Director of Academic Operations

Director of Academic Operations

MISSION:
The mission of Marion P. Thomas Charter School is to build culturally rich, transformative educational spaces that cultivate successful, lifelong innovators who use their passions, character, and intellect to better themselves, the greater Newark community, and the world beyond.

WHO YOU ARE:
You are a systems-driven operator who turns academic priorities into clear, executable plans across multiple schools. You are detail-obsessed, deadline-driven, and hold a high bar for quality and consistency. You do not just design systems, you ensure they are used correctly and produce results.

You are comfortable holding leaders accountable, managing across multiple stakeholders, and stepping into ambiguity to bring structure. You know that strong instruction depends on strong operations, and you take ownership of the systems that make teaching and learning run smoothly.

Position Overview:

The Director of Academic Operations is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing the core systems that drive instructional quality across the district.

This role owns the infrastructure behind teaching and learning, including professional development, assessments, observation systems, academic scheduling, and compliance areas such as grants and home instruction.

The Director ensures that all academic systems are:

• Clearly defined
• Consistently executed across schools
• Measurable in impact
• Aligned to district priorities

Success in this role means that school leaders experience academic systems as clear, predictable, and useful, not fragmented or reactive.

Core Responsibilities:

Professional Development Systems

• Design a year-long professional development scope and sequence aligned to instructional priorities
• Ensure all professional development is grounded in strong adult learning practices, including clear objectives, active engagement, modeling, opportunities for practice, and structured reflection
• Develop a professional development budget to ensure accurate spending for external professional development partners as well as outside opportunities for staff members
• Build differentiated PD plans for new teachers, returning teachers, and leaders
• Implement systems to track attendance, feedback, and evidence of impact on instruction
• Ensure 80% of participants complete weekly professional development surveys and follow up with appropriate parties as needed
• Ensure 100% of survey feedback reflections for district and school leaders
• Adjust PD offerings based on observation data and student performance trends
• Build sustainable systems and internal capacity so that schools and teacher leaders can increasingly design, lead, and scale high-quality professional learning independently over time

Grants Management (ASP, Perkins, Title III)

• Own full lifecycle of assigned grants: planning, budgeting, execution, and reporting
• Align all grant-funded activities to specific academic priorities and student outcomes
• Monitor spending to ensure funds are used fully and appropriately
• Coordinate with finance and school teams to ensure compliance and documentation
• Prepare and submit all required reports accurately and on time

Grant Utilization Rate: 100% of allocated funds fully expended by grant deadlines with approved use of funds

Compliance Integrity Rate: 100% of grants submitted with zero audit findings, corrections, or late submissions

District Testing Coordinator

• Build and manage the full assessment calendar, including state and internal assessments
• Lead all testing logistics, including training, materials, scheduling, security protocols, and compliance
• Ensure accuracy and timeliness of all assessment data
• Establish clear protocols for data distribution and usage by school leaders
• Troubleshoot and resolve any testing issues in real time
• Ensure appropriate testing accommodations for students with disabilities and multilingual learners
• Collaborate with special education and multilingual departments to ensure compliance with IEPs, 504 plans, and language supports
• Train school staff on proper implementation of accommodations
• Investigate and document testing irregularities and breaches, and coordinate required reporting
• Manage and support assessment platforms and technology portals
• Coordinate with IT to ensure device readiness, bandwidth, and troubleshooting protocols
• Lead contingency planning for technology disruptions

Instructional Observation and Evaluation Systems

• Develop and maintain the district's observation and evaluation handbook; train school leaders and building staff members on expectations and compliance expectations
• Train network and school leaders on observation quality, feedback, and calibration
• Assign and monitor second observers (network and school leaders) to ensure consistency
• Oversee integration of student growth measures into evaluations
• Ensure all staff are correctly set up and managed within the evaluation platform
• Monitor completion, quality, and timeliness of all observations
• Ensure compliance with state reporting in NJSLEDS and for…