Managing Director of Special Services

Managing Director of Special Services

About the Opportunity

Democracy Prep Public Schools seeks a dynamic and strategic Managing Director of Special Services to lead the vision, strategy, and execution of Special Services across the network. As a senior leader within the Charter Management Organization (CMO), the Managing Director of Special Services ensures that students with diverse learning needs — including Students with Disabilities (SWDs), Multilingual Learners (MLLs), and students requiring additional academic and behavioral supports — receive high-quality services that enable them to achieve ambitious academic outcomes. This leader is responsible for building a cohesive vision for special services that ensures strong compliance, effective service delivery, and meaningful academic progress for all students receiving support.  They will simultaneously support strong execution of current programming while building the strategic plan that transitions the network into an effective MTSS model. The Managing Director partners closely with school leaders, Deputy Superintendents, and CMO teams to ensure that Special Services systems are aligned with core academic priorities, operational systems, and talent development. Critically, the Managing Director of Special Services will partner closely with the Managing Director of Academics and CAO to build and execute a unified vision in which all scholars — across all learning needs and profiles — access rigorous, standards-aligned instruction and achieve ambitious outcomes. This role combines deep expertise in special education and effective development of pedagogy for multilingual learners  with strong leadership, strategic planning, and cross-functional collaboration. 

Who You Are: 

• A mission-driven educator committed to Democracy Prep’s mission of college success and authentic civic engagement for all scholars.
• A strategic leader with a track record of improving outcomes for Students with Disabilities and Multilingual Learners.
• A systems thinker with a demonstrated ability to design and implement scalable supports that improve both compliance and instructional impact.
• An experienced people manager and team leader who has successfully coached and developed leaders overseeing special education, multilingual learner development, and tier two and three intervention systems.
• A collaborative leader who can align diverse teams across Academics, Finance, People, Talent Development, and school leadership.
• A strong communicator who can translate complex policy, legal requirements, financial and billing practices, and pedagogy into clear guidance and systems for schools.
• A reflective practitioner committed to equity, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
• An expert in IDEA, NYSED regulations, inclusive instructional practices, and MTSS/RTI frameworks.
• Advanced degree and current (or eligibility for) NY certification in Special Education.

What You'll Do

Set and Advance the Vision for Special Services

• Establish and communicate a clear, compelling vision for Special Services across the network as well as the pathway to achieve that vision over time.
• Partner with the Managing Director of Academics to ensure that students receiving services have access to rigorous, standards-aligned instruction within inclusive academic environments.
• Align Special Services strategy with Democracy Prep’s academic priorities and organizational strategic plan.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Chief Academic Officer and senior leadership on issues related to student support and access.

Drive Strong Outcomes for Students Receiving Services

• Define and monitor network-wide key performance indicators for Students with Disabilities, Multilingual Learners, and intervention systems.
• Lead regular analysis of academic, compliance, and service-delivery data to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for intervention.
• Ensure schools implement effective systems that support students across tiers of support within MTSS frameworks.
• Partner with the Academics team to strengthen inclusive Tier 1 instruction and aligned intervention structures.

Strengthen Special Services Systems and Compliance

• Oversee the development and implementation of network-wide policies, procedures, and guidance for Special Services.
• Ensure compliance with IDEA, Section 504, NYSED regulations, and all applicable legal requirements, including scholar enrollment and review.
• Develop clear operational systems for IEP implementation, service delivery, documentation, and compliance monitoring.
• Oversee Special Education budgeting and billing alongside the Associate Director of Compliance.
• Ensure schools have the structures, training, and resources necessary to implement high-quality services.

Develop Leaders and Build Capacity

• Directly manage and develop Special Services teammates to maximize their impact across schools.
• Provide coaching and support to school leaders in building strong Special Services teams and inclusive instructional practices.  This includes directly managing two Associate Directors and providing coaching to school-based special services leaders.
• Design and facilitate professional development on special education law, inclusive instruction, multilingual learner supports, and effective service delivery.
• Strengthen leadership capacity across the network to effectively serve students with diverse learning needs.

Lead Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with the Academics, Operations, Talent, and Finance teams to ensure alignment between Special Services systems and broader organizational priorities.
• Support schools in designing effective master schedules and service delivery models that meet student needs.
• Collaborate with Talent to strengthen recruitment, development, and retention of Special Services staff.
• Contribute to cross-functional planning and decision-making as part of the organization’s senior leadership structure.

*May be assigned other duties as needed

Compensation

Salary range is $170,000 - $190,000 commensurate with your experience. Democracy Prep employees are provided with a benefits package that includes medical, vision, and dental insurance, 403B matching, parental leave, a smartphone, and a laptop. Democracy Prep employees work on a hybrid schedule with three days based in our New York City office and two days at home each week. Some evenings and weekends will be required, including attendance at board meetings, fundraising events, or other network events.

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Democracy Prep is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, familial status, domestic violence victim status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances. Our mission is to educate responsible citizen-scholars who will change the world. We strongly believe that by building a DREAM team that represents numerous perspectives, backgrounds, and expertises, we can achieve this goal together. This is a value we highly support and strongly encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.