Division Director

Reports to: Principal (with indirect oversight by the MWA CEO)

Status: Full-time, Exempt, CalSTRS Retirement Eligible

Supervises: Faculty, Staff, Interventionists, Lead Teachers, and Content Leads

Salary: $120,000 - $130,000 plus $12,000 Temporary Cost of Living Allowance & MWA Benefits

Summary

Making Waves Academy (MWA), a 5th-12th grade, high-performing public charter school, is seeking a Division Director to support the Principal in overseeing the academic, operational, and student affairs of the school. This person will work closely with staff, students, and families to create an environment that fosters academic excellence, character development, and positive student outcomes. The Division Director will play a key role in implementing the school’s mission, vision, and values, promoting student achievement, and upholding the highest standards of education. This person collaborates with the Principal to:

1. Calibrate on daily and weekly areas of focus: student well-being, safety areas of focus for campus walk-throughs, instructional areas of focus for classroom walk-throughs, and staff culture and morale
2. Discuss strategic initiatives and develop “test and learn” opportunities for applicable innovations.
3. More specifically, the Division Director focus areas are:Student safety and well-being
4. Rigorous and relevant instruction
5. School culture
6. Faculty and staff supervision and development
7. Parent, and parent and school community engagement.

The Division Director must be responsive and accountable to both the Principal and indirectly, the CEO in the following areas as they relate to MWA’s mission, vision, and values, including as it relates to our tagline:

LEARN – A focus on early intervention and remediation of academic skills in math, reading, and writing and social-emotional decision-making development in the lower grades (5th-6th); a continued focus on social-emotional development, academic skill development, and preparation for high school-level rigor and decision-making in the middle grades (7th-9th), and continued social-emotional development, academic skill development, and post-secondary pathway exploration along with college access exposure in the upper grades (10th-12th grades).

GRADUATE – We have had great success with helping students meet the important milestone of earning their high school diplomas. With our graduation requirements aligned with the California college and university admissions requirements for “a-g” course completion, we expect as close to 100% of our students to graduate, earn their high school diplomas, be college-eligible, and “pre-career” ready.

GIVE BACK – We expect students to “recycle their success” (taken from the Making Waves Affirmation) and give back in a myriad of ways – from volunteering within the community to participating in programs and volunteering in the larger Richmond community and beyond.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Leadership & OversightProvide leadership to the school community, modeling the mission, vision, and values of the school in areas such as direction, order, pace, communication, and community member engagement. Provide oversight and set the vision for student and adult learning.
• Provide direction and leadership to an assigned team. Supervise, evaluate, hire, and release members of this team in collaboration with the Senior Director of People Operations. With independent contractors, set clear expectations, schedule regular updates, and provide feedback.
• Meet regularly with key leaders across the school to assess and discuss progress towards WASC/LCAP goals and quarterly goals (using the 15Five OKR tool). Share data and analysis with the Principal, CEO, MWA Board, and other community members as appropriate.
• Work closely with, seek input from, and provide updates to various governance and community member entities – e.g. MWA Board, School Site Council (SSC), and the charter authorizer board.

School-wide Systems & Practices

• Utilize systems to identify and track progress on school-wide WASC/LCAP goals using key performance indicators and metrics, analyze and act on the data provided, gather and utilize information from internal and external community members to assess the overall health of the school, and assess whether or not or to what extent actions, strategies, and outcomes are in alignment with MWA’s mission, vision, and values.
• With the Principal and other school leaders, develop instructional monitoring and oversight systems that provide clear direction and support to employees. Develop and make sure professional development plans, practices, and implementation are in alignment with MWA’s WASC/LCAP goals. Ensure the Professional Development Plan for faculty is clear, “guaranteed and viable”, and connects to formal and informal classroom observations, lesson and unit plan development, formative and summative assessment development, and annual performance evaluations.
• Regularly and formally review, discuss, and analyze data with the Principal and other site-based leadership whose work supports differentiated support and instruction. With MWA instructional leaders, assess progress against the Professional Development Plan and WASC/LCAP goals throughout the school year. Share formative data, observations, and analysis regarding the execution of the plan, including successes and challenges, with the Principal and CEO.
• In alignment with MWA practices, procedures, and Board policies, make sure employees meet regularly with their supervisors to discuss their responsibilities, their progress towards goals, and their medium and long-term professional goals. Ensure formal feedback cycles occur throughout the year, that clear and measurable performance goals are set, and written formal reviews occur before the end of the school year.
• Ensure employees are monitoring the safety and well-being of students and adults in the community, adhering to Mandated Reporter requirements, and communicating any concerns, with respect to safety and well-being of students and employees to the Principal and/or People Operations.
• Take the lead in modeling, supporting, and facilitating training that supports a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for all members of the community (e.g. racial/ethnic, socio-economic, gender, sexual orientation).
• In conjunction with the Central Office finance team, provide leadership and oversight in the budget development process, manage resources against the Board-approved budget, and make sure fiscal policies are followed.

Communication/Community Member Engagement

• Develop and maintain a spirit of productive and responsive working relationships with various MWA community member groups including parents/guardians, students, faculty, staff, board members, visitors, and other administrators.
• Monitor school culture and proactively collect pulse checks and administer surveys to assess how students, parents, and faculty are doing, what is working, and what could be improved. Through your leadership, develop and maintain a positive culture of student achievement, efficacy, cultural competency, professionalism, data-informed decision-making and analysis, and appropriate use and application of technology.

Mission Alignment

• Demonstrate knowledge of, and support, Making Waves Academy’s mission, core values, standards, competencies, and code of conduct outlined in the Employee Handbook.
• Make sure that you follow and adhere to school systems that account for there always being a designated administrator in charge in your absence.
• Participate in the school community – attending school competitions, performances, assemblies, and extracurricular activities. Be prepared to support as an administrator in attendance for interscholastic competitions and school events.

Work Environment

• This job operates in an office and school environment and routinely uses standard office equipment.
• Some travel required for MWA related events, such as workshops or conferences.

Physical Demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to talk, hear, reach, stoop, kneel, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer, phone, and keyboard. Light to moderate lifting may be required. The employee will frequently walk across the campus, participate in campus supervision duty, stand and sit for long periods of time.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• MA in Education, Educational Leadership, or a related field and 3+ years’ experience in educational leadership roles. Proven experience in instructional leadership, staff development, and student discipline.
• Experience with budgeting and resource management in an educational setting.
• Knowledge of data management systems, including those for tracking student performance and school operations.
• Experience in developing and delivering professional development to educators, including instructional leadership. Experience supervising and evaluating faculty and staff.
• 5+ years’ direct teaching experience in a K-12 school setting. Knowledge, experience, and alignment of efficacy approach to teaching and learning.
• Experience working in charter schools and/or a diverse school environment, with a strong understanding of supporting students from various socio-economic, racial, and cultural backgrounds.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong leadership and management skills, including the ability to inspire, motivate, and lead both students and staff toward achieving academic goals. Strong skills in culturally responsive leadership and fostering a positive, inclusive school climate.
• Ability to implement academic, operational, and student affairs initiatives with a clear focus on student achievement and well-being.
• Ability to support school safety and student well-being initiatives, ensuring adherence to all relevant policies and protocols.
• Analytical and data-driven decision-making skills to assess student progress, teacher performance, and the success of initiatives.
• Proficiency in using data systems and educational tools (PowerSchool, Google Workspace, Parent Square, Slack, LMS, etc.). Comfortable learning and using the digital tools MWA uses, and willing to try out new technologies and work tools.
• Highly organized, goal-oriented, and focused on outcomes. Ability to meet deadlines on a tight schedule.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of individuals (students, parents, staff, school boards, community partners).
• Ability to collaborate and build relationships with students, faculty, staff, families, creating partnerships that support student success. Conflict resolution skills and the ability to address and mediate student, parent, and staff concerns in a constructive and professional manner.
• Ability to manage faculty and staff performance, including setting clear expectations, providing feedback, and fostering professional growth. Ability to inspire and motivate others toward continuous improvement.
• Professional orientation – appearance, communication, and attitude. Willingness to uphold and reinforce MWA values, policies and procedures. Ability to adapt and align on school-related initiatives.

Licenses or Certificates

• Employment eligibility will include fingerprints/Live Scan, tuberculosis (TB) screening, and other employment clearance.
• Administrative services credential or equivalent certification. Applicants without an administrative credential and those enrolled in a CTC-approved program will be considered.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee.

​