Director of Educator Development

Job Title: Director of Educator Development

Location: 910 W. Van Buren St., Chicago, IL

Reports To: Executive Director of Principal Support

Salary: Starting at $110,000, commensurate with experience

Employee Type: Regular Full Time

Start Date: June 2026

Distinctive Schools creates diverse, joyful, welcoming communities rooted in social justice and rigorous learning. We support all learners to be engaged, curious, and to achieve their full potential. Our students become confident advocates, creative problem-solvers, and collaborative leaders.

The Director of Educator Development is an experienced educational leader responsible for coordinating and implementing comprehensive professional development, specifically focusing on instructional coaching, new teacher induction, and Assistant Principal (AP) development, to support curriculum implementation across the Distinctive Schools network. This role also oversees the strategic partnership to strengthen the teacher pipeline and instructional capacity across the network. This role requires a deep understanding of adult learning principles and a proven ability to design and facilitate impactful professional development that drives lasting change in practice.

The Director of Educator Development will work in partnership with campus and network leaders to monitor and strengthen the implementation of the Distinctive Schools instructional coaching model and Teaching Framework.

• Partnership Management & Residency Support
  • Serve as the liaison between Distinctive Schools and strategic partnerships (training teams/university partners) to ensure the organization fulfills all residency requirements and to ensure consistent communication from school placement through onboarding.
  • Partner with the Director of Talent to ensure the hiring and placement of Resident Teachers based on both candidate qualifications and campus staffing needs.
  • • Note:
      
      Resident Teachers are aspiring educators who are part of a yearlong residency program and co-teach in our schools, learning alongside our best teachers.
  • Identify and vet high-performing teachers within the network to serve as mentors for residency participants.
  • Partner closely with the Talent team to ensure recruitment and onboarding of residents are equitable and meet compliance requirements.
  • Support the goal of building a reliable, mission-aligned pipeline of new teachers, already familiar with DS students and culture, who are ready to be hired full-time after residency.
• Leadership Development And Coaching
  • Lead the network's direction and provide leadership for the Distinctive Schools (DS) instructional coaching model.
  • Develop the capacity of Instructional Coaches, Mentor Teachers and Assistant Principals (APs) through ongoing learning opportunities, direct campus support, network-based coaching academies, reflection, and feedback.
  • DS teacher leaders will get access to strategic partnerships coaching, reflection tools, and leadership development—enhancing their own growth.
  • Become the Lead Real Time Teacher Coach and train all new coaches in the four-step model and other instructional strategies.
  • Oversee and monitor the formal observation process and conduct ongoing observations (formal, informal, instructional rounds) with campus and network leaders to ensure a common understanding of best practice as defined by the DS Teaching Framework.
  • Lead student-focused coaching cycles towards an established goal that leads to improved instructional practices and increased student growth and achievement.
  • Guide the implementation of the Professional Growth Plan process and leadership performance standards protocol to provide actionable and concrete feedback.
  • Partner closely with the Talent team to ensure equitable review and promotion for Instructional Coaches, Mentors and APs.
• New Teacher Onboarding And Development
  • Lead new teacher and coach onboarding, while ensuring ongoing, year-long opportunities for direct coaching, support, and professional learning.
  • Contribute to the development and implementation of a new teacher onboarding program to ensure first-year teachers receive appropriate support and to increase retention.
  • Partner with campus leaders to ensure new teacher onboarding reflects organizational needs and priorities.
  • Maintain a current and detailed understanding of all local and state requirements for onboarding and teacher development.
  • Coordinate quarterly check-ins with Mentor Teachers and Instructional Coaches to reflect on leadership development and leading from within the classroom.
• Academic Team Member
  • Partner with Academic Team members to lead key initiatives related to the role of the teacher leaders and teacher onboarding and development.
  • Uphold and contribute to the implementation of the DS Model, strategic plan, campus growth plans, and network priorities.
  • Design, implement, monitor progress, and provide updates on key instructional coaching decisions with a specific focus on new teacher development.
  • Partner with Academic and Student…