Senior Community Schools Director

Who We Are 

Center for Supportive Schools is an anti-racist, fast-paced, collegial, and team-oriented organization wholly committed to helping schools become places where students want to be. Our work directly addresses student disengagement, a root cause of diminished academic performance, students dropping out of school, and other high-risk student behaviors. We partner with schools in three areas: developing all students into leaders; empowering teachers to collaborate with each other and with students; and engaging entire school communities to improve how learning happens.  

 

CSS is driven by the vision that one day, all students will thrive in schools that graduate them prepared for the rigors of college and lives filled with meaningful work, active citizenship, and personal fulfillment.  

 

We are committed to antiracism. Our vision for students will not be realized absent the dismantling of systemic racism that permeates schools and society. Schools are not safe, supportive, engaging, and inspiring unless they address all areas of marginalization and eradicate all the many interconnected forms of oppression. CSS’s focus on antiracism results from the outsized role that racism has played in shaping the United States and its institutions, from the fact that racism intersects with all other forms of oppression, and given that that which we learn and develop—tools, frameworks, resources—in dismantling racism can be leveraged to abolish all other forms of oppression. 

 

Founded in 1979, we are a national organization currently impacting 45,000 students annually and committed to supporting every K-12 school in the country. Most of our partners are economically disadvantaged communities where the consequences of student disengagement and racism can be most devastating.  

 

For more information about CSS, please visit www.supportiveschools.org. For more about CSS’s commitment to antiracism, please visit www.supportiveschools.org/antiracism-resources. 

 

About Community Schools 

Community Schools offer a holistic approach toward improving academic performance driven by strong, collaborative partnerships among principals, parents, teachers, and CBOs. In Community Schools, parents are real and active partners in their children’s education. Each student is connected to a mentor, club, or social service. The school climate is joyful and positive. Community members spend time at the school, participating in activities ranging from athletics and yoga to financial and parenting workshops. Extended afterschool or weekend classes are commonplace. An integral part of this approach is the blending of school- and community-based services into the school day, such as health, mental health, counseling, and academic enrichment.  

 

Jersey City Public Schools seeks to implement a Community School Model in selected school, in an effort to serve the needs of all students and to implement specific prevention and intervention solutions. This evidence-based approach will integrate a focus on academics; health and mental health services; social services; afterschool and summer enrichment activities; expanded learning opportunities; positive youth development; and family and community supports that are critical to improving outcomes for all students. This innovative approach will allow Jersey City Public Schools to fulfill its vision to foster the, “School as Community, the School in the Community, and the Community in the School for the children and families.”  

 

Who You Are 

You are a highly driven visionary, out-of-the box thinker, seasoned leader, change- and goal-oriented doer, anti-racist activist looking to join a team of smart and driven educators in a rapidly changing, highly collaborative, and mission-driven environment. You are passionate about working with schools to build their capacity to offer effective programs to positively impact our youth. You have extensive knowledge of and experience working with public schools in Jersey City, New Jersey. You are a leader who has a track record of effectively leading internal and external teams, producing positive student and school outcomes, and implementing high quality and high-fidelity programs and services. You bring a wealth of skills and experiences while also identifying yourself as a lifelong learner who is regularly seeking opportunities to grow your skills. You crave opportunities to be reflective about your practice and look forward to receiving feedback to support your continued growth.  

 

You are a thoughtful planner and communicator and strive for excellence in all that you do. You are also highly adaptable and ready to do work in ways that work best for the schools you serve. You find energy in working directly with schools and school-facing staff, and collaborating with colleagues in service of implementing and advancing best practices. You are comfortable with and skilled at managing and supporting the growth of direct reports working in diverse school settings, with students, family members, teachers, principals, and other school staff. You thrive in an environment where collaborating with colleagues is valued and also thrive working independently. You are highly emotionally intelligent.  

 

You excel at managing administrative aspects of many different programs at once with an exceptional level of detail. You implement different strategies for collecting data from schools and are not afraid to be persistent and to initiate difficult conversations, while always maintaining a customer service mindset. You have a systems-oriented mindset and are always looking for ways to continually improve your practices, the practices of your team, and the practices of the organization you work for to better serve both the organization and clients’ needs.  

 

You believe in building a world that is more just than the one we know. You are aware of your privileges and how your privileges might act as agents for positive change and how they might act as barriers to positive change. You are interested in being a part of communities that are diverse, equitable, accessible, inclusive, and socially just. You are actively invested in learning the most effective and caring ways to support communities that have historically been marginalized and you are invested in actively unlearning oppressive practices to reduce the risk of causing harm to marginalized communities. You are excited about the opportunity to be a part of a community of life-long learners who are also committed to their journey in learning how to be an antiracist today and every day. You are ready to join on-going capacity building sessions focused on having racialized conversations. You care deeply about creating a more just society and believe that improving schools is fundamental to that effort. You are committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity. More than anything else, you want to make a difference. 

 

The Role 

As the full-time Senior Community Schools Director-Jersey City, you will be responsible for overseeing the effective implementation of community school strategies across up to seven community schools. The Senior Community Schools Director will be responsible for supporting, managing, and building the capacity and skills of up to seven Community School Coordinators (CSCs) in their work to: 

 

As the Senior Community Schools Director, you will ensure that each CSC is implementing the community school strategy at exceptional levels of quality with full support, buy-in, and regular communication with stakeholders across all schools community.  

 

Additionally, the Senior Community Schools Director will support the design and facilitation of team-based CSC professional development sessions and team meetings.  

 

What You’ll Do 

 

What You’ve Done 

Education: You’ve earned a bachelor’s degree and have experience working in public education in the Jersey City Public Schools.  

  

Professional Experiences and Personal Qualities/Skills: You likely have demonstrated extensive knowledge of and experience working in Jersey City Public Schools; exceptional abilities to problem solve, plan, and prioritize; a “roll-up-your-sleeves” entrepreneurial, startup attitude; knowledge of and experience working in education reform and student support services; proven ability to work in a fast-paced environment managing multiple projects; and demonstrated high level interpersonal and cross-cultural skills, including the ability to build relationships internally and externally and to manage effective teams. 

 

 

COVID-19 Vaccination & Testing 

CSS requires all school-facing staff members to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. As of the time of this position announcement posting, fully vaccinated means receiving two vaccination doses of either the Pfizer vaccine or the Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Non-school facing staff members who are not vaccinated because of a CSS- approved medical or religious accommodation must submit a copy of a COVID-19 test result 48-72 hours in advance of any CSS-related in-person interaction (this includes in-person interaction with other staff, in-person training events, office visits, business meetings, and/or school visits). 

 

Location  

The Senior Community Schools Director will be based in Jersey City, New Jersey. Occasional travel to CSS’s office in Princeton, NJ will be necessary. 

 

Schedule and Salary  

The anticipated starting date for this position is December 2021. The salary range for this position is $95,000 - $105,000 per year. CSS offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits plan, including health, dental, and vision insurance and a 403(b) plan with employer match.  

 

To Apply 

Interested applicants are requested to apply immediately by emailing a cover letter and CV/résumé to resumes@supportiveschools.org. Please include (1) the title of the position in the subject line of your email and (2) where you found the position posting in your cover letter. If possible, please email all documents in PDF format. People of color are strongly encouraged to apply. Jersey City Public Schools fingerprinting and background clearances will be required. 

 

Center for Supportive Schools is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity, inclusion, and equity in its work and staff. CSS’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action related policies are available upon request.