The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is a mission-driven and dynamic organization and is seeking a Deputy Superintendent of Academics and Schools (Deputy Superintendent). This critical role reports directly to the Superintendent and serves on the agency’s leadership team. The Deputy Superintendent provides strategic leadership and is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the following divisions in the agency to execute the agency’s academic strategy: Health and Wellness; Funding School Quality PK-12; Teaching & Learning; Data, Assessment, and Research; and Postsecondary & Career Education. These five divisions support the following programmatic areas: academic standards, educator preparation and support, student health and wellbeing, federal and local grant administration and monitoring, school improvement, the strategic use of data throughout the sector, and programs related to workforce development and career and technical education. The Deputy Superintendent is the executive champion of agency priorities across these divisions and coordinates with division and agency leadership to ensure organizational coherence on priorities and strategic resource allocation.

In this position the Deputy Superintendent of Academics and Schools maintains broad leadership responsibilities for planning, directing, coordinating, and implementing across multiple divisions within OSSE with the objective of promoting a relevant and rigorous academic program at all local education agencies (LEAs) throughout the District of Columbia in alignment with legal and regulatory requirements and the agency’s Strategic Plan. This includes managing performance of a comprehensive and integrated portfolio of state level policies and programs with the goal of strengthening student academic achievement across schools in the District of Columbia for students from pre-kindergarten to college and career. The Deputy Superintendent will also provide leadership and support for organizational development activities and initiatives within OSSE.

SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS OF THE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT INCLUDE:

• Approves and subsequently manages multi-year and long-range work plans, schedules, staffing needs, goals, and objectives.
• Establishes performance measures with the Assistant Superintendents for the divisions within the cluster and evaluates program effectiveness in terms of attainment of goals, continuous improvement, and effective resource utilization.
• Provides guidance on the implementation of a wide range of federal and District regulations.

LEADERSHIP

• Leads a core team which includes: Assistant Superintendent of Health and Wellness; Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning; Assistant Superintendent of Funding School Quality; Assistant Superintendent of Data, Assessment, and Research; and the Assistant Superintendent of Postsecondary Education. In addition to the five Assistant Superintendents, the Deputy Superintendent of Academics and Schools manages a small team;
• Provides direction on the impact of division programmatic proposals and where points of elevation and discussion are critical;
• Serves as a strategic partner with the Chief of Staff to make recommendations to the Superintendent;
• Builds systems to strengthen connections across programmatic divisions and incubates strategic initiatives aligned with agency priorities;
• Supports a strong culture within the Deputy Superintendent cluster that is aligned with the agency’s core values by ensuring effective internal communications, agency-wide programming, and opportunities for staff feedback;
• Keep the Superintendent and Chief of Staff abreast of division initiatives; and
• Represents the Superintendent as needed in internal and external meetings.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS:

• A bachelors’ degree from an accredited institution of higher education, master’s degree preferred;
• Senior leadership experience within a large public district, charter school management organization, or state agency is strongly preferred;
• Proven ability to quickly establish and maintain trusting relationships with diverse groups of stakeholders;
• Teaching and administrative experience in a public school is a plus;
• Embodies OSSE’s core values of: Focus on Students, Organizational Excellence, Determination, Partnership, and Teamwork and Collaboration; and
• Must establish residency in DC within 180 days of starting and maintain DC residency throughout the duration of the appointment; limited hardship exceptions apply.

WHAT YOU BRING TO OSSE:

• Systems thinker with at least 10 years of demonstrated experience in education implementing systemic change to improve outcomes for students, especially historically underserved communities;
• Excellent problem-solving, planning, and strategic thinking skills;
• Demonstrates a growth mindset in the ability to receive feedback and galvanize teams to implement improvements to process and programs;
• Emotionally intelligent and willing to engage in tough conversations with empathy and constructive purpose with leaders, peers, staff, and partners;
• Models discretion and maturity in handling sensitive matters.

Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) – Who We Are

OSSE is focused on sustaining, accelerating, and deepening the progress being made for the District’s 90,000+ students. As the state education agency, OSSE serves as the District’s liaison to the US Department of Education and works closely with the District’s 470+ early childhood facilities, 250+ schools, 60+ local education agencies (including District of Columbia Public Schools and charter organizations), and community-based organizations.

Over the years, OSSE has worked hard to improve systems and supports to help close the achievement gap and ensure people of all ages and backgrounds are prepared to succeed in school and in life. DC remains the fastest improving state and urban school system in the country on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card.

Salary: This position is a grade 16 on the District government’s management supervisory service non-union salary scale. The salary ranges from $140,958 to $197,337. Actual salary is determined by a variety of factors including years of experience, applicant qualifications, internal equity comparisons, and organizational structure.

Application Process: This position is posted on the DC government’s Department of Human Resources (DCHR) website. Interested applicants are encouraged to follow the steps below to apply for the position:

• Click on the following link: Careers
• In the Search Jobs section, enter 31207
• Click on the job requisition entitled Deputy Superintendent of Academics

If you experience technical issues, please contact DCHR at (202) 442-9700.