Great Oaks Legacy Charter School · 1 month ago
Middle School Director/Principal (SY 25-26)
Newark, NJ
Full-time
Onsite
Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
5+ years expGreat Oaks Legacy Charter School is a free, open-enrollment public charter school system in Newark, New Jersey, educating students from Pre-K to 12th grade. The School Director serves as the instructional and cultural leader, responsible for setting the vision for teaching and learning, managing high-performing teams, and ensuring that every student receives an excellent education.
Charter SchoolsEducation
Responsibilities
Serves as the primary instructional leader of the school, ensuring rigorous, standards-aligned instruction across all grade levels and subject areas
Demonstrates deep expertise in high-quality instruction and leverages this knowledge to set and maintain an uncompromising bar for teaching and learning school-wide
Leads a coherent, data-driven instructional vision, ensuring that all teachers receive weekly coaching, actionable feedback, and measurable goals aligned to student outcomes
Facilitates instructional walkthroughs, formal observations, and real-time coaching to build teacher capacity and accelerate student achievement
Partners closely with Network Leadership to analyze achievement trends, inform strategic academic priorities, and ensure teachers are consistently prepared through high-quality unit and lesson preparation
Utilizes school-wide data systems to monitor progress, identify gaps, and drive instructional decisions; ensures staff are fluent in analyzing data and responding to it
Designs and leads high-quality professional development that results in improved teacher practice and measurable student growth
Ensures a strong testing environment, compliance, and implementation for all state and network assessments in partnership with Operations and Academic teams
Establishes and maintains a joyful, structured, safe, and inclusive school culture where all students feel known, valued, and supported
Sets a school-wide vision for high expectations and ensures consistent implementation across classrooms, transitions, and common spaces
Builds systems and routines that foster strong student–staff relationships, especially for our most vulnerable students
Ensures proactive and inclusive practices that amplify student voice, belonging, and engagement
Holds all staff accountable to upholding cultural expectations, values, and professional conduct in interactions with students
Partners with families and student support teams to address behavioral concerns, ensuring interventions are restorative, aligned, and lead to improved outcomes
Cultivates a positive, mission-driven adult culture where staff feel valued, supported, and deeply connected to the work
Models the highest standards of professionalism, equity, and integrity; sets clear expectations and consistently reinforces them
Leads effective staff meetings, department meetings, and grade team meetings that drive clarity, alignment, and instructional excellence
Recognizes and celebrates staff achievements; builds a culture where feedback is normalized and growth is expected
Builds a strong, welcoming culture of partnership with families and community stakeholders that reflects the school’s values and academic goals
Ensures consistent and proactive communication with families, especially regarding student progress, celebrations, and concerns
Creates systems where teachers regularly connect with families to support student growth and long-term success
Represents the school at community events, family meetings, and public forums to strengthen trust and partnership
Works closely with the Operations Manager to ensure smooth, compliant daily operations and alignment between instruction, culture, and logistics
Owns school-level strategic planning, ensuring alignment with network goals, compliance requirements, and student achievement targets
Manages school-wide schedules, staffing models, emergency plans, and operational systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment
Serves as a key contributor to network-wide initiatives, pilots, and strategic planning efforts
Qualification
Required
College degree: has a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
Certification: has a Principal, Supervisor, or School Administrator certification, or meets the requirements for certification
Leadership Experience: has at least five years of successful experience teaching and leading in an urban school environment; Grade level leader, department chair, or instructional leadership experience preferred
Strong data analysis skills: can look at a multiple departments' data set, diagnose challenges, and immediately recommend clear next steps for their teams
Visionary and dreamer: can develop and drive an inspirational and audacious vision for their team that will yield results for students
Detail-oriented and logistical: prioritizes the micro details as much as the vision and can take an idea from theory to practice
Excellent communication skills: can speak and write clearly, specifically, and cohesively about the discipline and all the nitty gritty details stakeholders will need to know in order to achieve results for students
Just do it: does not always need to be told what to do; has insight to determine what needs to be done based on assessing gaps and asking the appropriate questions; can manage multiple projects at once
Preferred
An advanced degree (Masters or Doctorate) in Curriculum and Instruction or Educational leadership
A state issued license as a teacher, supervisor, or principal
Benefits
Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans w/ comprehensive network coverage.
Tax exempt student loan and tuition reimbursement per year.*
Reimbursement for external professional development aligned to your role.
Wellness reimbursement benefits including gym memberships, spa services, and more.*
Online counseling services - for staff and their dependents - via top-rated therapy app.*
Pre-tax state pension plan benefit w/ addl. options available via voluntary retirement plans.
Pre-tax dependent care, health, and transit flexible spending plans available.
Convenient health screening and telemedicine support via VitalCheck Wellness platform.
Company
Great Oaks Legacy Charter School
Great Oaks Legacy Charter School is a high-performing, innovative public charter school in Newark NJ, educating 2100+ students from Pre-K to 12th grade, on seven campuses.
201-500 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageLeadership Team
Dr. Ariana Lopez
Chief Operating Officer
Dominick DiFalco
Chief Strategy Officer
Company data provided by crunchbase