Managing Director of Student Support

OUR MISSION

BRICK is on a mission to support families from pre-cradle-to-career through holistic support, excellent schools, and clear pathways to college and career. By creating a comprehensive network of services, we are righting the wrongs of racial and economic inequality and paving the way for families to forge futures abundant with opportunity, wellness, and joy

OUR VISION

BRICK envisions a world of racial and economic justice, where every child and family has the support they need to learn, achieve, and work towards a fulfilling life of personal and collective prosperity.

To learn more about BRICK, please visit http://www.brickeducation.org

BRICK currently has schools in two regions: Newark, New Jersey, and Buffalo, New York.

BRICK Gateway Academy Charter School is our Newark location. As a full K-12 continuum, we start our college-focused academic programming in kindergarten and yield better results for Newark students for generations to come. We are more than a school; we are a full ecosystem of supports from cradle to career. We provide our families with free wraparound services like prenatal care, career services, and housing support. Our high school alumni receive up to six years of post-graduate assistance. BRICK Gateway Academy attracts a diverse staff devoted to nurturing our students’ intellect and identities in order to prepare them to graduate from college and to chart their own course.

To learn more about our Newark location, BRICK Gateway Academy, please visit https://www.gatewayacademy.org

Overview

Role: The Managing Director of Student Support provides strategic leadership, oversight, and continuous improvement of all student support services across the K-12 charter school network. This role ensures that every student—particularly students experiencing homelessness and students requiring academic, behavioral, or social-emotional support—receives equitable, compliant, and high-quality services that enable academic success and overall well-being on their path toward postsecondary success. The Managing Director partners closely with school leaders, network teams, and external stakeholders to build systems, develop talent, and ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local requirements.

Here is the refined list formatted as a professional Job Description. I have organized these into "Key Responsibilities" and streamlined the language to be more action-oriented for prospective candidates.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Vision

Strategic Planning:
Define and execute a network-wide vision for student support rooted in equity and academic excellence.

MTSS Oversight:
Design and scale a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) integrating behavioral, social-emotional, and academic interventions.

Data-Driven Improvement: Analyze student outcome trends to steer strategic decision-making and continuous program refinement.

Behavioral Health & Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
Framework Development: Lead the implementation of a K–12 SEL framework aligned to the organization’s Graduate Profile.
Tiered Interventions: Oversee Tier 1 universal SEL curriculum and Tier 2/3 clinical mental health supports, including referral and monitoring processes.
School Climate: Partner with leadership to embed trauma-informed and restorative practices into daily school culture and instructional routines.

College & Career Readiness
K–12 Pathway Design: Develop age-appropriate programming for career exploration, postsecondary planning, and workforce readiness.
Advising & Planning: Support school-based teams to ensure 100% of graduating seniors have a robust, actionable postsecondary plan.
External Partnerships: Cultivate and manage strategic relationships with universities, CTE providers, and employers.

Attendance & Engagement
Absenteeism Reduction: Execute a network-wide attendance strategy focused on prevention and early intervention for chronic absenteeism.
Systemic Monitoring: Establish standardized monitoring protocols, family communication cycles, and student incentives.
Cross-Functional Support: Collaborate across departments to address social-emotional or financial barriers to consistent attendance.

Talent Management & Professional Development
Staff Empowerment: Recruit, coach, and manage high-performing student support teams and school-based leaders.
Training Excellence: Design professional development on trauma-informed care, restorative justice, and behavioral intervention.Clinical
Pipeline: Manage internship placements (e.g., MSW) in coordination with local universities.

Systems, Operations & Compliance
Regulatory Compliance: Ensure adherence to all state and local mandates, including McKinney-Vento and anti-bullying legislation.
Budgetary Oversight: Manage the student support budget, optimizing the use of grants and contracted services for maximum student impact.
Operational Efficiency: Maintain secure and efficient systems for service delivery, documentation, and compliance reporting.

Stakeholder Engagement
Thought Partnership: Serve as a senior advisor to school leaders on complex student needs and organizational structures.
Community & Family Advocacy: Act as a primary liaison for families regarding their rights and build a robust network of community service providers.

Qualifications:
• Required
• Master’s degree or higher in Educational Leadership, School Psychology, Social Work, Counseling, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5–8 years of experience in K–12 education, including significant experience leading student support or college and career programs.
• Demonstrated expertise in MTSS, student support systems, and related compliance requirements.
• Proven experience leading teams and managing across multiple schools or sites.

• Preferred
• Valid state certification or licensure in a student support–related discipline, as required by the state.
• Experience in a charter school or charter management organization.
• Experience working in urban or historically underserved communities.
• Bilingual or multilingual proficiency.

BRICK Networks is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. BRICK Networks promotes affirmative action for minorities, women, disabled persons, and veterans.