Director of Curriculum

Career Opportunities with Phoenix Charter Academy

A great place to work.

Phoenix Charter Academy aims to show the world what all young people can do, and to defy the limitations of societal assumptions, classism, and racism. Phoenix Charter Academy was founded on the unwavering belief that all students can succeed at high levels. While this mantra is typical of high-performing schools, particularly those in the charter sector, Phoenix truly endeavors to reach every student, focusing on a growing number on the margins of the traditional public district education system: students who have dropped out of high school, students who are parenting children of their own, students who are or have been involved with the juvenile justice system, students who are older and new to the country and cannot gain access to public schooling, and students who are under-credited relative to the number of years they have spent enrolled in high school. We believe that these students, like all students, are completely capable of developing the skills necessary to set themselves up for lifetimes of economic prosperity and success. We support our students with individually tailored and academically rigorous curricula and push them to succeed at the highest levels by providing them with the resources and mentoring that they need to reach their full potential.

Why Our Work is Important

Students across America are dropping out of high school at an alarming rate. Dropping out of high school has a substantial impact on a young person’s life. Over the course of their lifetime, an individual who drops out of high school is more likely to have reduced earning power, greater social service dependency, increased rates of criminal involvement, and shorter life expectancy. Phoenix Charter Academies addresses this trend by creating environments where students can demonstrate their talent and resilience and prepare themselves for success through high school, college, and beyond.

Commitment to DEI

At Phoenix, we recognize the importance of forming a school community inclusive of all visible and invisible identities. We act to ensure that our students and staff always see reflections of themselves and their communities.

At Phoenix, we aim to break down systemic barriers by providing access to resources, experiences, and differentiated supports for historically marginalized groups.

At Phoenix, we solicit, value, understand, connect, and leverage multiple perspectives and experiences. We invite all perspectives except those that perpetuate oppression or dehumanization.

At Phoenix we do not just accept differences - we celebrate it, support it, and thrive on it for the benefit of our scholars and the communities we serve. We believe difference makes us stronger. Phoenix Charter Academy is an equal opportunity employer and as such, we do not discriminate against any team member or candidate because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. Phoenix Charter Academy is committed to making any reasonable accommodations necessary to support an individual's employment.

Qualities of Phoenix staff member:

1. An unwavering belief in our students - Phoenix staff operate with the deeply held belief that all young people want to and can succeed even in the face of substantial systemic barriers and societal constraints.
2. Continuous Improvement—Phoenix staff approach problem solving with curiosity and a desire to understand others' perspectives. They internalize the idea that “I can always learn more” and know that adults at Phoenix must model the qualities of being open-minded and willing to make mistakes and learn from them. Phoenix staff members embody “lifelong learner” mindsets and strive for constant improvement.
3. Eager to Learn - Phoenix staff must be able to learn as they go in a fast paced, ever evolving, urgent environment. They have the desire to receive direct feedback and the ability to implement the feedback into practice quickly.
4. Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Phoenix staff commit to understanding the ways that their self-identity and experiences impact and interact with their daily work, their colleagues, and their students, and work toward furthering initiatives that promote a more equitable society.

The Opportunity

The Phoenix Network seeks an innovative and results-focused Director of Curriculum and Instruction to implement academic, post-secondary, and literacy initiatives. In this role, you will be pivotal in ensuring that students, teachers, staff, and leaders are equipped with the tools and systems necessary to achieve Phoenix’s ambitious goals.

As a member of the Collaborative Practices team, you will be instrumental in driving academic priorities forward and empowering all stakeholders to support student success. This is an exciting opportunity for a detail-oriented leader who excels in managing multiple projects, collaborating with diverse stakeholders, and leveraging operational skills to effect positive change.

Your Contribution

In addition to demonstrating the qualities of a Phoenix staff member, Director of Curriculum and Instruction will be responsible for the following:

1. Collaborate with the Chief Schools Officer and Managing Director to manage the implementation of academic programming initiatives.
2. Work as a member of the Collaborative Practices team and take the lead in codifying/creating of tool kits for use organization-wide.
3. Support Schools, the Chief Schools Officer, and the Collaborative Practices Team on best practices for change management when working with schools on the rollout of new initiatives or pivots.
4. Work deeply with the instructional school-based team to implement the model, using standardized testing results to impact whole-group and individualized instruction.
5. Co-observe classrooms and coach instructional leaders to most effectively coach and develop teachers.
6. Manage and champion literacy-based initiatives across the network, creating systems, facilitating leader/teacher development, analyzing data and managing all next steps.
7. Support staff in reading and interpreting classroom and standardized testing data.
8. Monitor school attendance progression and support schools to pivot, make changes or celebrate success.
9. Develop, review, and support school based staff in implementing impactful professional development.
10. Review classroom practices, teacher moves and data to support changes in teacher moves and practices within the classroom.
11. Provide support on programming strategies across schools and the organization.
12. Share communication as needed across schools and in collaboration with school-based leaders.

This role is a Hybrid role that requires traveling to our school communities on a regular basis.

Qualifications

1. 5+ years of experience in teaching, strategic initiatives, change management, school leadership and academic programming.
2. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
3. Employment is based on qualifications for the role as well as a successful background check.

Our Commitment to Staff

We commit to providing a supportive environment and giving the professional development, coaching, and resources needed to be successful.

We commit to creating an open and tolerant culture that embraces diversity and fosters equity and inclusion through affinity groups and continuous capacity building supported by our Racial, Justice and Equity working group.

**The Network retains the right to modify this job description at any time, for any reason, at the Network’s sole discretion**