Director, Student and Family Support

ABOUT BEZOS ACADEMY

At Bezos Academy, we believe all children deserve the great start that excellent early education provides, including in under-resourced communities. Our mission is to nurture the potential in every child to become a creative leader, original thinker, and lifelong learner by inventing the solutions needed to scale early childhood education. We are a unique organization that realizes our mission in two ways. First, we operate a multi-state network of schools in under-resourced communities, offering quality Montessori-inspired preschool at no cost to families. Second, we create tools, products, technology, and other solutions designed to reach young children and their caregivers well beyond the walls of our schools. We aspire to have a profound, large-scale impact on children ages zero to five.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As the Director of Student and Family Support at Bezos Academy, you will lead the vision, strategy, and systems that ensure children and families receive the support they need to thrive in our preschools across the country. You will evolve and strengthen our organization‑wide approach to inclusive practices, early identification of developmental needs, and multi‑tiered systems of support. Working in close partnership with school leaders, educators, legal partners, and central teams, you will translate deep expertise in early childhood inclusive practices, developmental supports, and multi-tiered systems of support into scalable frameworks, clear guidance, and practical tools that empower schools to serve children with a range of strengths, needs, and abilities.

You bring experience leading student support and inclusion services at a systems level, along with the judgment, empathy, and clarity needed to navigate complex decisions alongside families and school teams. You are a trusted thought partner and practitioner and are equally comfortable setting long‑term strategy, developing others, and engaging directly in nuanced child‑level problem solving. Above all, you are energized by our mission and the opportunity to build something high impact and lasting for young children and their families.

LOCATION(S)

• Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Texas, or Washington and/or within two hours’ drive to multiple Bezos Academy preschools (please see our website for school locations); Seattle, WA preferred
• Relocation support is available for this role for candidates relocating to Seattle

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• This is a full-time, benefits-eligible, exempt (salaried) position.
• The full salary range for this position, across all United States geographies, is $132,000-$250,000 per year. The upper portion of the salary range is typically reserved for employees who have been in the role for multiple years and have demonstrated strong performance over time. Starting salary will vary by location, qualifications, and prior experience; during the interview process, candidates will learn the starting salary range applicable for their location.
• This role includes 15 paid days of vacation, 4 days of paid personal time off, 9paid days of sick (care) time, 9 paid holidays, 5 paid days off for an organization-wide winter break, and additional time off if required by applicable law. Benefits for this role include medical, dental, and vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, a 401(k) plan with a 4% employer contribution match, paid parental leave, an employer-matched flexible spending account for dependent care, and more. Please see here for details.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree
• Ten or more years of relevant professional experience including significant experience in special education, inclusive education, student support, or related fields with an emphasis on early childhood development
• Experience leading student support, special education, inclusion services, or related programs at a systems-level for children ages 0 to third grade (impacting a multi-school system/network or an entire school district)
• Prior responsibility for setting strategy, policies, and operating frameworks for a multi-school system/network or an entire school district and being accountable for student outcomes
• Track record of providing multiple systems of support and applying a variety of student support frameworks (including Universal Design for Learning)
• Demonstrated success clearly and effectively articulating issues and challenges, and generating recommendations covering matters of policy and organizational implementation
• Prior experience hiring, developing, and coaching high-performing teams, and fostering growth, accountability, and collaboration
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the proven ability to build trusting relationships across a variety of constituents
• Ability to travel to school sites up to 50% of the time and/or other national travel as needed
  
  

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree in a related field, including but not limited to, special education, social work, or public administration
• Experience serving as the most senior decision-maker (or a lead authority) for special education, inclusion, student support, or related functions across a multi-school organization, network, or district
• Experience leading student support or special education functions across highly geographically distributed regions, at the state level, and/or nationally
• Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale, strategic organizational initiatives and change efforts by engaging diverse stakeholders, departments, and senior leaders
• Proven success at informing, advising, and influencing senior leaders on special education, inclusion, student support, compliance, and organizational strategy
• Consulting and/or cross-sector experience that includes strengthening special education programs, policies, and outcomes
• Experience with the Montessori pedagogy or other constructivist models such as Reggio Emilia

Please click here for a full job description.

Bezos Academy participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with employee Form I-9 Information to confirm authorization to work in the U.S. Bezos Academy only uses E-Verify once a candidate has accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9. If E-Verify cannot confirm that an employee is authorized to work, Bezos Academy will give the employee written instructions and an opportunity to contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so the employee can begin to resolve the issue before any adverse employment action is taken. For more information about your right to work, please see the Notice of Right to Work.