Managing Director - Primary Schools (Principal Supervisor)

SUMMARY

Each Uplift Managing Director of Primary Schools will play a critical part in supporting and driving student achievement at Uplift Education, the largest charter management organization in Dallas-Fort Worth.  Managing Directors supervise a set of school leaders within a division (i.e., Primary, Middle, and High).  They are directly responsible for the development, support, and management of the Campus Directors for their cluster of schools and the academic performance of the schools in their division.   They are also responsible for ensuring that the strategic network priorities and overall policies are executed at each school in their cluster. Managing Directors work closely with other senior leaders across the organization- Regional Directors of Operations, Executive Team members, and the Teaching & Learning team- to ensure that scholars are safe, academically successful, and thriving socially and emotionally.

Managing Director:

Approve strategic plan and goals for all schools in a cluster

Facilitate collaboration and sharing of best practices with schools in the cluster and across the network

• Conduct regular meetings with school leaders in a cluster to share ideas, resources, and build their capacity

Hire, develop and retain Campus Directors

• Work with and provide support to new school Directors to facilitate the opening of school
• Meet at least weekly (by phone or in-person) with each Campus Director to review data, conduct joint teacher observations, observe and give coaching on teacher feedback sessions, review the quality of campus-based PD, and ensure high-quality school systems are in place
• Meet at least monthly with Deans at each school in a cluster to ensure their respective development is taking place and is effective
• Hold Directors accountable for maintaining culture, academic performance, fiscal management, and fidelity to the Uplift network priorities and policies

Work with both Teaching and Learning Team and school leaders to develop and implement excellent academic programs, and ensure consistent application of network-wide standards

• Provide input on overall network strategic instructional priorities and participate/lead working groups when requested
• Ensure strong execution of IB philosophy on campus and support campuses going through the authorization or reauthorization process
• Offer input during the creation of curriculum materials for network, and ensure schools use approved materials
• Give input during the creation of common assessments and support the school's proper use of these exams
• Assist in developing network scheduling minimums, and help school leaders use minimums to build school schedules
• Approve any non-standard, school-specific assessments and/or instructional resources

Assist with student, staff, or parent issues escalated by schools (e.g., final warning contracts, expulsions)

• Approve all recommendations on student expulsions
• Support escalated parent issues to bring to resolution
• Partner with SEL/Well-being team to ensure schools implement discipline practices aligned to Uplift values and restorative practices

Assist with staff recruitment, development, and termination

• Ensures Campus Director has the plan to retain their "irreplaceable" teachers
• Support Campus Directors in creating strong adult culture on campuses, leveraging Gallup as a tool to drive that work
• Provide support when managing the performance of a struggling staff member
• Approve candidates selected to fill a Dean position
• Ensure teachers are getting developed through professional development and a regular cadence of observation and coaching
• May participate in select teacher interviews or interviews on a specific campus to ensure high-quality teacher teams are in place
• Partner with Talent Management team to ensure the Schools team implements effective personnel hiring and management practices. 

Partner with other Uplift departments and leaders to ensure all schools are implementing the strategic network plan, such as: 

• Partner with the Family and Scholar Engagement team to support schools in meeting scholar enrollment and retention goals
• Partner with the Operat