The International Academy for the Brain (iBRAIN-Academy) is one of the largest brain-injury special education programs in the world. iBRAIN-Academy’s mission is to research, develop, and implement special education and related services for school-aged (3 to 21 years of age) students, as well as the development of a fully-inclusive education model, predicated on our Common Planning and Clinical-Educational Grand Rounds Model.
iBRAIN-Academy is headquartered in New York City with current locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Washington, D.C. iBRAIN is expanding to add an out-patient clinic (iBRAIN-Center), as well as growing its research efforts for the brain injury and brain-based disorders community (iBRAIN-Institute).
Position Title:
Associate Paraprofessional Special Education Director
Position Summary:
This position is intended for teachers who want to transition out of the classroom and who also have some management experience. This individual will receive on-the-job training from those in senior leadership. The Associate Paraprofessional Special Education Director will work in conjunction with the Research Manager to support the service specific duties of the dual role of the Research Assistant/Paraprofessional.
Salary Range:
$80,000-$95,000 (based on years of experience)
Reports to:
Deputy Director of Special Education
Job Type:
Full time; in person (no remote/hybrid)
Location(s):
New York (Manhattan or Brooklyn; iBRAIN-Academy campus)
Job Description & Responsibilities:
Paraprofessional Management Duties:
- Assures policies and procedures are effective, current and provide the necessary guidance and consistency to assure the provision of quality service.
- Ensure a safe, clean, and healthy working environment for students and staff by complying with procedures, rules, and regulations.
- Foster a welcoming student-centered culture that protects the rights of the individuals it serves.
- Coordinate all aspects of RA/Professionals student schedules, coverages, etc.
- Monitor the RA/Para as they assist his or her assigned student in all aspects of the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Ensure that RA/Paras are functioning within their level of experience, training, and certification.
- Plan and coordinate RA/Para staff development and professional training that focuses on their Special Education & Paraprofessional duties (2 to 3 afternoons per week).
- Evaluates RA/Para performance and carry-out employee discipline, if needed. Emissary of fairness and consistency.
- Compliance monitoring to assure RA/Para attendance at all mandatory meetings.
- Ensures a professional and accurate relay of information to parents/guardians on a regular basis.
- Consults with the Research Manager (quarterback of task) to create/give/implement training to facilitate the RA/Paras reporting of Baseline Research Responsibilities. The Research Manager ensures that audits of the Baseline Research Responsibilities are conducted regularly. If compliance or data quality concerns arise, both the Research Manager and Associate Paraprofessional Special Education Director work to resolve the concern.
Management Training Duties:
- Work as part of management team to fulfill the organization’s mission.
- Facilitate the implementation of professional development programs of iBRAIN RA/Paraprofessionals to ensure adherence to organizational standards of service, policies, and procedures. Foster a mentoring/training mindset to help identify/fill knowledge gaps.
- Support the interviewing, hiring, and retention of competent, qualified RA/Paraprofessionals to ensure that staffing is adequate. The Associate Paraprofessional Special Educator Director will determine salaries using the provided salary matrix.
- Support timely reporting of emergent issues or concerns relating to students, policies, procedures, or documents to pertinent supervisor.
- Assist to empower teachers to be the principal of their classroom by: 1) facilitating the development of RA/Paraprofessional student-centered Quarterly Progress Reports (QPR) goals; and 2) identifying 1:1 activity options that can be done in between service sessions to help build skills that support the students' progress.
- Other tasks as assigned.
Baseline Research Duties:
- Participation in regular iBRAIN Research & Innovation meetings, as scheduled.
- Help Research Assistant/Paraprofessional fully understand their student's IEP & heighten their ability to formulate in-depth student-specific research questions.
- Complete iBRAIN Research Integrity annual training.
- For Continuing Education (CE), annually identify 3+ knowledge gaps or competency areas, and serve as Primary Subject Matter Expert to develop corresponding CE modules that are in compliance with iBRAIN’s Department accreditation standards through IACET.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Master’s degree required
- NYS Childhood Education and Students with Disabilities 1-6, or Early Childhood and Students with Disabilities B-2, or NYS Permanent Special Education Certification.
- Seeking candidates with a minimum of 5 years of experience working with students with physical and developmental disabilities.
- Seeking candidates with a minimum of 3 years of experience managing > 20 people.
- Must be able to pass ALL of the FREE eLearning Short Courses in Clinical Research from The Global Health Training Centre website (https://globalhealthtrainingcentre.tghn.org/elearning/short-courses/)
- Exceptional interpersonal, problem solving, communication skills, along with the ability to take initiative, and a highly flexible personality type.
- MUST HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR
Benefits:
Health insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Paid time off
Hours:
Monday through Friday, typically 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with occasional prolonged hours.
This position adheres to iBRAIN’s administrative calendar.
Note: This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and/or qualifications associated with the position.
Employment with iBRAIN is contingent upon successful completion of any and all post-screening processes, including a reference and background check, and license/certification/degree verifications if/where applicable.
Please send a resume and cover letter to Jobs@ibrainnyc.org unless a specific job description specifies otherwise.