Chief Schools Officer

Chief Schools Officer

Under the direction of the Chief Education Officer, the Chief Schools Officer will lead the Office of Network Support for Chicago Public Schools. This position is responsible for principal quality and school performance, primarily through the direct management of CPS' 17 regional Network Chiefs, the Independent Schools Network, and the Options Schools Network. The Network Chiefs directly supervise Principals, who are responsible for leadership development and support for Principals that lead to high-quality teaching and learning in every classroom and to student achievement in their schools. The Chief Schools Officer will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

Develop and effectively execute an implementation plan that advances the District's five-year vision, supports a seamless PreK-12 learning community and allows for transparent accountability towards CPS' student outcome goals

Actively recruit, hire, support and develop Network Chiefs and an internal team of over 30 staff

Cultivate a culture of high expectations with shared strategic goals around measurable and continuous improvement in principal quality, as well as around student academic achievement in all schools

Create, manage and sustain effective systems that enable Network Chiefs to identify, recruit, support and develop a strong pool of highly-skilled Principal candidates for schools as well as a strong pool of Network support team members

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Chief Schools Officer must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required: Master's degree in Education or related field from an accredited college or university is required

Valid Professional Educator License, with a Superintendent endorsement issued by the Illinois State Board of Education is required

Experience Required: Minimum of ten (10) years of leadership experience within a complex educational organization, including the following, is required:

Minimum of five (5) years of experience as a principal

Minimum of three (3)years of experience coaching, teaching and mentoring educators, and supporting urban youth

Minimum of three (3) years of demonstrated experience developing the capacity of school and district leaders (i.e., principal supervisors and/or principals)

Minimum of three (3) years of experience working with senior leadership team and facilitating cross-departmental collaboration, engagement of board members, external stakeholders, and elected officials

Minimum of three (3) years of experience redesigning complex organizational layers to function as instructional leadership systems, and aligning operational and instructional functions within the same structure

Minimum of three (3) years of demonstrated experience redesigning complex organizational layers to function as instructional leadership systems, and aligning operational and instructional functions within the same structure.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Ability to model and lead the team's moral imperative to work in the best interest of children; Ability to utilize applied instructional expertise, sound judgment, integrity, honesty and credibility; Demonstrate courage in making difficult, yet necessary, decisions; Capable of establishing and executing against an ambitious vision, coaching others to do the same, both within and across teams; Effective strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to establish high-level, long-term strategic vision and goals, and align/manage and execute activities on the ground toward goal fulfillment; Ability to define problems, analyze data, identify opportunities and outline valid conclusions and action steps; Demonstrates the capacity for adaptive leadership, including the ability to manage teams and individuals effectively and collaboratively through change to meet and exceed high expectations; Exemplary written and verbal communication skills; communicates regularly and clearly, leveraging strong interpersonal and organizational skills; Strong knowledge and understanding of operations, management and organizational design in district settings; uses this knowledge to assist Network Chiefs in continuously improving student outcomes; Ability to build collaborative relationships with a wide variety of stakeholder groups, including external partners, to ensure the entire system operates to meet school and principal needs; Thrives in a changing environment and demonstrates a lifelong commitment to learning, humility and flexibility; and Possess a track record of success as demonstrated by superior academic and professional achievement; Deep familiarity with instructional coherence frameworks and the ability to translate district instructional strategy consistently across a large, diverse portfolio of schools, ensuring that what reaches buildings is coherent with district intent.