POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Partnership for Los Angeles Schools is seeking a Vice President (VP) of School Culture. The VP of School Culture is responsible for casting, refining, and implementing a vision for intentional and proactive school cultures that create the conditions for student success. School culture at the Partnership includes college-going culture, arts education, and restorative practices and communities. The VP of School Culture will implement strategies to meet individual school site needs, as well as network-wide goals. In addition, the VP of School Culture will work collaboratively with other Partnership teams and individuals to influence LAUSD policies and practices that are driven by learnings from within our network. The VP of School Culture is a team leader, and is responsible for managing and coaching the team and the individuals within it to set and achieve their goals. This is a full-time, year-round position.

The Partnership is committed to continuously building an anti-racist culture that promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in classrooms and in our home office. The Vice President of School Culture will be someone who is committed to implementing these values in creative ways when executing day-to-day tasks and responsibilities.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Vision-Setting & Implementation (50%)

• Create and implement vision for school culture that aligns the components of college completion, student and family goal-setting, school culture transformation, restorative communities, Social and Emotional Learning, and arts education

• Work with Partnership School Culture Team and school-site staff to set annual goals and strategies, progress monitor, and make data-driven decisions that center Black, multi-language, and special education learners

• Build school culture support systems at individual schools that are differentiated and customized to their phase of school transformation

• In service of school transformation, build capacity for individual school sites to deepen and repair relationships with school staff, parents, community partners, and district staff

• Codify school transformation best practices to inform influence and systems change strategies within the Partnership network and beyond

• Bring a systematic, strategic, holistic, and whole-child approaches to all aspects of the work, resulting in an unapologetic racial justice and equity focus on the needs of priority student groups such as Black, Multi-Language Learners, and students receiving special education supports

• Integrate experience, research, and proven best practices for proactive culture building and holistic supports that improves outcomes for students, families,  school staff, and systems change

• Stay informed on current research of the impact of Social and Emotional Learning, restorative justice, trauma and resiliency-informed practices, culturally relevant and responsive teaching, classroom management and culture, and whole child approaches on school culture and transformation

Team Management & Organizational Leadership (20%)

• Provide management, coaching, and leadership development and capacity for the members of the School Culture Team

• Lead School Culture Team through planning cycles, growth and development opportunities and performance evaluations

• Participate as a key systems change leader on opportunities to remove policy barriers and monitor implementation as related to school culture priorities

• Collaborate across Partnership Transform teams to collectively progress monitor, coordinate service activities, develop teacher support resources, and problem solve to meet the needs of school and teacher leaders

• Support learning and development across the organization on healthy and restorative school cultures

• Model Partnership competencies for direct reports and team members

School & Teacher Leader Development (20%)

• Build, manage, and support teacher leader programs connected to school culture, including restorative communities, college leads, school counselors, arts leaders, and school-based attendance teams

• In partnership with teacher and school leaders, create, facilitate, and support network-wide and school-site professional development, coaching cycles, and team meetings and strategies

LAUSD & Vendor Relationships (10%)

• Develop relationships with key LAUSD staff to support schools in accessing resources and removing obstacles that hinder transformation

• Support revisions to district policies and practices related to school culture, arts, college, and restorative practices

• Actively participate in district committees and coalitions to advocate for improved culture district-wide

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 10 years of credentialed professional leadership and teaching experience related to equity focused school culture and/or school transformation, with at least 5 of those years in a district or school leadership role that includes equitable and effective management of teams

• Proven track record of improving school culture and classroom climate, with data and evidence that illustrates this success, ideally across multiple school sites

• Ability to build trust and strong working relationships with school leaders, teachers, classified staff, students, parents, and other community members

• Proven track record building adult learning capacity of school site leadership and teacher teams in support of school transformation, such as in developing knowledge and skills focused on classroom level instruction and cultural practices that build racial justice and equity 

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to effectively communicate with stakeholders in and around schools

• Experience leading and managing multiple complex projects with cross-functional teams 

• Deep understanding of California State standards and aligned curriculum and assessments and how to integrate Social Emotional Learning and a College Completing Culture throughout

• Deep understanding and knowledge of adult learning principles is preferred

• The ability to travel between school sites regularly

• Spanish language fluency (spoken and written), preferred

• A deep belief in the power of our communities, as well as the Partnership’s mission, approach, and core values

• A commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment for all team members

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCIES

All Partnership team members are expected to learn, grow, and model the following organizational competencies:

• Anti-racism: Acknowledges and actively seeks to disrupt the systemic racism that exists within educational systems and society which oppress the students and communities we serve

• Root Cause Analysis: Proactively makes time to examine the underlying causes of challenges, and identifies and addresses their root causes

• Long-Term Thinking: Focuses on long-term strategies and goals as the key to realizing the Partnership’s mission of empowering all students with a high-quality education

• Teaming & Collaboration: Builds and contributes to a strong team culture that promotes a sense of belonging for all team members

• Psychological Safety: Feels freedom to express oneself openly and honestly, and to be one’s authentic self

• Learning & Growth: Continually seeks to learn, grow, and improve in order to best serve our students and communities

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The starting salary range for the Vice President of School Culture position is $146,718-$165,867. Starting salaries are dependent on experience, skills, market rates, and pay equity among current staff members. The Partnership also offers a robust benefits package including employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their dependents; a 403(b) retirement program with employee match and vesting; parental and sabbatical leaves; a professional development allowance; and generous paid time off.

The Partnership’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion extends to our compensation practices. Our goal is to ensure that pay is fair for all staff members who hold many intersectional identities – new and tenured alike. When we set salaries for new team members, we consider market rates, pay equity among staff in similar roles across the organization, skills and experiences required for the role, and organizational budget. Because of all of these factors, the majority of new team members do not begin at the top of the salary range provided.

COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENT

Partnership for LA Schools is a contractor with Los Angeles Unified School District and has implemented a Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccine Policy. All new employees are required to be fully vaccinated a week before their start date unless they are approved for an accommodation due to a medical reason or because of a sincerely held religious belief. 

TO APPLY

Please prepare your resume and a cover letter tailored to this position. You will submit your documents using our online application system here: https://bit.ly/partnership-vp-of-school-culture-2023.

For technical assistance, assistance for applying with a disability, or questions, please email Melanie Liu, Senior Manager of Home Office Talent & Org Culture, at melanie.liu@partnershipla.org.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Partnership for Los Angeles Schools is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to – and actively pursues – diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. The Partnership prohibits discrimination based on race (including traits historically associated with race such as hairstyle), creed, color, religion, registered domestic partner status, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, citizenship status, age, military and veteran status, medical condition, genetic information, political affiliation, pregnancy or childbirth, physical disability or mental disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance or regulation. The Partnership also prohibits discrimination based on the perception that anyone has any of these characteristics, or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, training, transfer, wages, benefits, termination, and all other privileges, terms, and conditions of employment.