Head of Schools (Academy Grand/South)
About the role
The UCAN Academy is an innovative therapeutic day school comprised of two campuses in the Humboldt Park and Auburn-Gresham communities. It serves students from diverse backgrounds who have experienced difficulties in public or private school settings. The Head of Schools oversees the academic excellence, fiscal management, and community engagement to ensure all students receive a high-quality education.
Responsibilities
Develop and communicate a clear vision for the Academies’ future, aligned with UCAN’s mission and values.
Oversee the development and implementation of the curriculum and instructional practices that promote student achievement.
Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs and ensure compliance with educational standards and regulations.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement and professional development among faculty and staff.
Identifies areas of improvement, develops and implements new programs and services to meet service needs.
Identifies, understands, and plans for changing trends in service populations, service needs and funding sources.
Participates in creating and implementing UCAN’s Strategic Plan.
Involves staff and managers in the implementation of strategic plan objectives that impact and is applicable to the program.
Manages program financial performance and budget, including revenue and expenses, in order to meet financial goals of the program(s) and the agency.
Works to increase or diversify referral and funding sources whenever possible.
Sets and manages the annual budget for the program(s) in conjunction with the Finance Department.
Ensures that the program(s) meets all applicable regulatory standards, including but not limited to: COA standards, IDCFS licensing regulations, ISBE and CPS regulations, and Medicaid procedures, and creates systems to maintain and monitor such.
Led program and staff in accountability, quality and compliance through example and modeling behavior.
Manages the intake processes and monitors program levels of service in order to maintain quality of education, appropriate student/staff ratio, classroom size and levels of supervision.
Interprets regulatory standards/rules/laws, makes revision of program policies and procedures for program compliance and communicates information to staff for implementation.
Ensures compliance with UCAN Continuous Quality Improvement initiatives and corrective plans.
Manages Human Resources procedures, including: recruits, interviews and hires staff to meet the needs of program staffing; ensures appropriate job scheduling, assignment and training; recommends and approves salaries, promotions, demotions and terminations; coaches, counsels and disciplines staff for maximum performance.
Identifies and coaches staff for job enrichment or potential advancement.
Provides direction, support and guidance to direct reports, as well as to the school staff as a whole.
Delegates appropriate tasks and responsibilities to staff based on individual skill level and workloads.
Recognizes and rewards individual and departmental performance.
Sets and evaluates clear and collaborative individual performance goals for direct reports.
Provides guidance and feedback to supervisory staff in their supervision of direct reports.
Leads school staff through critical processes and decisions, such as cultural proficiency in educational services and in crisis management.
Maintains relationships and communication with appropriate external constituencies.
Represents UCAN in public and private forums and committees that pertain to children and education in Illinois.
Maintains strong working relationships with other senior leaders.
Supports and reinforces the “Network Advantage” with program staff in order to provide smooth transitions for clients and the sharing of resources for staff.
Creates and supports opportunities for staff to utilize and experience other parts of the Network.
Builds strong interpersonal relationships with teams and among team members.
Communicates UCAN and program plans/goals while asking for employee input and ideas.
Is open to being an active learner, participating in discussions with others, trying new approaches and ideas, and being self-aware and self-reflective for continual personal, professional and leadership growth.
Strategically plans for program by thoroughly examining and incorporating diversity.
Effectively relates to and intervenes with children with behavioral and emotional difficulties.
Demonstrated openness to and respect of cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of clients and staff and is willing and competent to work with a diverse client population.
Effective verbal and written communication skills.
Self-motivated and directed with the ability to work autonomously, as well as part of a collaborative management team.
Experience and ability to effectively use technology for data analysis, communication and report writing.
Car and valid Illinois driver’s license and insurance required.
Qualifications
Master’s Degree in Special Education required.
Type 75 Certification required.
Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in education.
Minimum of seven (7) years of supervisory experience required.
Proven ability to motivate and lead staff to achieve outcomes.
Strong understanding of trauma-informed practice and Positive Youth Development.
Ability to integrate UCAN’s Clinical Philosophy into practice and programming.
Expert knowledge in special education best practices.
Effectively relates to and intervenes with children with behavioral and emotional difficulties.
Demonstrated openness to and respect of cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of clients and staff and is willing and competent to work with a diverse client population.
Effective verbal and written communication skills.
Self-motivated and directed with the ability to work autonomously, as well as part of a collaborative management team.
Experience and ability to effectively use technology for data analysis, communication and report writing.
Benefits
UCAN offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, accident coverage, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, group life and AD&D insurance, long-term disability, employee assistance program, and more. UCAN is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages candidates with lived experience and diverse backgrounds to apply.