Sign upLog in

(DOE-011-26) Assistant Commissioner (Chief Academic Officer)

New Jersey Department of Education

Trenton, NJ

Apply
JOB DETAILS
JOB TYPE
Full-time
SKILLS
Academic Intervention, Budgeting, Career Development, Cross-Functional, Education Regulations, Educational Administration, Embedded Systems, Employee Retention, Equity Securities, Federal Grants, Federal Laws and Regulations, Government, Homeland Security, Leadership, Life Insurance, Literacy, Metrics, Multilingual, National Curriculum, Prescription Drugs, Project Tracking, Project/Program Management, Psychiatry and Mental Health, Publications, Regulations, Resource Management, Special Education, Standards Development, Team Building, Team Lead/Manager, Team Player, Time Management, Training/Teaching, Training/Teaching Curriculum, Training/Teaching Materials, Tuition Reimbursement, United States Customs, United States Department of Energy (DOE)
LOCATION
Trenton, NJ
POSTED
14 days ago

Notice of Vacancy - Deadline Extension

Reference Number: DOE-011-26
Title: Assistant Commissioner (Chief Academic Officer)
Range/Title Code: M98/99985
Salary: $181,125.00
Position Number: TBD
Issue Date: June 18, 2026
Closing Date: July 10, 2026
Core Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Location: Trenton, New Jersey
Division: Division of Teaching and Learning Services, Office of the Assistant Commissioner

Description

The Chief Academic Officer (CAO) serves as the State Education Department's senior executive responsible for defining, advancing, and delivering the Department’s academic vision, ensuring all students are safe, supported, and successful and achieve academic excellence across New Jersey. The CAO is responsible for the strategic design and statewide implementation of academic standards, high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) adoption, professional learning systems, and district and student support. The CAO serves as a key advisor to the Commissioner on all matters of instructional policy and practice.

This is a broad, high-impact executive role requiring deep expertise in curriculum and instruction, special education, and large-scale program management. This role also requires relational skills to build trust with a diverse landscape of district leaders, practitioners, community stakeholders, and state and federal partners. The CAO leads a multi-disciplinary division of curriculum specialists, professional learning designers, and student support staff, and is expected to model the instructional vision they champion across the state.

Core Responsibilities:

Set and continuously refine the Department’s academic vision and instructional strategy
  • Own a clear, statewide academic vision that defines what high-quality teaching and learning look like across all content areas and grade levels.
  • Translate that vision into a coherent instructional strategy spanning curriculum, assessment, student supports, and educator development.
  • Ensure alignment across priority initiatives (e.g., literacy, tutoring, early childhood, career pathways) so districts experience a unified academic framework.
  • Continuously refine strategy based on research, field engagement, and evidence of implementation and impact.

Ensure instructional coherence through standards, curriculum, and high-quality materials
  • Oversee the development and implementation of academic standards aligned to current research and equity-centered practice.
  • Lead the statewide system for high-quality instructional materials (HQIM), including review, and adoption support.
  • Design and drive implementation models that connect curriculum, assessment, and professional learning into coherent instructional systems.
  • Ensure consistency across content areas so schools are not navigating fragmented or competing instructional priorities.
  • Translate national research on instructional quality into actionable state policy, guidance, and tools.

Oversee a comprehensive system of student supports, including special populations
  • Define and lead a statewide approach to integrated student supports that ensures all students can access grade-level content and succeed.
  • Oversee alignment of academic interventions (e.g., tutoring, MTSS) with core instruction to create cohesive systems at the school level.
  • Ensure strong integration of supports for students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and other special populations into the academic strategy—not as separate systems.
  • Coordinate across divisions to align academic, mental health, and school climate supports around student needs.
  • Drive clarity on how districts implement supports so that policy translates into effective, consistent practice in schools.
Lead the full educator pipeline from preparation through development and retention
  • Oversee a coherent strategy for the educator pipeline spanning preparation, certification, induction, professional learning, and career development.
  • Design and implement statewide professional learning systems that are job-embedded, evidence-based, and aligned to instructional priorities.
  • Establish rigorous standards for selecting and evaluating professional learning providers and programs.
  • Ensure educators have access to high-quality tools, resources, and digital platforms aligned to current academic priorities.
  • Align educator workforce strategy with instructional goals, ensuring teachers and leaders are equipped to deliver high-quality instruction at scale.

Drive delivery, performance, and field engagement to ensure impact on student outcomes
  • Establish clear success metrics tied to academic outcomes (e.g., proficiency, growth, access to supports) and monitor progress through regular performance routines.
  • Lead the design and execution of academic initiatives, ensuring effective implementation across diverse district contexts.
  • Serve as the Department’s academic lead with districts, educators, and stakeholders, building trust and ensuring state strategy reflects classroom realities.
  • Provide executive-level leadership to a division spanning teaching and learning, students support, and the educator pipeline to ensure coherence across the department’s academic agenda and avoid fragmentation.
  • Recruit, develop, and retain top instructional talent, building a team culture that is collaborative, evidence-driven, equity-centered, and accountable for results.
  • Develop and manage the division’s budget, including federal education grants, state appropriations, and contracted services, and ensure resources are allocated in alignment with strategic priorities.

Requirements

Education

Master's degree or higher in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership, Education Policy, or a closely related field.

Experience

A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience in curriculum, instruction, or academic program leadership, with at least five (5) years in a senior leadership or management role.  Demonstrated expertise in K–12 curriculum design, standards development, and the selection and implementation of high-quality instructional materials.  Proven experience designing and scaling professional learning systems for educators and instructional leaders.  Track record of building and sustaining effective district support relationships in a state agency, regional education service center, or large district central office context.  Demonstrated ability to lead large, cross-functional teams in a government or complex organizational setting.

Preferred Education/Experience

Doctoral degree (Ph.D. or Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership, or a related field.  Prior experience in a state education agency or large urban district central office with responsibility for academic programming at scale.  Deep knowledge of foundational literacy research, structured literacy approaches, and evidence-based early reading instruction.  Experience leading statewide or multi-district HQIM adoption initiatives, including navigating the political and cultural dimensions of curriculum change.  Familiarity with federal education law and grant requirements relevant to academic programs, including Title I, Title II, Title III, and ESSA consolidated planning requirements.  Track record of publication, conference presentation, or recognized leadership in the national curriculum and instruction field.

Employee Benefits

As a NJ State Department, NJDOE offers a comprehensive benefits package including:
• Pension
• Deferred Compensation
• Health (medical, prescription drug, dental & vision care) and Life Insurance
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Tuition Reimbursement*
• Flexible and Health Spending Accounts (FSA/HSA)
• 13 paid holidays
• Benefit Leave (vacation days, sick days and administrative leave days)
• Telework*
• Alternate Work Week Program*

*Pursuant to Department’s policy, procedures, and/or guidelines.

Open to the Following

In accordance with the New Jersey First Act P.L. 2011 c.70, effective September 1, 2011, new public employees are required to obtain New Jersey residency within one (1) year of employment.

Applicants must meet the requirements listed above.

Interested candidates may apply via: https://www.nj.gov/education/careers/.

Authorization to Work

Selected candidates must be authorized to work in the United States according to the Department of Homeland Security, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement regulations. Note: The State of New Jersey does not provide sponsorships for work visas.

SAME Applicants

If you are applying under the NJ “SAME” program, your supporting documents (Schedule A or B letter), must be submitted along with your resume by the closing date indicated above. For more information on the SAME Program, visit their website at: nj.gov/csc/same/overview/index.shtml, email:

CSC-Same@csc.nj.gov

, or call the Civil Service Commission at (609)-292-4144, option 3.

EOE/AA Statement

The New Jersey State Department of Education is an Equal Opportunity Employer, has an Affirmative Action Program, and will not discriminate against any person because of race, creed, religion, color, national origin/nationality, ancestry, age, sex/gender (including pregnancy), marital status/civil union partnership, familial status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, domestic partnership status, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, genetic information, disability, (including perceived disability, physical, mental, and/or intellectual disabilities), or liability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States, and is committed to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Powered by JazzHR

About the Company

N

New Jersey Department of Education