Upper School Director (High School… at Strategenius · Berkeley

Job Summary

Please visit https://bit.ly/MWA_US_Director to read the full opportunity statement and learn how to apply.

Job Description / Essential Elements

Making Waves Academy (MWA), a public charter school serving more than 1,000 students in grades 5–12 in Richmond, California, seeks an accomplished, student-centered leader with deep instructional expertise to serve as its next Upper School Director. Over nearly two decades, MWA has built a reputation for academic ambition and for a community where students celebrate one another's cultures, learn responsibility and take on leadership early, and are known by more than name to the adults around them. Families choose MWA for its rigor and its partnership, and many have been part of the community for years. The school's work is rooted in a simple promise: preparing students for college, career, and lives as valuable contributors to their communities.

MWA is in a chapter of alignment and renewal. Under Executive Director Elizabeth Martinez, the school is bringing its Middle and Upper Schools more closely together as one school, with shared systems and a shared commitment to every student's growth from 5th grade through graduation. MWA has also sharpened its focus on helping every student find their “North Star,” a clear path to a fulfilling career and a happy life. This year, the school launched its updated college and career model that prepares students to thrive in both college and the workplace, with career exploration, work-based learning, and professional skill-building beginning in the Middle School. Both divisions are eager for leaders who will listen, invest, and stay. With new Directors joining both divisions at once, MWA has a meaningful opportunity to build a stable, lasting leadership team and renew trust across the community.

Reporting to the Executive Director and serving on the senior leadership team, the Upper School Director is the primary instructional, operational, and cultural leader for grades 9–12. The Director works hand in hand with the Middle School Director, whose search is running concurrently, to ensure a coherent 5–12 experience, and collaborates closely with deans, Student Support Services, Special Education, and People Operations. The Upper School is where the MWA journey culminates, and the Director shapes the academic preparation, guidance, and experiences that ready students for life after high school. The role is both strategic and hands-on, setting direction for the division while leading from classrooms, hallways, and the sidelines.

The Director owns student achievement, faculty development, and campus culture for the division. This means leading the division’s faculty and special education teachers, along with instructional coaches, the directors of college and career counseling and athletics, and the student activities program. The work spans setting the instructional vision and leading professional learning, overseeing student support and safety systems, and driving division goals tied to MWA’s WASC, LCAP, and charter commitments. The Director is a visible and consistent presence for students, a partner and advocate for teachers, a trusted communicator with families, and a regular voice in reports to executive leadership and the board. MWA seeks a seasoned school leader with real presence and strong people skills who can help young adults envision and pursue the full range of possibilities ahead of them.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

In partnership with the Executive Director, the Middle School Director, and MWA’s leadership team, the Upper School Director will:

1. Ensure every student graduates ready for what comes next. Uphold MWA’s high graduation standards, using data to monitor each student’s progress so that every graduate completes the A–G requirements and leaves with a clear post-secondary plan.
2. Bring the college and career model to life. Partner with the College and Career Counseling team to expand career exploration, work-based learning, and internships alongside rigorous college preparation, and help students and families understand the many pathways open to them.
3. Elevate instruction and academic rigor. Strengthen instructional practice across grades 9–12 and broaden access to, and success in, advanced coursework, including Advanced Placement and dual enrollment.
4. Advance inclusive Tier 1 instruction. Embed Universal Design for Learning and Integrated ELD across classrooms so English learners and students with disabilities thrive in college-preparatory coursework, in close partnership with Student Support Services and Special Education.
5. Build a stable, trusted, and growing faculty. Bring consistent, visible leadership to the division, invest in relationships with teachers, and make coaching and feedback a source of growth for faculty and instructional leaders.
6. Champion student voice and a vibrant Upper School community. Sustain MWA’s restorative practices, partner with student leaders, and support the athletics, clubs, and traditions that build belonging and school spirit.
7. Strengthen the 5–12 continuum. Partner with the Middle School Director on vertical alignment and a smooth transition into 9th grade, standardizing practices where it serves students.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Instructional Excellence

1. Academic Vision and PD: Establish the academic and instructional vision for student achievement; plan, schedule, and lead professional development for all faculty.
2. Curriculum and Instructional Rigor: Lead the selection, implementation, and quarterly assessment of a standards-aligned curriculum (CA State Standards) across grades 9–12. Ensure instructional rigor prepares all students for college and career readiness.
3. Instructional Coaching and Walk-Throughs: Design and execute a faculty Professional Development (PD) calendar aligned with school-wide academic goals. Conduct weekly informal classroom walk-throughs and monthly formal observations, ensuring teacher coaching connects directly to lesson planning, assessment design, and evaluation targets.
4. Coaching Capacity Building: Support coaches in strengthening their meeting facilitation skills through live modeling, protocol refinement, and targeted content-knowledge building sessions.
5. Foundational Coaching Conditions: Establish and protect the necessary structural conditions for coaching to thrive, including setting aside dedicated time, defining clear team roles, refining meeting protocols, and maintaining data systems.
6. Specialized Instructional Strategy: Embed specialized strategy and provide oversight for Special Education and Multilingual/English Learner programs, ensuring Tier 1 instruction utilizes Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Integrated ELD to eliminate the internal achievement gap.
7. Data-Driven Instruction: Monitor and analyze student assessment data and identify practical next steps for addressing learning gaps.
8. Post-Secondary Pathways: Oversee A–G course sequencing, Advanced Placement/Dual Enrollment execution, and post-secondary planning to guarantee four-year university eligibility for all graduates.

Operational Oversight and Compliance

1. Employee Management and Performance Execution: Directly supervise and evaluate classroom teachers, instructional support staff, and non-instructional operational personnel. Define clear deliverables and conduct check-in meetings to drive accountability.
2. Formal Evaluation Cycles: Execute annual evaluation cycles, including setting measurable performance goals, conducting routine progress reviews, and completing written evaluation summaries.
3. Strategic Partnership: Partner closely with People Operations to manage division hiring, oversee performance improvement plans, and properly execute compliant employee separations when necessary.
4. Wage and Hour Compliance: Review and approve timesheets for exempt and non-exempt division employees in an accurate and timely manner. Strictly enforce California wage and hour regulations, including meal and rest break requirements, prohibitions against off-the-clock work, and overtime rules, to maintain legal compliance and mitigate organizational risk.
5. Emergency Response and Safety: Serve as a designated Emergency Responder and actively fulfill assigned Incident Command System (ICS) leadership roles during campus emergencies, drills, and crises. Review accident investigation reports to ensure systemic corrective actions and preventative measures are effectively implemented campus-wide.

Culture, Safety, and Community

1. Mission, Vision, and Daily Culture: Provide leadership for the school, modeling school mission, vision, and values. Establish clear operational routines, daily schedules, family communication norms, and school culture expectations.
2. Behavior and Attendance: Actively promote positive student behavior and high attendance for both students and school staff.
3. Campus Safety and Mandated Reporting: Enforce campus safety protocols and ensure 100% compliance with annual Mandated Reporter training. Report all safety, welfare, or personnel concerns immediately to People Operations and Executive Leadership.
4. Family and Staff Communication Channels: Establish and maintain predictable family and staff communication channels (e.g., weekly bulletins, family town halls). Enforce school-wide communication standards ensuring staff respond to parent inquiries within 24–48 hours.
5. Culture Surveys and Climate Feedback: Administer bi-annual culture surveys and quarterly feedback check-ins for students, families, and staff. Analyze feedback trends with executive leadership to address operational, safety, or climate concerns.
6. Governance and Stakeholder Engagement: Maintain structured communication channels with school governance bodies, advisory committees, parent/guardian groups, and community stakeholders by delivering scheduled progress reports, facilitating advisory feedback sessions, and addressing community concerns.

Strategic Alignment and Compliance

1. Master Schedule Management: Design and manage the master schedule to maximize instructional time, maintain compliance with CA instructional minute requirements, ensure equitable student access to core subjects, intervention blocks, and electives, and optimize staff assignment allocation.
2. WASC, LCAP, and Accreditation Goals: Conduct bi-weekly data reviews with executive leadership to track progress toward WASC accreditation metrics, LCAP targets, and quarterly academic benchmarks. Prepare and present monthly reports analyzing student academic growth, attendance, discipline, and staff evaluation data.
3. Subgroup Progress and Authorizer Compliance: Monitor ELPAC growth metrics, IEP implementation, and reclassification rates, holding instructional staff accountable for actionable intervention plans for SWD and EL subgroups.
4. MTSS Framework Implementation: Execute and monitor the school-wide MTSS framework (Tier 1 core instruction, Tier 2 targeted interventions, Tier 3 intensive supports) across academics in collaboration with the Student Support Services team.
5. Data Analysis and Board Reporting: Analyze quarterly academic, attendance, and behavioral data to evaluate performance, presenting findings in bi-weekly leadership meetings and quarterly board reports.

Mission Alignment

1. Demonstrate knowledge of, and support, Making Waves Academy's mission, core values, standards, competencies, and code of conduct outlined in the Employee Handbook.
2. Follow and adhere to school systems that account for there always being a designated administrator in charge in the Director’s absence.
3. Participate in the school community, attending school competitions, performances, assemblies, and extracurricular activities. Be prepared to support as an administrator in attendance for interscholastic competitions and school events.

QUALITIES AND ATTRIBUTES

MWA’s next Upper School Director is an educator first, with the classroom experience to earn teachers’ trust and the leadership experience to raise the bar for teaching and learning across a college-preparatory program. This is a leader who respects teachers’ expertise and autonomy while holding adults and students alike to a high standard. A true “warm demander,” the Director pairs high expectations with the coaching, mentorship, and care that help people meet them.

Success will depend on leadership that is both approachable and decisive. The Director is a fixture in the life of the Upper School, present in classrooms and hallways and at games, performances, and club events. That steady visibility makes the Director someone students know they can turn to. They listen before acting, take time to understand what is already working, and introduce change thoughtfully. When decisions are needed, they act with clarity, communicate directly, and follow through. MWA seeks a leader who can balance humility with resolve, and openness with accountability for results.

Equally important is a deep belief in what young people can do. The Director takes students seriously, champions their voices, and partners with them as emerging leaders. Bringing experience in diverse socio-economic communities and an asset-based lens, they meet students and families where they are, connect students with opportunities beyond campus, and help make the seemingly impossible feel within reach. The ideal candidate is ready to commit to MWA for the long term.

Additional qualities and attributes include:

1. Fluent in college-preparatory programming, including A–G requirements, advanced coursework, and post-secondary planning
2. Data-informed decision-maker who sets clear priorities and sees them through
3. Open communicator who invites honest feedback and builds trust through transparency
4. Collaborative partner to the Middle School Director and leadership team in building one school
5. Culturally humble and respectful of the institutional knowledge of long-serving staff
6. Calm, steady, and solution-oriented under pressure; a realistic idealist
7. Trusted thought partner to the Executive Director, proactive with information and solutions

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience

1. Master's degree in Educational Leadership or related field strongly preferred, and 2+ years of administrative or school leadership experience (Assistant Principal, Dean, Instructional Coach) in a public school or public charter setting.
2. California Teaching Credential required (single subject or multiple subject) and 3+ years of direct classroom teaching experience in Middle or High School (Grades 5–12).
3. Demonstrated success working within public school or public charter school governance frameworks and leading culturally responsive practices in diverse socio-economic communities.

Skills and Abilities

1. Demonstrated experience directly evaluating, coaching, and managing faculty and operational staff, including executing formal performance improvement plans (PIPs) and exit processes when necessary.
2. Proven capability to analyze student assessment data (literacy, math, interim benchmarks), observe classroom instruction, and coach teachers to measurable gains in grade-level proficiency.
3. Experience establishing and enforcing daily school-wide routines, student behavior management protocols, and campus safety/mandated reporter compliance for a mid-to-large student body.
4. Practical proficiency using Student Information Systems (e.g., PowerSchool), communication platforms (e.g., ParentSquare), and Learning Management Systems (LMS) to track attendance, grades, behavior, and family engagement.
5. Ability to resolve high-stakes student, family, and staff grievances constructively, while delivering clear, concise updates to executive leadership and school boards.
6. Direct experience managing line-item department or division budgets, ensuring resource allocation aligns with school priorities without overspending.

Licenses or Certificates

1. Employment eligibility will include Live Scan fingerprinting, TB screen, and other employment clearance.
2. Administrative services credential or equivalent certification preferred.