, including the development of operational plans, oversight of day‑to‑day operational activities, allocation of budgetary and staffing resources, and supervision and mentoring of subordinate managers.
• Engage schools in a planning process tightly aligned to a framework for school improvement, anchored in the Department’s decades of research on successful school‑improvement practices.
• Support schools in undertaking a multi‑year improvement planning and implementation process.
• Incubate and incentivize innovative models and programs to support academic achievement and school improvement.
• Strategic planning, including the evaluation of existing programs and the development of new programs, initiatives, and activities to achieve the Department’s mission and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Department operations.
• Provide oversight and direction on policy development and implementation of school‑improvement programming across the agency, coordinating across offices within DESE.
• Support the coordination and development of policy related to key governmental agencies and bodies, including the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
• Maintain a high level of expertise in the assigned areas of work, staying informed through national conferences, research reviews, and discussions with officials in the U.S. Department of Education and other state agencies.
• Ensure that supervised staff within the Department and outside stakeholder groups communicate effectively in a productive, collegial relationship.
• Represent DESE at external meetings as needed, including presenting at BESE meetings.
• Travel throughout the Commonwealth may be required.
• Other duties as assigned by the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner (e.g., responding to constituents, presenting at Board meetings).

• Thorough understanding of public policy and educational practice at the district and state level.
• Experience and demonstrated knowledge of secondary school programming.
• Ability to articulate a clear vision of high‑quality education for persistently low‑performing schools.
• Experience in implementing state and federal laws and program standards.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to establish dialogue with all stakeholder groups.
• Experience and background in a leadership position in a school, district, or educational organization.
• 5–10 years of experience with senior‑level leadership in an educational setting.
• Extensive experience in education policy development and program implementation.
• 5–10 years of experience supervising professional education‑related staff.

Applicants must have at least (A) seven (7) years of full‑time or, equivalent part‑time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration, or clinical management, of which (B) at least four (4) years must have been in a managerial capacity.

An Equal Opportunity /
Affirmative Action Employer
. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self‑select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements.

We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.

• Job:
  Education
• Agency:
  Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
• Schedule:
  
  Full‑time
• Shift: Day
• Number of Openings: 1
• Salary:  –  Yearly
• Bargaining Unit: M99‑Managers (EXE)
• Potentially Eligible for a Hybrid
  
  Work Schedule:
  
  No
• Confidential:
  No

If you have Diversity, affirmative action or equal employment opportunity questions or need a reasonable accommodation, please contact Diversity Officer / ADA Coordinator:
Ferdousi Faruque – 781 338 6108.