ORGANIZATION: Excel Academy Charter Schools

POSITION: Managing Director of Student Supports (MDSS)

LOCATION: Greater Boston, MA or Providence, RI

REPORTS TO: Nina Keough, Chief Schools Officer

Background

Excel Academy is a growing network of five public charter schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island serving students in grades 5-12. Since its founding in 2003, Excel has been committed to ensuring that every student, regardless of race, zip code, or economic status, has access to a free, high-quality, holistic education that prepares them to succeed in high school, college, and beyond. Today, Excel educates more than 1,700 students, the majority of whom identify as Latinx or Hispanic and will be the first in their families to graduate from college.

Families choose Excel because students consistently achieve and grow at high levels. Excel students outperform their peers in growth and achievement and are five times more likely to graduate from college. Middle school students demonstrate academic growth at a pace faster than most of their peers statewide, driven by a combination of rigorous instruction, high expectations, and strong individualized supports. Excel Academy High School is nationally ranked for academic excellence and sets students up for long-term success, whether they pursue college or a career pathway after graduation.

Excel Academy’s culture is rooted in a deep belief in student potential and a set of shared values embraced by all staff members. Every day, team members choose to be positive, invest in their own development, uplift one another, and maintain the highest expectations for what students can achieve. The organization’s mission-driven educators and leaders are united in their work to expand educational access and ensure that students are positioned to thrive academically and engage meaningfully in their communities.

To learn more about Excel Academy Charter Schools, please visit their website.

Opportunity

Excel Academy is seeking a Managing Director of Student Supports (MDSS), a senior, network-level leader responsible for setting vision, building coherence, and strengthening how Excel designs, delivers, and sustains student support systems across its schools.

This role exists to ensure that Excel’s programmatic model—across states, grade bands, and tiers of support—is intentionally designed to help all learners, especially students with disabilities and multilingual learners, achieve their most ambitious personal goals.

The MDSS does not function as a day-to-day case manager nor compliance executor; their focus is on strategy, systems, and people. Through strong relationships, clear resources, and consistent use of data, the MDSS creates the conditions for teachers and leaders to thrive.

As a key thought partner to the Network Team, this leader will ensure that student supports are fully integrated into network decision-making and systems. The MDSS will play a critical role in driving meaningful change and continuous improvement as Excel prepares for future growth.

Key Priorities for Year One

• Establish and communicate a clear, network-wide vision for student supports, including Special Education, multilingual learner services, and academic and behavioral interventions;
• Advance inclusive Tier 1 instruction in partnership with academic leaders;
• Maintain and strengthen MTSS systems, including assessment, intervention, and progress monitoring;
• Build strong systems and structures to support and develop Deans of Student Supports;
• Define and support effective student support staffing models across schools;
• Strengthen alignment between compliance, case management, and instructional priorities;
• Ensure student supports are fully integrated into network systems, including data, operations, and budgeting.

Responsibilities

Network Vision and Strategy for Student Supports

• Establish and communicate a shared, network-wide approach to student supports, including Special Education, multilingual learner services, and academic and behavioral interventions;
• Ensure alignment with Excel’s instructional philosophy while balancing network consistency with school-based flexibility.

Instructional Integration and Tiered Supports

• Partner with network-based academic leaders to ensure Tier 1 instruction, curriculum, and professional learning are inclusive and accessible for all learners;
• Collaborate across teams to reduce unnecessary separation between general education, special education, and multilingual learner services;
• Maintain and continuously improve MTSS systems for assessment, intervention, and progress monitoring;
• Define what high-quality specialized instruction looks like across inclusive and self-contained settings;
• Ensure alignment between core instruction, interventions, and specialized programming.
• Ensure school teams have the resources needed to effectively implement Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports with fidelity;

Leadership Development and School Support

• Establish clear role expectations and decision-making boundaries for Deans of Student Supports in partnership with principals;
• Design onboarding, professional learning, and collaboration structures that support their success and growth;
• Support school leaders in supervising, developing, and retaining student support staff;
• Support school leaders in developing strategy for building-based leadership of multilingual learner instruction and services;
• Identify opportunities to leverage internal talent and promote long-term leadership development.

Student Support Staffing and Resource Planning

• Set and uphold a clear vision of excellence for student support roles across the network;
• Support school leaders in balancing instructional support, intervention, and case management responsibilities across roles;
• Define what strong student support staffing looks like across varying school contexts;
• Provide frameworks and tools to support school leaders in designing staffing models and allocating staff time across tiers of support;
• Partner with finance and operations leaders to ensure staffing models are sustainable and aligned with budgets.

Case Management, Compliance, and External Partnerships

• Collaborate with the Director of Student Support Case Management to establish clear expectations and processes related to compliance and complex student situations;
• Directly manage the Director of Student Support Case Management to ensure strong execution of systems and supports;
• Ensure related services are implemented with fidelity;
• Oversee engagement with external stakeholders, including state and local agencies, service providers, and legal partners.

Cross-Functional Leadership and Integration

• Collaborate with leaders in finance, operations, data, and technology to ensure student support systems are reflected in core network structures;
• Partner on budget modeling, staffing decisions, and resource allocation;
• Ensure data systems accurately represent students receiving services and support strong decision-making.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• Demonstrated experience as a senior leader in student supports, special education, or inclusive academic systems, with responsibility for setting vision and designing systems across multiple teams or schools;
• Experience leading at a systems level and/or managing and developing other leaders (e.g., principals, network leaders, or equivalent roles);
• Proven ability to lead through influence, including partnering with school leaders and coaching senior staff;
• Strong judgment and problem-solving skills in complex, high-stakes situations;
• Track record of building trust, developing leaders, and strengthening teams;
• Ability to work across functional areas to integrate priorities into broader organizational systems;
• Deep understanding of rigorous instructional practice across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3;
• Bachelor’s degree required.

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting or overseeing special education and multilingual learner systems aligned to state and federal requirements;
• Advanced degree in education, leadership, or a related field.

Skills

• Strong systems-thinking and ability to create clarity in complex environments;
• Exceptional relationship-building and collaboration skills;
• Strategic and analytical thinking with a focus on continuous improvement;
• Strong communication and facilitation skills;
• Ability to balance long-term strategy with operational execution.

Mindsets/Values

• Commitment to and belief in all students and Excel Academy’s mission;
• Dedication to addressing racial and economic inequity in education;
• Collaborative, inclusive, and team-oriented approach;
• Growth mindset and openness to feedback;
• Strong sense of ownership and commitment to continuous improvement.

Compensation and Application

The salary range for this position is $110,000 – $170,000, commensurate with experience.

Excel Academy Charter Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, ancestry, athletic performance, special need, proficiency in the English language or a foreign language, or prior academic achievement.