Executive Director

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Position Summary:

FAU Lab Schools seeks an entrepreneurial data-informed and results-oriented Executive Director to launch and lead The Carl A. DeSantis Center for Educational Strategy and Innovation (the Center). The Center is established through a $10 million five-year catalytic investment from the Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation to scale the proven practices of FAU Lab Schools a three-time National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence across Palm Beach and Broward counties throughout Florida and nationally.

The Executive Director serves as the chief architect and champion of the Center. The Executive Director will translate the Centers five-year business plan into annual implementation plans recruit and lead the Center team manage the Foundation grant with full fiscal and programmatic accountability and build the measurement systems partnerships and revenue streams that will sustain the Center beyond the initial investment.

Position Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Center Expansion

The Executive Director will establish the Centers operating model and lead its expansion over the five-year grant period.

• Translate strategic initiatives into actionable implementation plans that identify responsibilities milestones deliverables performance indicators staffing and costs.

• Develop a balanced portfolio that addresses immediate institutional and partner needs while advancing long-term innovation measurable impact scalability and financial sustainability.

• Recruit and onboard Center staff and stand up core infrastructure including the Learning Management System continuing education registration and event operations.

• Identify emerging challenges research findings technologies and workforce needs in education and translate them into programs services and partnerships.

• Create a disciplined process for evaluating testing launching refining and scaling new initiatives and use evidence to decide which initiatives to expand redesign or discontinue.

Professional Learning and Leadership Development

The Executive Director will build a distinctive portfolio of learning experiences that connects research and practice for Florida educators and leaders.

• Assess emerging professional and organizational learning needs and developing scalable frameworks for educator development leadership development workforce preparation and organizational improvement.

• Expand teacher and leader professional learning in coordination with the Stiles-Nicholson STEM Teacher Academy and leadership partners to meet or exceed performance targets.

• Develop and award micro-credentials and STEM certifications and design LMS-based virtual courses that extend the Centers reach.

• Design innovation-focused curricula that move leaders from compliance management to innovation architecture and prepare them to anticipate workforce needs.

• Apply principles of instructional design adult learning and talent development so that participants move beyond passive professional development to measurable changes in practice.

• Identify recruit and cultivate faculty practitioners industry experts presenters and nationally recognized subject-matter experts.

School Model Scaling and Replication

The Executive Director will position FAU Lab Schools as a national resource for schools and districts seeking proven replicable models.

• Provide consulting and implementation support to partner districts.

• Expand the university lab school partner network across Florida and nationally.

• Support Center and research site visits annually for school and district leaders educators and policymakers.

• Develop and disseminate replication blueprints toolkits and implementation guides that document FAU Lab Schools programs and the conditions required for success.

• Engage school districts statewide with the goal of reaching all 67 Florida school districts over the grant period.

• Partner with the FAU Lab Schools Research Director to expand Research Communities of Practice and the Action Research Fellows program to schools and districts statewide.

Measurement Evaluation and Decision Science

The Executive Director will ensure that significant decisions are informed by evidence and that initiatives are accompanied by quality performance measurements.

• Build and maintain a five-year outcome measurement framework for the Center objectives with definitions baselines annual targets data sources collection frequency and responsible staff.

• Develop outcome performance measures to determine changes in teacher practice and leadership behavior.

• Use valid methods to demonstrate change including matched pre- and post-assessments follow-up after trainings and placements end and verified methods for estimating student reach.

• Oversee the development of dashboards and decision-support tools that help leaders understand performance anticipate challenges and allocate resources.

• Partner with faculty researchers and data scientists to design studies evaluate innovations and advance responsible uses of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics in education.

• Establish continuous feedback loops that use outcome data stakeholder input and financial results to improve programs and guide future investment.

Grant Management Compliance and Donor Stewardship

The Executive Director will serve as the primary steward of the Centers relationship with the Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation.

• Manage the Foundation grant in accordance with the grant agreement approved annual budgets and performance commitments.

• Prepare mid-year and year-end programmatic and financial reports that compare actual performance and expenditures to annual targets explain material variances and describe lessons learned and corrective actions.

• Oversee accurate tracking and reporting of participants activities results and expenditures by county.

• Maintain clear separation between the catalytic grant and other awards.

Partnerships Dissemination and Thought Leadership

The Executive Director will serve as a highly visible ambassador for the Center and ensure that what the Center learns is shared.

• Establish strategic partnerships with universities school districts government agencies foundations corporations organizations and research institutions.

• Develop external advisory relationships and networks that allow the Center to continuously identify emerging trends opportunities technologies research and promising practices.

• Position the Center as a trusted convener where leaders from education research business government and philanthropy collaborate on significant challenges.

• Develop a dissemination strategy that includes publications policy briefs practitioner guides case studies digital resources and presentations at state and national conferences.

• Translate complex research and analytical results into clear actionable information for practitioners policymakers and donors.

• Represent the Center with senior university education government philanthropic corporate and community leaders.

Financial Sustainability and Growth

The Executive Director will treat the $10 million investment as the catalyst not the ceiling and build a diversified model for long-term sustainability.

• Collaborate with the FAU Lab Schools leadership on developing additional revenue streams to support the Center.

• Develop business cases for major initiatives that weigh demand strategic alignment anticipated impact required investment scalability and sustainability.

• Support the cultivation of relationships with foundations donors corporations and government entities capable of supporting or scaling the Centers work.

• Manage budgets personnel contracts vendors and timelines with a high degree of accountability and fiscal responsibility.

Team and Organizational Leadership

The Executive Director will build a culture defined by curiosity analytical rigor execution collaboration and continuous improvement.

• Recruit develop and lead a high-performing multidisciplinary team capable of working across education research analytics professional learning business development communications and program implementation.

• Coordinate with FAU Lab Schools staff and faculty as needed.

• Establish clear priorities responsibilities performance expectations and accountability.

• Lead cross-functional initiatives that involve multiple university units FAU colleges and external organizations.

• Communicate strategy evidence performance and recommendations to the Superintendent university and school leadership and the Foundation.

• Create an environment in which responsible experimentation is encouraged results are measured lessons are captured and successful innovations are rapidly translated into broader practice.

Minimum Qualifications:

Masters degree or higher in education business instructional design organizational leadership or a related field.
Five or more years of experience as a school district senior leader or principal supervisor OR ten or more years of experience as a school principal and school district leader.
Five or more years of experience building programs or strategic initiatives from concept through implementation evaluation and scale.
Experience managing grants or restricted funds including budgets compliance and programmatic and financial reporting.
Demonstrated ability to use data research and performance measures to inform strategy and decision making.
Experience managing complex budgets personnel contracts timelines and external partners.
Exceptional executive communication presentation relationship-building analytical and leadership skills.


Preferred Qualifications and Experience
Doctorate in education organizational leadership or a related field.
Knowledge of Florida K12 education school district operations and educator preparation and leadership systems.
Knowledge of program evaluation research design key performance indicators dashboards and decision-science approaches.
Understanding of instructional design learning science adult learning and learning management systems.
Experience developing conferences institutes speaker series or other large-scale professional convenings.
Experience with universityK12 partnerships laboratory schools or STEM health care or research workforce pathways.
Demonstrated success in donor stewardship and in building partnerships across education government business philanthropy and health care.
Experience generating sustainable revenue through grants philanthropy sponsorships consulting licensing or fee-based programming.
Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and align diverse stakeholders around common objectives.

Salary:

Commensurate with Experience

College or Department:

FAU Lab Schools

Location:

Boca Raton

Work Days and Hours:

N/A

Application Deadline:

Special Instructions to Applicant:

This position is open until filled and may close without prior notice.

This position is subject to funding.

All applicants must apply electronically to the currently posted position on the Office of Human Resources job website ( by completing the required employment application for this recruitment and submitting the related documents.

Required Documents:
FAUs Career Page permits the attachment of required/requested documentation.

PLEASE NOTE: A maximum of five (5) documents may be attached to your application. If more than five (5) documents are required for submission please combine additional documents into a single attachment to not exceed the maximum permitted.

The site permits the attachment of required/requested documentation. Candidates wishing full consideration are to provide the following: a cover letter and resume.

Transcripts:
Final candidate will be required to have official sealed transcripts and original NACES evaluation if applicable sent from their educational institution to Human Resources prior to the start of employment.

Background Screening:
Selected candidates must successfully complete and pass all employment screenings prior to the start of employment. Employment screenings may include a criminal background check (level I and level II) motor vehicle check credit check reference checks alcohol and drug screening check.

The candidate selected for the position will be required to have fingerprinting done at the FAU Police Department and a background check done by the school.

Accommodations:
Individuals requiring accommodation please call . 711