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Job Description
Associate Director of Special Education at KIPP SoCal Public Schools Print Application Deadline 7/17/2026 11:55 PM Pacific Date Posted 6/9/2026 Contact Ashlee Fletcher Number of Openings 3 Salary Pay Range $98,440 - $123,050 Annually Length of Work Year immediate opening Employment Type Full Time Job Summary Job Summary Associate Director of Special Education Overview The Associate Director of Special Education serves as the primary SPED leader for a portfolio of schools, ensuring strong alignment between instruction, IEPs, services, and student outcomes. This role leads both instructional quality and compliance implementation across the portfolio while coaching school teams, supporting complex student needs, and ensuring schools receive coordinated, responsive support. The Associate Director succeeds when schools experience SPED support as coherent, proactive, and deeply connected to student learning outcomes. The role sits on the Student Services team and reports to the Director of Special Education. You Should Apply If You are an instructional and systems leader who believes students with disabilities deserve coherent, high-quality educational experiences. You thrive in schools, coaching leaders and teachers toward stronger instructional practice while also ensuring systems, compliance, and service delivery are executed with rigor and consistency. You are energized by complexity, able to balance strategic leadership with hands-on problem solving, and committed to building systems that create both equity and accountability for students.
Requirements / Qualifications
Key Responsibilities Portfolio Leadership & School Support Serve as the primary SPED leader supporting a consistent portfolio of schools Build strong relationships with school leaders, SPED Team Chairs, teachers, and service providers Ensure schools receive coordinated, responsive support aligned to portfolio and organizational priorities Support schools in solving complex student, staffing, scheduling, and service delivery challenges Instructional Leadership & Program Quality Coach SPED Team Chairs, Resource & Inclusion Teachers, SDP teachers, and school leaders on instructional quality, inclusion practices, and IEP alignment Ensure IEPs, instruction, and services are aligned to student learning needs and grade-level expectations Support implementation of inclusion-focused instructional models and service delivery practices Monitor portfolio-wide trends in student outcomes, instructional quality, and implementation consistency Compliance, Systems & Implementation Monitor implementation of compliance expectations, timelines, documentation, and service delivery requirements across schools Support schools in maintaining legally compliant and instructionally meaningful SPED systems Identify implementation gaps and proactively intervene to improve execution Ensure regional initiatives, tools, and systems are implemented consistently across the portfolio Training, Change Management & Cross-Functional Leadership Support rollout of SPED initiatives, professional learning, and organizational priorities Facilitate training and onboarding aligned to SPED instructional and compliance expectations Partner across SPED, student services, mental health, and school leadership teams to ensure coherent implementation Contribute to continuous improvement efforts and organizational problem solving The Qualifications Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher learning is required; Master's degree with emphasis in special education highly preferred Valid California credential for Preliminary or Clear Education Specialist (Mild/Moderate with Autism Authorization, Moderate/Severe, Mild to Moderate Support Needs or Extensive Support Needs) credential Possession of either BCLAD or CLAD certification highly desirable 4 years of successful and demonstrated case management skills required Minimum of 4 years of highly effective teaching experience demonstrating a strong track record of student performance gains with students with IEPs At least 2 of those years that include school leadership experience (e.g. managing, coaching) Minimum of 2 years overseeing special education programs across multiple school sites Knowledge of LAUSD special education policy, computer-based IEP, and Welligent preferred Requirements / Qualifications Key Responsibilities Portfolio Leadership & School Support Serve as the primary SPED leader supporting a consistent portfolio of schools Build strong relationships with school leaders, SPED Team Chairs, teachers, and service providers Ensure schools receive coordinated, responsive support aligned to portfolio and organizational priorities Support schools in solving complex student, staffing, scheduling, and service delivery challenges Instructional Leadership & Program Quality Coach SPED Team Chairs, Resource & Inclusion Teachers, SDP teachers, and school leaders on instructional quality, inclusion practices, and IEP alignment Ensure IEPs, instruction, and services are aligned to student learning needs and grade-level expectations Support implementation of inclusion-focused instructional models and service delivery practices Monitor portfolio-wide trends in student outcomes, instructional quality, and implementation consistency Compliance, Systems & Implementation Monitor implementation of compliance expectations, timelines, documentation, and service delivery requirements across schools Support schools in maintaining legally compliant and instructionally meaningful SPED systems Identify implementation gaps and proactively intervene to improve execution Ensure regional initiatives, tools, and systems are implemented consistently across the portfolio Training, Change Management & Cross-Functional Leadership Support rollout of SPED initiatives, professional learning, and organizational priorities Facilitate training and onboarding aligned to SPED instructional and compliance expectations Partner across SPED, student services, mental health, and school leadership teams to ensure coherent implementation Contribute to continuous improvement efforts and organizational problem solving The Qualifications Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher learning is required; Master's degree with emphasis in special education highly preferred Valid California credential for Preliminary or Clear Education Specialist (Mild/Moderate with Autism Authorization, Moderate/Severe, Mild to Moderate Support Needs or Extensive Support Needs) credential Possession of either BCLAD or CLAD certification highly desirable 4 years of successful and demonstrated case management skills required Minimum of 4 years of highly effective teaching experience demonstrating a strong track record of student performance gains with students with IEPs At least 2 of those years that include school leadership experience (e.g. managing, coaching) Minimum of 2 years overseeing special education programs across multiple school sites Knowledge of LAUSD special education policy, computer-based IEP, and Welligent preferred CalSTRS Links Not all postings qualify for CalSTRS. Informational Only. CalSTRS Info for New Educators
