Academy Director

Acceleration Academies is passionate about improving student outcomes. We provide two capabilities that drive student success. Our dropout recovery and student re-engagement program (Acceleration Academies), is an innovative education partner helping young adults overcome real-life challenges to earn their high school diploma tuition-free through partnerships with state or local school districts across the country. Our technology platform (Incite®) enables data-driven teaching and learning. These offerings are both rooted in our belief that every student deserves access to the best instruction, tools and resources possible.

Position Title: Academy Director 

Reports to: Regional Vice President

Location: Lowcountry Acceleration Academy 

Compensation: $90,000 – $100,000

Employment Type: Full-time, at-will

Benefits: 401(k) with up to 4% company match; Flexible Paid Time Off; Medical, Dental, Vision, FSA, Life, Disability, Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness, & Accident insurance coverages available; Employer-paid financial wellness program; Employee referral incentives; Certification reimbursement program; Bonus opportunities

Job Description

The Academy Director serves as the leader of their designated academy and maintains primary local responsibility for carrying out the organization’s mission, including (1) establishing expectations, providing support and managing accountability for all site-based instructional and non-instructional staff, (2) ensuring equity in programming for the academies’ diverse learners, (3) establishing connections within the broader community to expand services for Graduation Candidates (GCs),(4) managing all program operations to ensure fiscal sustainability and legal compliance, and (5) leveraging available resources to increase enrollment and improve Graduation Candidates’ outcomes, ensuring overall program success.

Job Requirements 

• Education: Master’s Degree preferred (Bachelor’s required), in Education or a closely related field. 

• Years of Experience: 7+ years of relevant experience
• Years of Managerial / Supervisory Experience: 3+ years of direct supervisory experience
• Background Check: Demonstration of a clear state and federal criminal history 

Highly Preferred Qualification

Certification: Educational Leadership endorsement in the state of South Carolina

Preferred candidate should have experience as a secondary level administrator/principal, or an equivalent administrative position to include SC Certification in appropriate school level administration 

Professional Context

The Academy Director leads our innovative AA program while managing charter school operations. This role prioritizes transformative educational leadership, supported by systems and teams to ensure charter compliance. We seek a leader passionate about educational innovation who can learn and adapt to charter school requirements.

Core AA Leadership Focus

The heart of this role is leading Acceleration Academies’ innovative approach to education:

• Implementing dropout recovery and GC re-engagement strategies
• Leveraging our Incite® technology platform for data-driven teaching and learning
• Supporting young adults in overcoming real-life challenges to earn their diploma
• Creating personalized learning pathways for each GC
• Building an environment where every GC has access to the best instruction, tools, and resources
• Driving transformative educational outcomes through innovative solutions

Dual Role Overview

We seek a dynamic leader to who can champion our AA innovative model while managing charter school operations. The ideal candidate will:

• Excel at implementing our unique AA educational approach
• Drive GC engagement and success through innovative strategies
• Demonstrate ability to learn and manage charter school requirements
• Collaborate with support teams on compliance and operations

Core Competencies 

The following core competencies define what the organization requires of its employees to succeed and how we expect overall goals to be accomplished each and every day.

• Communication & Interpersonal Skills
• Collaboration & Teamwork
• Caring & Inclusiveness
• Flexibility & Adaptability
• Honesty, Integrity & Reliability
• Results-Orientation

Role-Specific Competencies 

Key Leadership Responsibilities AA

Program Leadership (Primary Focus)

• Champion innovative educational approaches
• Drive GC recruitment and retention
• Lead data-driven instruction using Incite® platform
• Develop personalized learning pathways
• Foster GC engagement and success
• Implement flexible learning schedules
• Support non-traditional education strategies
• Build strong GC support systems
• Lead Tuesday and Thursday Staff Data Meetings
• Monitor GC achievement and progress
• Coordinate college and career readiness programs
• Support individualized learning pathways
• Direct enrollment and retention strategies

Instructional Leadership

• Supervise and evaluate instructional staff
• Lead curriculum development and implementation
• Guide instructional strategies and methodologies
• Oversee federal and state compliance of programs and services for GCs with disabilities (504;IDEA) and multilingual learners
• Direct assessment and accountability measures
• Lead professional learning communities
• Guide the implementation of state standards

Charter School Operations & Compliance

• Work with team to ensure charter school requirements are met
• Partner with finance department on fiscal responsibilities
• Maintain understanding of authorization requirements
• Collaborate on district compliance and reporting
• Support audit and accountability measures
• Engage with board relations and governance needs
• Maintain a safe and secure learning environment
• Develop and manage school budgets
• Oversee facility operations and maintenance
• Direct emergency preparedness and response
• Manage school calendar and scheduling
• Coordinate school events and activities

Staff Leadership & Development

• Recruit and retain quality educators
• Lead professional development programs
• Conduct staff evaluations and observations
• Provide mentoring and coaching
• Foster collaborative team environment
• Support teacher certification requirements
• Guide new teacher induction

Family & Community Engagement

• Serve as academy representative to community
• Build GC family partnerships
• Coordinate community service programs
• Direct academy communication strategies
• Lead parent organization interactions
• Foster business and community partnerships
• Organize GC-family conferences
• Manage academy volunteer programs

Administrative Leadership

• Work with team on educational law compliance
• Maintain GC and staff records
• Oversee data management systems
• Direct progress reporting
• Manage academy accreditation requirements
• Coordinate with district administration
• Oversee testing and assessment programs
• Direct academy improvement planning

Additional Qualifications 

• Proficient understanding of ESE (Exceptional Student Education), ELL (English Language Learner), and behavior intervention practices
• Experience working in a non-traditional school setting and/or with youth who may be considered at-risk

• Demonstrates a commitment and passion for supporting high school-aged youth, who have disengaged from a traditional school setting, by creating opportunities for academic and personal breakthroughs 
• Experience reviewing transcripts and general understanding of graduation requirements
• Experience  providing supports,  interventions, and counseling services with high school-aged youth
• Demonstrates a strong understanding of and comfort with the use of technology in an educational setting. 
• Experience with any of the following: project-based learning, instructional coaching, portfolio assessment, a competency-based education model, cooperative learning, integration of technology and cross-disciplinary learning, alternative assessments and integrating school-to-career experiences into the curriculum

Preferred Additional Qualifications

• Experience working with secondary-level aged youth seeking alternative pathways to education
• Background in:
  • Urban education
  • Charter school leadership and advocacy
  • Non-traditional youth
  • Competency-based learning
  • Multi-tiered systems of support
  • Special education administration

Work Environment and Work Demands

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally be exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is consistent with that of a collaborative school environment.

Acceleration Academies is an Equal Opportunity Employer

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. It is understood that other related duties may be assigned. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform all aspects of the position, described above satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities toperform the essential functions.