Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third-largest school district in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600 schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.
The Department of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) supports inclusive and innovative learning experiences in math, science, computer science, and whole-school integrated STEM & STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) programming across the district. It is our commitment that every day, in every STEM classroom in CPS, all students will: actively make sense of and construct solutions to complex questions; productively contribute to the learning community to support a culture of collaboration, risk-taking, and innovation; and regularly reflect on and communicate their understanding of disciplinary ideas. Through these experiences and purposeful opportunities to face transdisciplinary challenges, students will graduate from CPS with advanced STEM literacies prepared to make the world a better place.
The primary objective of the Director, Science will be to provide the vision and direction for district-wide K-12 Science expectations, guidance, and ongoing support for curriculum, instruction, assessment and intervention impacting all students. This position will lead a team of direct reports and will report to the Executive Director of STEM Programs.

The Director, Science will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Develop and manage a high-functioning and collaborative team that is able to execute effectively, meet deadlines, and produce quality work to further the visions of the district, office, and department
• Lead strategic planning around Science initiatives to support the district-wide vision for teaching & learning
• Lead the Science Team within the Department of STEM Programs to improve student outcomes via professional learning, curriculum supports, programmatic supports, and partnerships
• Collaborate with relevant offices and departments to support a coherent vision for teaching and learning across content areas
• Facilitate regular meetings with Content Specialists and Curriculum Designers to identify priority areas for continuous improvement of the district's universally available digital curriculum, Skyline
• Engage in regular progress monitoring and feedback cycles to deepen the impact of Science Content Specialists
• Provide subject matter expertise on district-wide initiatives including cross-departmental programs, RFPs, and resource development
• Maintain content area expertise by staying abreast of current research, practices, and innovation in the field
• Perform other related duties as assigned

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Director, Science must possess the following qualifications:
Education Required:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field of study from an accredited college or university, required
• Valid teaching certificate issued by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) with appropriate grade level and content level endorsement, is required. (Candidates with a valid out-of-state, reciprocal license will be considered but must obtain ISBE licensure within 6 months of hire.)
• LBSI, ESL, or Bilingual Endorsement, preferred
• Master's degree in a relevant field of study, preferred

Experience Required:

• Minimum of eight (8) years of relevant professional experience, including the following, is required:
• Minimum of five (5) years of classroom teaching experience in Science or other STEM-related field(s)
• Minimum of three (3) years working with adult learners, including creating, organizing, and facilitating professional learning experiences to meet the needs of participants
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience in a management position leading a team of direct reports, providing professional coaching and managing individuals in developing and achieving a strategic plan
• Teacher leadership experience, such as leading school teams in the development of curriculum and assessments, analyzing student performance data, etc.
• Experience with strategic planning and adult learning to shape the cross-content district-wide professional learning strategy

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Expertise in planning, designing, facilitating, and evaluating professional learning
• Deep knowledge/understanding of Science teaching and learning instructional best practices
• Strong leadership and team building skills, e.g. ability to develop high-performing teams united around a clear vision for serving schools and achieving student success
• Effective strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to establish and articulate a vision and goals, set high standards, and effectively guide individuals and teams in the realization of expectations set
• Excellent leadership development and instructional leadership skills; capable of coaching managers toward excellence, building the capacity of content area teams and developing meaningful and high-impact professional communities for teachers and school leaders
• Exceptional organizational skills; ability to effectively manage several work streams simultaneously
• Capable of building and sustaining positive, productive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; comfortable collaborating and communicating across a diverse range of audiences, including network teams, principals, teachers, and support staff
• Commitment to CPS Instructional Core Vision, and ensuring that all students have access to grade-level, standards-aligned learning opportunities
• Ability to build consensus and leverage expertise with educators across the district
• Excellent technology skills (Google Suite)

Conditions of Employment
As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. "Up-to-date" on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.