Deputy Chief Academic Officer

Position: Deputy Chief Academic Officer (DCAO)
Department: Instruction
Location: Whitman-Walker Health at St. Elizabeths East – Sycamore Campus, Ward 8, Washington, DC
Reports To: Chief Academic Officer
FLSA Status: Exempt
Position Summary
The Deputy Chief Academic Officer (DCAO) serves as a senior academic and operational leader responsible for launching, leading, and sustaining academic programming at Academy of Hope’s third campus location, the Sycamore Campus located within the Whitman-Walker Health St. Elizabeths East development in Southeast Washington, DC.
This role functions as the primary building administrator and senior academic leader for the site, ensuring the successful day-to-day management, academic oversight, and operational coordination of the campus.

The DCAO will establish the academic culture, instructional vision, learner experience, and leadership structures necessary to support adult learners pursuing high school completion, workforce credentials, digital literacy, English language acquisition, and postsecondary transition pathways.
As an extension of the Chief Academic Officer, the DCAO is a key member of the academic leadership team, working collaboratively with Principals, Deans, and academic managers to ensure coherence, rigor, innovation, and equity across campuses. The DCAO directly supervises and develops key academic and instructional leaders responsible for curriculum implementation, digital literacy, personalized learning, and learner support programming. This role provides strategic direction, coaching, accountability, and operational oversight to ensure all departments operate cohesively in support of adult learner success.

The DCAO is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy while collaborating closely with executive leadership, principals, workforce leadership, student services, operations, enrollment, and institutional effectiveness teams to ensure the Sycamore Campus operates as an integrated and high-performing academic site.

Distinguishing Characteristics
This position is distinguished by its dual responsibility as both a senior academic executive and the lead administrator for Academy of Hope’s newest campus location. Unlike traditional instructional leadership roles focused solely on curriculum and teaching, this role requires comprehensive oversight of campus operations, academic systems, learner experience, cross-functional coordination, and organizational expansion initiatives within an adult public charter school environment.
The DCAO must possess the ability to lead through growth and ambiguity while building systems, structures, culture, and programming from the ground up. The role requires deep knowledge of adult education frameworks, learner persistence strategies, workforce alignment, digital literacy integration, and the unique needs of adult learners in urban educational settings.
This position also serves as a key liaison between campuses to ensure consistency in instructional quality, learner supports, operational practices, leadership expectations, and organizational culture across Academy of Hope.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Campus Leadership & Building Administration
• Serve as the primary administrator and academic leader for the Sycamore Campus.
• Establish and maintain a positive, learner-centered, mission-driven campus culture aligned with Academy of Hope’s CARES values.
• Oversee daily campus operations in partnership with operations, facilities, security, enrollment, and student services teams.
• Ensure the campus environment supports safety, accessibility, professionalism, learner engagement, and adult learner persistence.
• Coordinate cross-functional campus operations to ensure seamless learner experiences and efficient service delivery.
• Support organizational readiness and scaling efforts associated with the expansion of Academy of Hope’s third campus site.
• Represent the campus in organizational leadership meetings, community partnerships, and strategic planning initiatives.
Academic Leadership & Instructional Excellence
• Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of adult education programming across the Sycamore Campus.
• Oversee curriculum, instruction, assessment practices, and instructional coaching systems to ensure high-quality teaching and learning.
• Ensure instructional models reflect evidence-based adult learning practices and acceleration strategies.
• Promote instructional innovation, learner engagement, and academic rigor across all academic programs.
• Ensure alignment between instructional programming, measurable skill gains, credential attainment, persistence, and postsecondary transition outcomes.
• Monitor learner performance trends and implement intervention strategies to improve learner achievement and retention.
• Collaborate with academic leadership to ensure consistency of instructional practices and learner expectations across campuses.

Program Development & Strategic Expansion
• Design and support innovative academic models that integrate:
o Adult Basic Education (ABE)
o GED and NEDP programming
o Digital literacy
o Personalized learning pathways
o Workforce-aligned academic supports
• Support the expansion of academic offerings responsive to community and workforce needs.
• Collaborate with executive leadership on strategic planning, staffing models, scheduling structures, and future campus growth initiatives.
• Ensure academic programming aligns with organizational strategic plans, accreditation priorities, and accountability frameworks.
• Lead implementation efforts associated with new academic initiatives, pilot programs, and learner support strategies.

Leadership & Supervision
• Directly supervise and develop key academic and instructional leaders, including:
o Manager of Curriculum and Instruction
o Manager of Digital Literacy
o Manager of Personalized Learning
o Director of Tutoring, Testing Services, and External Programming
• Provide coaching, performance management, leadership development, and accountability structures for direct reports.
• Foster collaborative leadership practices and shared ownership of learner outcomes across departments.
• Build leadership capacity across teams to support organizational sustainability and succession planning.
• Ensure instructional and learner support teams operate cohesively to deliver high-quality adult education programming and learner-centered services.

Data, Accountability & Continuous Improvement
• Develop and monitor academic performance indicators, including:
o Persistence
o Measurable Skill Gains (MSGs)
o Credential attainment
o Postsecondary transition
o Learner retention and engagement
• Utilize learner outcome data to inform instructional strategies, scheduling, staffing, and programmatic decisions.
• Lead continuous improvement cycles and support data-informed decision-making practices.
• Ensure campus readiness for audits, accreditation reviews, compliance monitoring, and accountability reporting.
• Collaborate with institutional effectiveness and academic leadership teams to ensure alignment of academic outcomes and strategic priorities.
• Support organizational continuous improvement initiatives tied to strategic planning and accreditation.

Cross-Functional Leadership
• Partner closely with workforce development, enrollment, student services, operations, facilities, and institutional effectiveness teams.
• Ensure alignment between academic programming and workforce pathways.
• Support learner persistence through coordination of wraparound supports and integrated learner services.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to executive leadership on organizational priorities and academic innovation.
• Participate in organization-wide leadership initiatives, committees, and strategic planning efforts.
• Support the development of campus-community partnerships that enhance learner access, engagement, and opportunity.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications
• Master’s degree in Education, Educational Leadership, Adult Education, Public Administration, or a related field required.
• Minimum of 7–10 years of progressive leadership experience in education, preferably within adult education, public charter schools, alternative education, or urban educational settings.
• Demonstrated experience leading academic teams, instructional systems, or multi-functional educational programs.
• Proven ability to launch, scale, or lead new educational programs, campuses, or strategic initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of curriculum development, instructional leadership, learner assessment, and adult learning theory.
• Experience supervising and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong organizational leadership, operational management, and change management skills.
• Ability to analyze data and utilize performance metrics to drive continuous improvement.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to lead across multiple stakeholder groups.

Preferred Qualifications
• Doctorate in Education preferred (Ed.D., Ed.S., or related terminal degree).
• Experience within adult public charter schools or adult education systems in Washington, DC.
• Familiarity with DC Public Charter School Board accountability frameworks and adult education compliance requirements.
• Experience integrating workforce development and academic programming.
• Experience supporting accreditation, continuous improvement, or organizational growth initiatives.
• Demonstrated success working with diverse adult learner populations.
Work Environment & Physical Demands
The Deputy Chief Academic Officer works within a fast-paced adult education environment requiring regular collaboration with learners, faculty, staff, executive leadership, and community partners. This position is primarily based on-site at Academy of Hope’s Sycamore Campus in Southeast Washington, DC, with occasional travel between campuses and organizational locations as needed.
The role requires frequent movement throughout campus facilities, including classrooms, offices, and meeting spaces, as well as prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, and computer use. Occasional lifting or carrying of materials up to 15 pounds may be required. Evening and weekend hours may periodically be necessary to support campus operations, learner events, and organizational initiatives.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.