Chief Academic Officer

Chief Academic Officer

Richmond City Public Schools Central Office - Richmond, Virginia

This job is also posted in Richmond City Public Schools.

Job : 5731065

Final date to receive applications: Posted until filled

Posted: May 21, 2026 4:00 AM (UTC)

Starting Date: Immediately

Job Title: Chief Academic Officer

Grade Level/Terms of Employment: Grade 139 (260 Days 12-Month Contract)

FLSA Status: Exempt

Work Location: Central Office

Immediate Supervisor: Superintendent

General Description: The Chief Academic Officer (CAO) creates and executes a vision for the academic success of all preschool through 12th grade Richmond Public Schools (RPS) students. The CAO is responsible for developing, coaching, supporting, and evaluating the senior academic leadership team, whose responsibilities span early childhood education, curriculum and instruction, multilingual learners, exceptional education, academic programs and supports, secondary success pathways, graduation strategy, and academic data and analytics.

The CAO serves on the Superintendent’s Leadership Team and helps make key strategic decisions for the entire division.

• Develops and implements a vision of instructional excellence for preschool through 12th grade students grounded in the division’s strategic plan, Dreams4
  
  RPS.
• Prioritizes the learning of students furthest from opportunity, including those who receive exceptional education services, do not speak English as their first language, have limited financial means, face institutionalized racism, and/or face housing/food insecurity.
• Develops and implements a vision of school leadership directly tied to the division’s vision for instructional excellence.
• Develops and leads the division’s plan to increase the student graduation rate and to strengthen academic outcomes at every grade band, with particular attention to multilingual learners, students with IEPs, and students facing housing instability.
• Manages and evaluates a senior academic leadership team whose portfolios span the full preschool through 12th grade continuum.
• Ensures vertical alignment of curriculum, instruction, and student supports across the entire preschool through 12th grade experience.
• Gathers both quantitative and qualitative instructional data to guide decision-making; spends significant time observing classes, talking with teachers and students, and sitting in on principal leadership meetings to assess the instructional health of the division.
• Partners closely with the other Cabinet-level leaders to ensure that academic strategy is supported by aligned talent, operational, and fiscal strategies.
• Supports the Superintendent and Leadership Team with:
  • the development and implementation of the division’s goals, as well as strategies to implement them.
  • the efficient and effective use of the division’s budget.
  • adherence to School Board policy.
  • the Memorandum of Understanding with the Virginia Department of Education, and all relevant federal and state education laws and policies.
• Participates in all School Board meetings, serving as a primary point of contact for academic matters.
• Works collaboratively with other governmental bodies (including the Virginia Department of Education and the City of Richmond) and the non‑profit, faith, and business sectors to advance student academic success.
• Communicates and explains the vision for instructional excellence to teachers, administrators, support staff, parents/caregivers, and the public.
• Serves as an ambassador for RPS to celebrate students and staff, recruit talented educators and support staff, and generate financial support for the division.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Owns the Division. The CAO owns the division’s results in their entirety: the strengths and the opportunities for growth. They step personally into difficult conversations and decisions rather than routing them to others, and they take public accountability for the division’s wins and shortcomings without deflection. They hold their leadership team to that same standard.

Collaborates Across the Enterprise. The CAO is a true collaborator. They…