Organizational Overview: Designed by a coalition of community and academic leaders, the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA) is dedicated to the belief that all young women deserve access to the skills, knowledge, and opportunities to succeed in college and to develop as leaders in their communities and the world. Launched in July 2009 by the Young Womans Leadership Academy Foundation, CGLA is the first single-sex public school in Tennessee. CGLA provides a rigorous college preparatory education for girls emphasizing science, technology, and mathematics in an environment that nurtures self confidence, inspires leadership, encourages critical thinking, and promotes academic excellence. In accordance with Tennessee Charter Law, all students admitted into Charter Schools must come from high poverty communities or failing schools. CGLA opened as a Charter School in the summer of 2009 with fifty 6th grade students and twenty-five 9th grade students and plans to grow each year until reaching its goal of 350 students in grades 6-12. A dedicated, passionate team of 15 highly committed faculty and staff are building an engaging, personalized learning community distinguished by high expectations, accelerated and integrated intervention, remediation, academic support, and outcome-oriented assessment. At capacity, 40 full time faculty and staff will engage parents and community members with the student body in enriching professional and extended learning time activities, critical to the successful delivery of the mission of the school. To learn more about CGLA please visit www.cglaonline.com.
Position Overview: The Governance Board of the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy is seeking a highly motivated, dynamic, and entrepreneurial educational leader to serve as the Executive Director. Reporting directly to the board, and managing an exceptional team of educators, the Executive Director will take lead responsibility for the strategic development, implementation, and management of all aspects of school performance and operations for this vibrant, start up organization. S/he will design and establish key structures, processes, and policies that will ensure ongoing excellence in curriculum development, delivery, and evaluation, as well as professional development and assessment. In alignment with the mission of the organization, the Executive Director will ensure that all CGLA programs prepare students to achieve academic goals and develop social and emotional qualities that position each one of them to engage resources and maximize opportunities in their communities and around the world. Building on active school principles and core values, the Executive Director will foster a collaborative and stimulating community culture that sets and models the highest standard of high personal responsibility and academic expectations, cultivating both a love of learning and a sense of self confidence in each student.
Responsibilities will include: Organizational Leadership
Lead the development and management of school programs, procedures, and policies in alignment with organizational mission
Shape the culture of the academic environment to support the goals of the organization
Build and manage a growing team of faculty, staff, and school leadership
Work directly with the Board of Governors to support and inform decision making and policy development
Provide financial leadership and oversee the strategic growth of the operating budget, currently set at $1.5M
Academic Leadership
Serve as lead academic officer; develop and model highest quality instructional practices that provide direction and focus on learning and achievement
Develop a team of senior leaders and faculty to engage with students to deliver the mission of the organization
Drive the collaborative creation and incorporation of a systematic, coherent approach to continuous growth in the academic achievement of all students
Facilitate instructional practices based on assessment data with a focus on continual improvement in student learning and performance
Design and implement an integrated professional development program and an effective accountability plan
External Relations
Articulate and advocate the schools mission and values publicly to generate support
Serve as liaison and cultivate partnerships with key external organizations including the Hamilton County Department of Education (HCDE) and the Tennessee Department of Education
Identify and build relationships with model schools and organizations that promote and support charter and/or single sex education
Establish a model of shared leadership that includes parents and community partners in decision making
Oversee the ongoing development of a volunteer involvement model that leverages faculty and enrich programming
Qualifications:
10 years of experience in education with at least 5 years of demonstrated success as a Principal, Head, or Director in an academic environment required
Executive presence to inspire confidence and passion both internally and externally and the persistence and zeal to lead a mission driven organization toward ambitious goals
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to create and deliver compelling presentations to diverse groups of stakeholders
Experience utilizing assessment data to inform decision-making and drive achievement of goals and objectives
Strong experience designing and integrating professional development programs
Demonstrated commitment to urban youth
A belief in the benefits of single-gender education
A strong working knowledge of school reform and experience serving as an advocate for children or education
Entrepreneurial, positive problem solver with the ability to see opportunity in challenges
Clear judgment, a mature interpersonal style and the ability to drive collaborative decision making processes
To Apply: Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, both in Word format and addressed to Edna Varner at http://jobs.cgcareers.org/application.aspx?id=1454. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
About Commongood Careers: The Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy has partnered with Commongood Careers to conduct the search for an Executive Director. Commongood Careers (www.cgcareers.org) is a nonprofit search service that connects talented individuals to organizations that are dedicated to creating positive social change. Founded and staffed by nonprofit professionals, Commongood Careers offers personalized, engaged services to jobseekers and organizations throughout the hiring process, as well as access to a wealth of knowledge about nonprofit careers.
