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:
Director of Special Education / Change Agent is a full-time position to change the world for the millions of families who have a child with a brain injury or brain-based disorder.
Position Summary:
Under the supervision of the Program Director, with wide latitude for independent judgment and decision-making, the Director of Special Education will ensure the academic standards and implementation of each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) by leading the development of such IEPs and regularly assess their implementation. Qualified individuals in this role will provide leadership, management, supervision, evaluation, coordination, and direction of all iBRAIN-Academy special education school-based programs and services for students with disabilities, which includes assisting in the development of new curriculum and programs.
This person will be part of the Management Team overseeing the current school-based programs in New York City, Washington, D.C., and other states as needed, and will also operate as a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Finally, individuals who are successful in this role are strategic planners, adept at compliance monitoring, understands the importance of research and innovation in improving services to students, and successfully implements evidence-based practices and programming in special education.
Salary Range:
$125,000 to $150,000 (based on experience)
Reports to:
Program Director
Job Type:
Full time (M-F); In-person (no remote/hybrid)
Location:
New York (Manhattan and Brooklyn) with travel requirements to our new Washington, DC location, as well as future iBRAIN-Academy locations around the country
Job Responsibilities:
- Work as part of Leadership Team in order to fulfill the organization’s mission.
- Provide leadership for and direct the IEP process, including the development of each student’s IEP, as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
- Oversee Deputy & Associate Directors of Special Education across all programs.
- Ensure the academic standards are maintained and quality assurance for each student’s program through regular monitoring, assessing and training,
- Enhance current programs and the development of new curriculum and assessments to ensure the use of evidence-based practices.
- Implement professional development programs to ensure adherence to organizational standards of service, policies and procedures.
- Develop new programming to improve the student, staff and parents’ experiences.
- Recruit, hire, and retain competent and qualified staff.
- Evaluate employee performance.
- Monitor compliance with special education legal guidelines.
- Prepare and present comprehensive, effective oral and written reports.
- Work with iBRAIN’s Postgraduate Continuing Education Program to develop trainings/courses for special education staff.
Research & Innovation Duties:
- Has mastery of special education and related disciplines; responsible for competent academic review of department’s plans, progress reports, and documentation for individual students.
- Present to the Directors of Research, Continuing Education, and Related Services innovative and evidence-based practices, teaching strategies, trainings, tiered assessments, and current breakthroughs in special education that are feasible to improve the rehabilitation and education of iBRAIN-Academy students.
- Collaborate effectively with iBRAIN-Institute on various projects necessary for the continuous development and implementation of the iBRAIN-Academy programs, such as participation in Innovation/Research Meetings.
- Serve as a high-yielding Principal Investigator by developing novel scientifically rigorous research project(s), which entails establishing interdisciplinary collaborations, collecting/analyzing data, presenting original data at a local/virtual scientific conference/symposium, and being a lead author on peer-reviewed publications.
- Identify at least 6+ knowledge gaps or competency areas and serve as a Primary Subject Matter Expert to develop corresponding accreditation-compliant CEU modules.
- Work with program teams and consultants to conduct literature reviews, surveys, focus groups and shape/share findings for the team and/or external audiences.
- Responsible for facilitating competent Common Planning Sessions to integrate discipline-specific discussion into the wider iBRAIN organization.
- Responsible for coaching, mentoring, and critiquing colleagues' Clinical-Educational Grand Rounds preparation and presentation.
- Well-familiarized with aspects of protection of human subjects to ensure that data are collected and maintained in accordance with all Institutional Review Board (IRB) guidelines.
- Serve as an in-house expert, providing timely information and feedback, as well as content expertise as needed for research activities and projects for Educators and Research Assistant/Paraprofessionals participating in iBRAIN’s Research/CE initiatives.
Qualifications:
- Doctoral degree (Ed.D., Ph.D., or Psy.D.) and at least ten years of leadership experience in the field of special education(supervising 15+ individuals at a given time).
- New York State special education certification and/or eligibility for such certification, as well as other state certifications, as needed.
- Experience working with students with wide range of impairments due to brain injury and/or brain-based disorders.
- Experience supporting and advocating for students with disabilities and their families.
- Research and presentation experience at national/international conferences (preferred).
- Strong written and oral / public speaking abilities.
- Strong work ethic with a high degree of energy.
- Outstanding interpersonal and leadership skills.
- Transparent and high integrity leadership.
- High-level strategic thinking and planning.
- Ability to envision and convey the organization’s strategic future to the staff, board, volunteers, donors, and the overall community.
- Ability and willingness to adhere to iBRAIN policies and procedures, including regular and punctual employee attendance.
- Demonstrate ability to communicate, interact, and work effectively and cooperatively with people from diverse ethnic and educational backgrounds.
- MUST HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR.
Benefits:
Health insurance, Dental insurance, Vision insurance, Paid time off, Transportation Management Account
Hours:
Monday through Friday, typically 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., with occasional prolonged and irregular hours based on leadership/management/travel responsibilities.
Please note this position adheres to iBRAIN-Academy’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.