Cluster Superintendent - School Operations and Support

License and Certification Qualifications:

• Must hold or be eligible for a valid Georgia Educator's Certificate in Educational Leadership and/or Support Personnel License issued by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission Required

Education Qualifications:

• Specialist's Degree in related field Required
• Doctoral Degree in related field Preferred

Experience Qualifications:

• 5 years of successful school leadership experience, including experience as a principal. Required
• District-level leadership experience Preferred
• Demonstrated record of improving student outcomes and strengthening instructional leadership capacity. Preferred

Skills Qualifications:

• Deep knowledge of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and school improvement practices.
• Demonstrated ability to improve student achievement at scale.
• Strong leadership coaching and talent development skills.
• Ability to lead cross-functional collaboration and systems alignment.
• Expertise in data analysis and strategic planning.
• Strong communication, relationship-building, and change management skills.
• Ability to manage complex operational and instructional systems simultaneously.
• Commitment to equity, continuous improvement, and student-centered leadership.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills with the ability to clearly articulate district priorities, instructional expectations, and strategic initiatives to diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to build shared understanding, alignment, and coherence across schools, principals, departments, and district leadership teams.
• Strong facilitation skills that promote collaboration, trust, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Primary Responsibilities:

The Cluster Superintendent is responsible for ensuring measurable improvements in student achievement, instructional quality, school culture, and operational effectiveness across all assigned schools. The Cluster Superintendent serves as the primary accountability leader for school performance and principal effectiveness, ensuring that every school implements coherent instructional systems, equitable supports, and strategic improvement plans aligned to district priorities. The Cluster Superintendent works collaboratively with district Chiefs and departments to ensure school support systems are aligned, coherent, and responsive to the needs of principals, schools, and students. The Cluster Superintendent serves as a strategic extension of the Superintendent's leadership team, ensuring district priorities are implemented with fidelity, school leaders are effectively developed and evaluated, and schools receive coherent support focused on improving student outcomes. The Cluster Superintendent ensures that all school improvement efforts, leadership actions, resource allocations, and district support structures are aligned to the district's strategic plan, priorities, and Board goals while maintaining improved student outcomes, instructional excellence, and equitable opportunities for students as the central focus of the work. The Cluster Superintendent serves as a key communicator of the district's vision, strategic priorities, instructional expectations, and improvement goals, ensuring principals and school leaders have clear direction, consistent messaging, and shared understanding in support of coherent implementation across schools. SUPERVISORY AND LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE The Cluster Superintendent serves as a key member of the district's leadership team and works in close collaboration with the Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, and Chief of Schools to advance the district's strategic priorities, strengthen principal leadership, and improve student outcomes across schools. The Chief of Schools shall directly supervise and evaluate the Cluster Superintendent. The Deputy Superintendent and Superintendent will also play an active role in the development, coaching, strategic direction, and performance calibration of the Cluster Superintendent in alignment with district priorities and expectations. The Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, Chief of Schools, and Cluster Superintendent will collaboratively support the development and evaluation of school leaders to ensure strong instructional leadership, operational effectiveness, and improved student outcomes across all schools. 

 

• Accountability for Student Outcomes and School Performance
  • Be directly accountable for academic growth, achievement, attendance, graduation rates, student engagement, and district-defined student outcome metrics across assigned schools.
  • Monitor and evaluate school performance through ongoing analysis of student achievement data, instructional quality indicators, and operational metrics.
  • Ensure principals develop and implement rigorous school improvement plans with measurable benchmarks and evidence-based strategies.
  • Hold principals accountable for achieving district and school performance goals through consistent coaching, monitoring, and evaluation.
  • Identify underperforming schools, programs, grade levels, and student groups, and coordinate targeted intervention plans with clear timelines and progress-monitoring structures.
  • Ensure equitable access to high-quality instruction, interventions, enrichment opportunities, and student supports for all learners.
  • Lead continuous improvement efforts focused on reducing achievement gaps and improving outcomes for historically underserved student populations.
  • Ensure school goals, improvement strategies, and leadership priorities are aligned to the district's strategic plan, Board priorities, and systemwide performance goals.
  • Monitor implementation of district strategic initiatives across schools to ensure coherence, consistency, accountability, and measurable impact on student achievement.
  • Support principals in prioritizing improvement efforts that align district expectations with the unique needs of their school communities while maintaining student outcomes at the center of all decision-making.
• Instructional Leadership and Partnership with Teaching and Learning
  • Serve as a strategic partner with the Teaching and Learning Department to design, implement, and monitor instructional support systems for schools.
  • Collaborate with curriculum, assessment, multilingual learner, special education, MTSS, and instructional leadership teams to ensure coherent instructional expectations and aligned supports across schools.
  • Conduct regular school and classroom walkthroughs focused on instructional rigor, student engagement, curriculum implementation, and learning outcomes.
  • Ensure principals effectively monitor instruction, provide actionable feedback to teachers, and implement district instructional priorities with fidelity.
  • Use student performance data, classroom evidence, and school climate indicators to guide instructional decision-making and resource allocation.
  • Support the development of instructional leadership capacity in principals and assistant principals.
  • Ensure schools implement evidence-based instructional practices and intervention systems aligned to district goals.
  • Partner with Teaching and Learning leaders to develop differentiated support plans for schools based on performance trends and instructional need.
• Principal Supervision, Coaching, and Leadership Development
  • Supervise, coach, support, and evaluate principals and school leaders through a continuous improvement lens focused on instructional leadership and student outcomes.
  • Develop principals as instructional leaders who are accountable for improving teaching quality and student outcomes.
  • Conduct regular leadership coaching cycles focused on instructional leadership, talent development, school culture, operational management, and strategic planning.
  • Ensure principals build strong systems for teacher development, professional learning, and staff accountability.
  • Collaborate with the Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, and Chief of Schools in the evaluation, calibration, and development of school leaders.
  • Identify leadership talent and collaborate with Human Resources and district leadership on succession planning and leadership development.
  • Support principals in building positive school cultures that prioritize safety, belonging, high expectations, and student success.
  • Participate actively in district leadership development processes led by the Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, and Chief of Schools.
  • Engage in ongoing executive coaching, strategic planning, and continuous improvement conversations with district leadership.
  • Demonstrate responsiveness to district leadership feedback and implement agreed-upon leadership actions that strengthen school performance and principal effectiveness.
• Cross-Functional Leadership and Systems Alignment
  • Partner effectively with district Chiefs, divisions, and departments to ensure coordinated support for schools and principals.
  • Facilitate collaboration and communication across departments to reduce fragmentation and improve the coherence of district support systems.
  • Help connect and align instructional, operational, behavioral, financial, technological, facilities, and student support services in ways that improve conditions for teaching and learning.
  • Work collaboratively with Chiefs and department leaders to identify barriers impacting school performance and develop integrated solutions that support continuous school improvement.
  • Ensure principals experience district support as strategic, streamlined, responsive, and focused on improving student outcomes.
  • Coordinate cross-functional support structures for schools requiring targeted academic, operational, behavioral, or organizational assistance.
  • Elevate school and principal needs to district leadership teams and assist in aligning available resources and supports to address those needs.
  • Collaborate with district leaders to align initiatives, expectations, timelines, and communications in order to reduce initiative fatigue and improve implementation effectiveness.
  • Support the development of coherent systems and structures that strengthen principal capacity and improve organizational effectiveness across schools.
  • Foster a culture of shared responsibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement among schools and district offices in service of student success.
  • Utilize school performance data, implementation evidence, and principal feedback to inform conversations with district leaders regarding refinement of support systems and district initiatives.
• Continuous School Improvement and Instructional Coherence
  • Establish and lead a coherent continuous improvement process across all assigned schools centered on student achievement, instructional quality, and equitable outcomes for all student groups.
  • Ensure principals engage in ongoing cycles of inquiry, reflection, action planning, implementation, progress monitoring, and adjustment based on student performance and instructional data.
  • Develop systems for principals and school leadership teams to regularly analyze academic, behavioral, attendance, and climate data to identify trends, root causes, and targeted improvement strategies.
  • Lead and facilitate instructional rounds, learning walks, and collaborative school reviews across schools to strengthen instructional leadership, calibrate expectations for high-quality instruction, and identify systemwide trends impacting student learning.
  • Ensure instructional rounds are grounded in clearly defined problems of practice connected to district priorities, instructional rigor, student engagement, and measurable student outcomes.
  • Use findings from instructional rounds, classroom observations, and school performance data to coordinate differentiated supports and professional learning in partnership with the Teaching and Learning Department.
  • Build principal capacity to effectively monitor classroom instruction, provide actionable feedback to teachers, and lead schoolwide instructional improvement efforts.
  • Develop structures for cross-school collaboration in which principals and school leadership teams learn from effective practices, analyze implementation challenges, and share successful strategies.
  • Ensure schools implement continuous improvement cycles that include measurable goals, defined action steps, implementation benchmarks, and evidence of impact on student outcomes.
  • Partner with district departments to align operational, instructional, behavioral, and student support systems so principals experience coordinated, responsive, and streamlined district support.
  • Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of district initiatives to ensure coherence, reduce initiative fatigue, and maximize impact on teaching and learning.
  • Foster a culture of collective responsibility, continuous learning, and shared accountability for student success across schools and departments.
  • Ensure all improvement efforts remain focused on strengthening the instructional core: the interaction among teachers, students, and rigorous content.
  • Ensure continuous improvement cycles, instructional priorities, and school action plans are aligned with the district's strategic plan and long-term goals for student success.
  • Collaborate with district Chiefs and departments to ensure district initiatives, professional learning, operational supports, and instructional systems reinforce strategic priorities and accelerate school improvement efforts.
  • Maintain a relentless focus on improving outcomes for students by ensuring all district and school improvement efforts remain grounded in high-quality instruction, equitable access, and measurable student growth.
• Strategic Communication and Leadership Coherence
  • Serve as a primary communicator of district vision, strategic priorities, instructional expectations, and continuous improvement goals to principals and school leaders.
  • Ensure consistent implementation and understanding of district initiatives, instructional priorities, and operational expectations across assigned schools.
  • Communicate district expectations with clarity, consistency, transparency, and responsiveness.
  • Facilitate ongoing dialogue between schools and district leadership to strengthen alignment, collaboration, and organizational coherence.
  • Support principals in communicating school improvement priorities and district initiatives effectively to staff, families, and school communities.
  • Reinforce shared accountability and common expectations across schools through clear communication and aligned leadership practices.
  • Collaborate with district Chiefs and departments to ensure messaging, implementation supports, and communication structures are coordinated and coherent.
  • Ensure principals understand how district strategic priorities connect to instructional practices, school improvement efforts, and student outcomes.
  • Foster trust and credibility through consistent communication, visibility, responsiveness, and relationship-building with school leaders and stakeholders.
  • Promote organizational coherence by helping schools prioritize initiatives and maintain focus on high-impact instructional and improvement strategies.
• PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS
  • Improvement in student academic achievement and growth.
  • Reduction of achievement and opportunity gaps.
  • Improved attendance, graduation, and school climate indicators.
  • Principal effectiveness and leadership development outcomes.
  • Quality and consistency of instructional implementation across schools.
  • Evidence of strong continuous improvement systems and instructional coherence.
  • Effective implementation of instructional rounds and learning walks that result in measurable instructional improvement.
  • Increased principal capacity to lead teaching and learning.
  • Evidence of aligned and streamlined district support systems for schools.
  • Successful implementation and monitoring of district strategic priorities across assigned schools.
  • Evidence that school improvement efforts and district supports are aligned to the district strategic plan and produce measurable improvements in student outcomes.
  • Evidence of strong organizational coherence and alignment across assigned schools.
  • Consistent and effective communication of district priorities, instructional expectations, and strategic initiatives.
  • Increased principal understanding and implementation of district instructional and improvement priorities.
  • Positive feedback from principals and stakeholders regarding communication, responsiveness, and clarity of expectations.
  • Positive stakeholder feedback and operational effectiveness.

Physical Demands:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit for extended periods of time. The employee is also required to talk, hear, stand, and walk. The employee may be required to use hands to touch, handle, feel, and/or reach. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. The employee is required to operate a motor vehicle in performance of duties. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.