Chief Academic Officer

About Global Cities

Global Cities Inc., a program of Bloomberg Philanthropies, uses an innovative educational approach to give young people the confidence to create change and the tools to solve complex problems. We connect students directly to their peers around the world through our signature virtual exchange program, Global Scholars. It currently operates in public schools in 46 cities in 19 countries, serving nearly 10,500 students in 261 schools. Students love the engaging, real-world assignments, which focus on critical global problems such as climate change and food insecurity. They are motivated by the experience of exchanging ideas with their peers far and near, whose discussion board posts and replies serve as a unique primary source for learning. Through these exchanges they learn how to respectfully discuss challenging topics and propose actionable solutions.

Teachers appreciate the opportunity for live, interactive professional development with a community of like-minded colleagues worldwide. They observe that students develop cultural understanding, critical thinking, and other skills needed for success in the classroom and their future careers, and that the Global Scholars curriculum engages students in academic learning. The goal is that by the end of the school year, students learn how to approach diverse global challenges, from water pollution to biodiversity loss. They learn to embrace and respect diverse cultures and perspectives, and feel motivated to take action in the future. In other words, they are taking steps towards becoming the leaders we need to solve the complex problems our world faces.

About the Role

The Chief Academic Officer (CAO) works closely with the President and Senior Leadership Team to strengthen and advance Global Cities’ partnerships in public school districts in the US and internationally. The CAO helps develop and oversee new and ongoing initiatives to promote global competency teaching in K-12 classrooms. They will play a key role in growing relationships with school districts and peer organizations critical to this work. They will also contribute to the planning and oversight of the organization’s evaluation and research agenda, external messaging, and in-person and online events for domestic and international audiences.

The successful candidate will be an expert educator with deep knowledge of the K-12 education landscape rooted in leadership experience within a public school district. The candidate will have a strongly held belief in building cultural understanding and global engagement—particularly in middle school students— and exceptional ability to collaborate with organizational leadership and supervise the work of others. They will also be an effective public communicator who can represent Global Cities’ work to diverse stakeholders, including district and school leaders, parents, educators, and students.

Responsibilities

1. Serve as a thought partner to the President and Senior Leadership Team in establishing priorities that support the organization’s goals.
2. Collaborate with the President on strategic planning for the future of Global Cities.
3. Contribute to building new audiences within the K-12 education space for whom Global Cities’ resources will be of interest and utility.
4. Develop new initiatives to share Global Cities’ offerings with key audiences, and coordinate across workstreams of both staff and external contributors to meet these goals.
5. Oversee staff who are implementing and expanding existing initiatives such as a 20 hour teacher professional development program, licensing of Global Scholars curriculum, and evaluation of student and educator learning.
6. Contribute to ongoing development of reports, videos, social media, and other communications to ensure they reflect the current K-12 landscape, Global Cities’ work, and the interests of priority audiences.
7. Represent the organization with diverse audiences including district and ministry of education leaders, peer organizations, and advisory board members.

Qualifications

1. Minimum of 15 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in public education
2. Minimum of two years of experience serving as an executive leader in a public school system responsible for developing and implementing curriculum across a school district; this may include roles such as superintendent, deputy superintendent, chief academic officer, or curriculum director
3. Close working relationships with current leaders in U.S. public school districts
4. Minimum of five years of public school classroom teaching experience
5. Graduate degree in education or a related field such as curriculum and instruction or education leadership
6. Experience crafting an instructional vision for a school district
7. Commitment to teaching global competency and a strong interest in virtual exchange
8. Knowledge of evaluation of educational initiatives and teacher training in K-12 settings
9. Ability to contribute to and oversee the development of new initiatives, from conceptualization to execution to refinement
10. Strong experience supervising staff and external consultants and contributing to strategic planning
11. Excellent written and spoken communication skills, and ability to adapt style and content to a range of international and domestic audiences
12. Proficiency in a foreign language is a plus

LOCATION: New York, NY. This position is based in a physical office in New York City, with a completely full-time in-person schedule.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Annual salary range: $180,000 - $220,000

Accommodation

Global Cities Inc. provides reasonable adjustment/accommodation to individuals with disabilities. Please let us know if you require a reasonable adjustment/accommodation to apply for a job. Examples of reasonable adjustment/accommodation include but are not limited to making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment. To request an adjustment/accommodation to apply for a job, please email careers@bloomberg.org.

Equal Opportunity

Global Cities Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination in employment. It is Global Cities’ policy to provide equal opportunity and access for all persons, and the Organization is committed to attracting, retaining, developing, and promoting the most qualified individuals without regard to age, ancestry, color, gender identity or expression, genetic predisposition or carrier status, marital status, national or ethnic origin, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, parental or caring status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy or maternity/parental leave, protected veteran status, status as a victim of domestic violence, or any other classification protected by applicable law (each, a “Protected Characteristic”). Global Cities prohibits treating applicants or employees less favorably in connection with the terms and conditions of employment, in all phases of the employment process, because of one or more Protected Characteristics.

We’re proud to provide all full-time employees with comprehensive healthcare coverage, as well as programs and services to help them and their families manage their health and well-being.

The referenced salary range is based on the Company's good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level.

To apply: Please submit a cover letter and resume to careers@globalcities.org