Chief Academic Officer

Chief Academic Officer

The Chief Academic Officer (CAO) creates and executes a vision for the academic success of all preschool through 12th grade Richmond Public Schools (RPS) students. The CAO is responsible for developing, coaching, supporting, and evaluating the senior academic leadership team, whose responsibilities span early childhood education, curriculum and instruction, multilingual learners, exceptional education, academic programs and supports, secondary success pathways, graduation strategy, and academic data and analytics. The CAO serves on the Superintendent's Leadership Team and helps make key strategic decisions for the entire division.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develops and implements a vision of instructional excellence for preschool through 12th grade students grounded in the division's strategic plan, Dreams4RPS.
• Prioritizes the learning of students furthest from opportunity, including those who receive exceptional education services, do not speak English as their first language, have limited financial means, face institutionalized racism, and/or face housing/food insecurity.
• Develops and implements a vision of school leadership directly tied to the division's vision for instructional excellence.
• Develops and leads the division's plan to increase the student graduation rate and to strengthen academic outcomes at every grade band, with particular attention to multilingual learners, students with IEPs, and students facing housing instability.
• Manages and evaluates a senior academic leadership team whose portfolios span the full preschool through 12th grade continuum.
• Ensures vertical alignment of curriculum, instruction, and student supports across the entire preschool through 12th grade experience.
• Gathers both quantitative and qualitative instructional data to guide decision-making; spends significant time observing classes, talking with teachers and students, and sitting in on principal leadership meetings to assess the instructional health of the division.
• Partners closely with the other Cabinet-level leaders to ensure that academic strategy is supported by aligned talent, operational, and fiscal strategies.
• Supports the Superintendent and Leadership Team with:
• the development and implementation of the division's goals, as well as strategies to implement them.
• the efficient and effective use of the division's budget.
• adherence to School Board policy.
• the Memorandum of Understanding with the Virginia Department of Education, and all relevant federal and state education laws and policies.
• Participates in all School Board meetings, serving as a primary point of contact for academic matters.
• Works collaboratively with other governmental bodies (including the Virginia Department of Education and the City of Richmond) and the non-profit, faith, and business sectors to advance student academic success.
• Communicates and explains the vision for instructional excellence to teachers, administrators, support staff, parents/caregivers, and the public.
• Serves as an ambassador for RPS to celebrate students and staff, recruit talented educators and support staff, and generate financial support for the division.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Key Behavioral Competencies:

The following competencies define how the Chief Academic Officer is expected to lead, regardless of any specific task, project, or initiative. They are non-negotiable expectations of how the role is performed.

1. Owns the Division. The CAO owns the division's results in their entirety: the strengths and the opportunities for growth. They step personally into difficult conversations and decisions rather than routing them to others, and they take public accountability for the division's wins and shortcomings without deflection. They hold their leadership team to that same standard.
2. Collaborates Across the Enterprise. The CAO is a true collaborator. They partner with academic, operational, talent, financial, and labor relations leaders to advance student outcomes, and they treat peers as thought partners rather than obstacles. They understand that no chief leads in isolation, and they invest deliberately in the cross-functional relationships that make complex urban school divisions work.
3. Solves Problems with Empathy and Love. The CAO leads with genuine care for students, families, and staff, and brings that empathy into every problem they solve. They listen first, diagnose carefully, and make the hard calls the role requires without losing their humanity. They are energized, not depleted, by the complexity of urban public education.
4. Brings Energy and Centers Students and Community. The CAO shows up, visibly and consistently, for students, families, and the broader Richmond community. They spend meaningful time in schools, classrooms, and community spaces, and they bring high energy and authentic presence to the work. Decisions are anchored in what is best for students and for the communities RPS serves, not in what is most convenient for the central office.
5. Treats Every Employee as an Outcome Driver. The CAO understands that student outcomes are not produced by teachers alone. Bus drivers, custodians, food service staff, instructional assistants, school secretaries, principals, central office staff, and every other RPS employee contribute to whether children learn and thrive. The CAO leads, recognizes, and engages the full workforce accordingly, and partners actively with the Talent division to ensure every role is valued, developed, and connected to the academic mission.

Qualifications:

• Master's degree or higher in education or other relevant field required.
• At least 7 years of progressively responsible senior-level experience required, including experience in schools and preferably across multiple grade bands (elementary, middle, and/or high).
• Administration and Supervision License from the Virginia Department of Education (or eligibility to secure this license) at the time of hire required, or eligible to receive within 6 months of assuming the position.
• Knowledgeable of state and federal accreditation standards and requirements.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to communicate complex ideas simply and succinctly.
• Outstanding interpersonal and teamwork skills; ability to work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, including in a unionized environment with active collective bargaining.
• Ability to motivate, appropriately challenge, and evaluate staff.
• Strong organizational skills, including attention to detail and ease at managing competing demands and determining priorities independently.
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment; adaptable when managing multiple, shifting priorities; comfortable with ambiguity.
• Bilingual/fluency in Spanish preferred.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions:

Work is performed in a combination of professional office and school-based environments. The position requires regular travel to schools and offices throughout Richmond Public Schools and across the City of Richmond, including frequent classroom observations and community engagements. The position requires the ability to remain in a stationary position for extended periods; move about office and school facilities; communicate clearly and effectively in person, by telephone, and in writing; observe instructional practice in a variety of school settings; and occasionally lift up to 25 pounds. Evening and weekend work is required for School Board meetings, community events, and other division responsibilities. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.