Director, School Continuous Improvement

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 320,000 students in 600+ schools and employing approximately 40,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.
The Office of Network Support (ONS) provides administrative support, strategic direction, and leadership development to the schools within each network while also driving critical support that help boost student learning.
Job Summary:
Reporting to the Executive Director of Continuous Improvement, the Director of School Continuous Improvement will be responsible for creating and executing district-wide Continuous Improvement cycles (i.e. Network Strategic Plans and Continuous Improvement Work Plans (CIWP) across network, school, and CIWP teams. This includes developing and coordinating processes that guide schools in meaningful data-driven reflection and analysis to positively impact the instructional core. Continuous improvement is executed in cycles, spanning from weekly to multi-year, to plan, implement, assess and adjust strategies to achieve desired outcome. The Director of School Continuous Improvement will lead and guide network leaders, teams, and principals in short and long term strategic plan development and monitoring as schools evaluate themselves against best practices, determine their priorities and goals throughout and across school years, and develop action plans which address the root cause(s) for the gap in desired outcomes that may exist for each priority area.
The Director of School Continuous Improvement will be held accountable to the following responsibilities:

• Drive network teams in coaching school principals and assistant principals in establishing the culture, systems, structures, knowledge, and skills needed at schools for daily, short-term, and long-term school improvement efforts that can achieve school and district goals.
• With the Executive Director of Continuous Improvement, systematically collaborate and lead with Central Office and network leaders to create and share tools, resources, and protocols to network leaders to ensure that schools receive timely, appropriate and consistent support that elicits ongoing engagement in the process of Continuous Improvement
• Lead the execution of strategy to help transition schools from plan development to implementation and progress monitoring
• Develop, implement, and assess high-quality training for all stakeholders that elicits an investment in Continuous Improvement tools and processes as levers for change and builds capacity for Continuous Improvement in schools
• In collaboration with the Executive Director of Continuous Improvement, develop and manage continued training clinics and supports based on analysis of school/network engagement in components of Continuous Improvement process and cycle
• Guide the development and enhancement of data reporting on plan development, completion, and trends to inform network and Central Office supports for quality CIWP development implementation.
• In collaboration with the Executive Director of Continuous Improvement, communicate vision for Continuous Improvement, required deadlines, and ongoing monitoring strategies aligned with other invested departments, including Budget, Talent, SQRM, and others
• Develop plans for communication using multiple mediums including webinars, website updates and weekly memos
• Prepare monthly reports for the district on schools' capacity for developing and implementing CIWP
• Work with network leads and network data strategist to collect relevant data for reporting
• In collaboration with the Executive Director of Continuous Improvement, collaborate with stakeholders within ONS and across other central office teams to support key district initiatives
• Provide leadership, guidance and feedback to School CIWP Specialist, including completion of annual RISE performance review process
• Other duties as assigned

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Director of School Continuous Improvement must possess the following qualifications:
Education Required:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required, with a focus in education, instructional leadership, or similar field preferred.
• Master's degree preferred.

Experience Required:

• Minimum of seven (7) years of relevant professional experience using data to drive academic improvement.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in a leadership role, preferably as a network or district leader and managing direct reports at the school, network, or district level.
• Demonstrated expertise in teaching, coaching, professional learning, and leading Continuous Improvement and problem solving models
• Experience in professional project management within a large organization, and leadership experience in education with oversight for change management is preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Exceptional analytical, organizational, interpersonal, and diplomacy skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create communication documents for a wide range of audiences
• Ability to effectively navigate the complex and fast-paced environment of CPS and ensure that the vision for and execution of School Continuous Improvement is structured, differentiated, and meaningful to network teams, and principals across the district
• Ability to articulate a vision, set high standards, and effectively guide network and school leaders in the realization of expectations set
• Strong leadership and team building skills, (e.g. ability to develop high performing teams united around a clear vision for serving schools and achieving student success)
• Capable of building collaborative relationships with a wide variety of constituent groups, including external partnerships, to ensure the entire system operates in the most effective manner possible to support school and principal needs.
• Ability to use project management skills and tools to plan, execute and evaluate multiple projects simultaneously with internal and external stakeholders while maintaining flexibility
• Ability to analyze, synthesize and interpret data sets, identify issues and opportunities, monitor effectiveness of implementation, and adjust accordingly
• Capable of coaching individuals to help impact personal and/or project development and outcomes

Conditions of Employment
As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. "Up-to-date" on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.