Founding Director of Curriculum and Instruction

Founding Director of Curriculum and Instruction

About Launch

Launch Schools is currently hiring to staff a founding high school option for students of Brooklyn focused on tackling the two greatest challenges of our time climate change and equity. The Launch High School welcomed its first 9th grade class in Brooklyn NY in Fall 2025. Launch High School builds on the work of Launchs middle school an EL Education school that has operated in Weeksville Brooklyn for 13 years. Launchs mission is dedicated to empowering all students to develop the knowledge skills and character to disrupt inequities in society and build a better world. We believe that students at all levels can be pushed and supported to do more than they think possible.

Launch High School is a transformative student-centered learning environment that offers one of the most innovative and impactful high school experiences in NYC.

The student experience is grounded in:

• Competency Based Learning rooted in reDesigns Future9 Competencies
• Personalized Learning that honors student voice choice and builds their capacity to direct their own learning as they move through high school
• Groundbreaking Learning Ecosystem model design that ensures learning is not limited to the classroom leveraging community partnerships (including the National Park Service as well as local non-profit and business partners)

You can learn more about the high school model in our community driven work-in-progress School Design Blueprint.

We are hiring our founding team to operationalize this ambition vision. We are committed to developing the conditions and an adult culture that makes our school a laboratory of innovation where growth and development of our staff members is prioritized. We believe that creativity authenticity and hustle among our founding team are key ingredients to the success of our students in learning in a way that is truly personalized and that can only be accomplished with comprehensive coaching supports that help our staff be authentically their best.Please note that this role is for the 26-27 school year.

As the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Launch High School your responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Coaching and Development of Instructional Staff
  • Own the quality and coherence of curriculum and instruction across Launch High School ensuring all students experience rigorous accessible and competency-aligned learning.
  • Supervise a portfolio of teachers establishing clear expectations and supporting ongoing professional growth through observation feedback and coaching systems including regular classroom observations high-quality written and verbal feedback and follow-up coaching cycles.
  • Set articulate and continuously refine an equity-driven vision for instructional coaching at Launch High School ensuring coaching practices advance rigorous culturally responsive and accessible instruction.
  • Lead the development and execution of team level inquiry cycles aligned to schoolwide workplan goals leveraging student data observation evidence coaching cycles and feedback to drive instructional improvement.
  • Facilitate and lead instructional team meetings including department grade-level and cross-disciplinary teams that builds instructional skill drives alignment and shared practices and promotes collective responsibility for student outcomes.
• Fostering a positive Academic Culture Schoolwide
  • Develop a work culture of cooperation positive attitudes and teamwork where all staff are motivated to perform with excellence and continually improve.
  • Design foster maintain and protect a culture of student voice and choice where heads hearts and hands are engaged in interdisciplinary project-based learning.
  • Ensure staff are prepared to operationalize the model outlined in the Launch High School Design Blueprint and convicted in the vision that it supports and the impact it will have on the community.
  • Build staff capacity around mindsets in ensuring academics are both rigorous and accessible for all learners.
• Academic Administration
  • Own and oversee Launch High Schools curriculum assessment systems data based goal and action planning ensuring coherence across disciplines grade levels and competencies.
  • Ensure a program where students can graduate with a Regents Diploma and with a personalized pathway for life after high school graduation that aligns to their skills passions and dreams for the future.
  • Oversee compliance design and implementation of English Language Learner (ENL) programming family engagement staff training and coordination with external partners and federal state and local requirements to support multilingual learners language development.
  • Vision and lead the team in implementing a targeted and data informed intervention program
  • Supervise facilitate and build staff capacity to administer and debrief regular assessment administrations including (but not limited to) SAT administration AP Exams (when applicable) Regents exams (when applicable) Interim assessments and performance showcases of student academic growth
• Postsecondary Readiness & Student Pathways
  • Ensure all students graduate with a Regents Diploma and a coherent personalized pathway aligned to their competencies interests and postsecondary goals.
  • Lead systems that support students in demonstrating learning through portfolios performance tasks exhibitions and public showcases.
  • Partner with school leadership to ensure academic programming prepares students for college career and life beyond Launch High School.
• Leadership & Collaboration
  • Serve as the Principals primary instructional thought partner owning instructional quality academic systems and curriculum coherence schoolwide.
  • Collaborate with school leadership to align instructional priorities with staffing scheduling and schoolwide initiatives.
  • Model Launchs values through leadership grounded in clarity accountability collaboration and deep belief in student potential.

The ideal candidate will be:

• Aligned with passionate about and invested in both the vision for Launch High School that is currently in progress (School Design Blueprint) and the community-based design process by which it will continue to be developed
  • This includes unwavering commitment to equity Launchs mission and the Crew model
• An experienced school leader with at least two years of experience leading managing and coaching a team of adults with clear evidence of being able to drive results through the supervision of others and building on a foundation of at least three years teaching experience with a proven track record of elevating student achievement and cultivating positive culture.
  • Preferably in an urban setting
  • Preferably in a high school
• Aligned with the educational philosophy and core beliefs that will undergird Launch High School: project-based and competency-based learning an interdisciplinary approach and work-based/career-connected programming.
  • Preferably with experience teaching and/or leading in a school that uses one or more of these elements.
• Entrepreneurial
  • Comfortable with rapid growth and evolution (personal and of the school) within an innovative educational model
  • Skilled in starting and growing a new program as it is in development
  • A visionary that can construct implement and successfully reach a desired outcome in true partnership with community
• Committed to staying at Launch at least three years which will include seeing the inaugural grade class through their graduation and leading the school to scale
• A leader who demonstrates:
  • Self-awareness demonstrating an accurate idea of ones own strengths and weaknesses
  • An ability to treat all members of the schools community with respect and to inspire others
  • Skill in project-based interdisciplinary and competency-based instruction and innovative educational approaches as evidenced by quantitative and qualitative data
  • Strong organizational self-management and problem-solving skills with the ability to handle many responsibilities simultaneously
  • Enthusiasm energy and optimism even in the face of challenges
  • Adeptness in managing change coupled with innovative thinking to surmount obstacles
  • A belief in the value of building relationships and balancing empowering staff and students while ensuring accountability
  • Composed demeanor during crises underpinned by optimism and resilience
  • Confident and effective communication adjusting styles to suit diverse audiences
  • Empathetic listening skills and high emotional intelligence
  • Strategic thinking critically assessing information data and processes to facilitate organizational improvement
• Holder of a Bachelors degree with advanced degree preferred
• Teaching experience (in an urban setting preferred)
• Fluent in Spanish preferred
• Valid State Instructional and/or School Leadership Certification preferred

Compensation: Highly competitive and commensurate with experience along with a full benefits package.

Launch is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any individual or group for reasons of race color creed sex age culture national origin marital status sexual preference or mental or physical disability.