Managing Director of Special Education

About Neighborhood Charter Schools

Neighborhood Charter Schools (NCS) is a public charter school network rooted in Harlem and the Bronx, serving students in an intentionally designed, inclusive learning community. NCS is built on a simple but powerful belief: every child deserves to be known, valued, and supported as their full self. Our schools operate as a true neighborhood model, grounded in deep relationships with families and a commitment to belonging for every student.

What distinguishes NCS is an inclusive-by-design approach. Classrooms, schedules, and supports are intentionally built to serve autistic students, multilingual learners, students with IEPs, and general education students together. Inclusion is not a program or an add-on—it is the foundation of how our schools function and how students experience learning every day.

As NCS expands from a K–8 network to a K–12 system, the launch of its first high school marks a defining moment for the organization. This next chapter requires greater coherence across schools, clarity around vision and systems, and senior leadership to ensure quality and consistency as the network grows.

The Managing Director of Special Education is responsible for defining the vision for special education and inclusion at NCS to ensure equity and inclusion for all students. As part of this role, the Managing Director will be responsible for setting the strategy for implementing the vision, especially as NCS shifts from a K-8 to a K-12 model. The Managing Director will work with the executive leadership team to build and maintain strong systems and programming for students with disabilities across the network.

As a senior organizational leader, the Managing Director of Special Education also serves as a cultural standard-setter for the network. Grounded in a deep belief in equity for all students, the MDSE models NCS’s LIGHT values in practice, sets clear expectations for how leaders work together, and inspires teams to pursue system-wide change in service of students and communities.

Define and Uphold the Vision for Special Education for K-12

• Design and articulate a clear, shared K–12 vision for special education programming and inclusive practices at NCS that ensures equity, access, and inclusion for all students.

• Design the strategy for implementing, evaluating, and maintaining fidelity to the vision for programming across the network.

• Work with the Special Education team to ensure families receive regular direct support and advocacy.

• Define and create family communication systems and norms across the special education team to ensure the development and sustainment of strong relationships with NCS families.

• Partner with school-based directors and principals to ensure special education vision and inclusion practices are evident and effective on the school level.

• Collaborate with network academic leaders to ensure inclusive practices, expectations for rigor, and support structures are aligned within content-specific systems and curricula.

Lead, Manage, and Develop School and Network Leaders

• Manage and support the School-Based Directors of Special Education, the Autism Program Specialist, Network Intervention and 12:1 Specialist, and the Special Education Projects Manager.

• Build a culture of collaboration, accountability, and professional growth among school and network leaders.

• Lead the vision of Special Education Team growth and expansion while developing clear plans for training, development, and accountability.

• Collaborate with leaders network-wide to ensure consistent professional development for teachers and leaders that aligns with the vision of special education.

Build and Sustain Strong Special Education Systems

• Serve as the primary steward of inclusive special education systems across all NCS campuses, ensuring consistency in service models, instructional practices, compliance, and student support structures.

• Establish clear goals and metrics for the successful implementation of special education systems and support.

• Use data and qualitative evidence to identify priorities and drive continuous improvement.

• Build systems that are coherent,…