Senior Associate Commissioner District and School Assistance

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The Education Secretariat is committed to equity and valuing the unique and diverse characteristics and experiences of every member of its workforce. We encourage an authentic workplace where colleagues show up as their full selves and where collaboration, innovation, and connections are key to realizing our mission that all children, youth, and families thrive socially, academically, and economically. We seek teammates committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive work environment where everyone is valued and engaged.

We encourage you to apply and identify your strengths in these areas.

• Engage selected low‑performing schools in a planning process tightly aligned to a framework for school improvement anchored in DESE’s decades of research on successful school improvement practices.
• Support schools in undertaking a multi‑year improvement planning and implementation process.
• Incubate and incentivize innovative models and programs to support academic achievement and school improvement.
• Provide administrative leadership and supervision to assigned unit offices, including the development of operational plans, oversight of day‑to‑day operational activities, allocation of budgetary and staffing resources, and supervision and mentoring of subordinate managers to attain goals.
• Conduct strategic planning, evaluating existing programs and developing new initiatives to achieve the Department’s mission and improve operational efficiency.
• Oversee major projects assigned by the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner involving staff from other Department units or external agencies.
• Direct oversight and leadership of policy development and implementation on school improvement programming across the agency, coordinating with offices within DESE and external bodies such as the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
• Maintain a high level of expertise in the assigned areas of work through national conferences, research reviews, and discussions with U.S. Department of Education officials and other state education agencies.
• Ensure effective communication among supervised staff, Department staff, and outside stakeholders.
• Represent DESE at meetings with external groups, including presenting at BESE meetings.
• Travel throughout the Commonwealth may be required based on assignment.
• Administrative reporting to the Everett office 5 days a week.

• Thorough understanding of public policy and educational practice at the district and state level.
• Experience and demonstrated knowledge of secondary school programming.
• Ability to articulate a clear vision of high‑quality education for persistently low‑performing schools.
• Experience in implementing state and federal laws and program standards.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to establish dialogue with all stakeholder groups.
• Experience and background in a leadership position within a school, district, or educational organization.
• 5–10 years of senior‑level leadership experience in an educational setting.
• Extensive experience in education policy development and program implementation.
• 5–10 years of experience supervising professional education‑related staff.

• Seven (7) years of full‑time or equivalent part‑time professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration, or clinical management.
• At least four (4) of those years must have been in a managerial capacity.

• Primary
  
  Location:
  
  Not specified in source
• Job:
  Education
• Agency:
  Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
• Schedule:
  
  Full‑time
• Shift: Day
• Number of Openings: 1
• Salary: $ – $ annually
• Bargaining Unit: M99-Managers (EXE)
• Confidential:
  No
• Potentially Eligible for a Hybrid
  
  Work Schedule:
  
  No

We are an Equal Opportunity /affirmative action employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by applicable law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self‑select out of opportunities if they do not meet 100% of the job requirements.

We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.

If you have Diversity, Affirmative Action or Equal Employment Opportunity questions or need a Reasonable Accommodation, please contact Diversity Officer / ADA Coordinator:
Ferdousi Faruque – .