Chief Academic Innovation Officer

About the role

Newark Academy seeks a Chief Academic Innovation Officer (CAIO) to help shape the future of its academic program. The CAIO will challenge longstanding assumptions about how schools organize teaching and learning. Working closely with the Head of School and the Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning, the CAIO will examine the fundamental structures of Newark Academy's academic experience and lead the development of new approaches that reconsider what students learn, how they learn, how they demonstrate their learning, and how Newark Academy programming prepares them for college and the world beyond.

Central to this work is a commitment to challenging and joyful learning, intellectual curiosity, student agency, and the relationships that make an exceptional education possible. Working collaboratively across divisions and departments, the CAIO will build support for ambitious ideas and lead their implementation, ensuring that thoughtful innovation results in meaningful and sustainable change. The position will also provide strategic leadership for academic scheduling, recognizing that how the school organizes time, courses, and resources is fundamental to what students can experience and achieve.

The Chief Academic Innovation Officer serves as a member of the senior leadership team and works in close partnership with the Assistant Head for Teaching & Learning, division principals, department chairs, and other school leaders.

Reports to: Assistant Head for Teaching & Learning

Responsibilities

Academic Vision and Transformation

• Partner with the Head of School, Assistant Head for Teaching & Learning, division principals, and academic leaders to develop and advance a compelling long-term vision for Newark Academy's academic program
• Lead a thoughtful examination of the school's academic structures, including curriculum, departmental organization, course requirements, academic pathways, assessment, and the use of time, identifying opportunities for meaningful change
• Develop and lead a multi-year academic innovation plan that establishes priorities, identifies opportunities for transformation, and translates the school's educational vision into concrete initiatives
• Guide the school's response to artificial intelligence and other developments shaping the future of education, with particular attention to independent thinking, intellectual development, teaching, learning, and assessment
• Help shape the future of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and Advanced Placement opportunities at Newark Academy, examining how these programs can best support the school's broader educational vision
• Explore new models for experiential learning, research, collaboration, and partnerships that connect academic study with the world beyond the classroom
• Examine the relationship between academic expectations, student well-being, and the overall student experience, seeking approaches that strengthen both academic excellence and balance
• Study exemplary educational programs and emerging practices at leading independent schools, colleges, universities, and other organizations, translating relevant insights into opportunities for Newark Academy

Institutional Leadership and Implementation

• Build trust and institutional alignment around academic priorities, engaging faculty, students, and administrators meaningfully in the process of change
• Foster a culture of intellectual curiosity, thoughtful experimentation, and continuous improvement, encouraging faculty to question assumptions and explore new possibilities for teaching and learning
• Partner with the Assistant Head for Teaching & Learning and division principals to support faculty in developing, piloting, evaluating, and implementing new educational approaches
• Establish clear goals, timelines, and measures of success for major initiatives, using evidence of student learning and experience to evaluate their impact
• Engage faculty, students, and families in meaningful conversations about the future of teaching and learning
• Partner with Admissions, Advancement, and Marketing & Communications to articulate the distinctive strengths and future direction of Newark Academy's academic program
• Help strengthen a school culture in which academic excellence is measured not only by what students achieve, but also by what they contribute

Academic Scheduling and Program Design

• Provide strategic leadership for the annual academic scheduling process, ensuring that the schedule reflects and advances Newark Academy's educational priorities
• Examine how the organization of the school day, academic calendar, course offerings, and faculty responsibilities might evolve to create new opportunities for teaching and learning
• Lead the exploration and development of scheduling models that support interdisciplinary study, experiential education, academic choice, student well-being, and effective use of faculty expertise
• Collaborate with division principals, department chairs, and academic leaders to balance student interests, program requirements, faculty responsibilities, and institutional resources

The role may include other duties as assigned by the Head of School.

Qualifications

• Significant successful experience in teaching and academic leadership
• Demonstrated success in leading meaningful academic or institutional change
• Deep understanding of educational philosophy, curriculum, assessment, and research on teaching and learning
• Strong understanding of artificial intelligence and its implications for teaching, learning, assessment, and the development of independent student thinking
• Familiarity with the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and the opportunities and challenges of advanced college-preparatory education
• Demonstrated ability to question conventional practices, think strategically, exercise sound judgment, and translate ambitious ideas into practical and sustainable change
• A collaborative leadership style and a proven ability to earn trust, build consensus, and engage colleagues in meaningful institutional improvement
• Exceptional communication, interpersonal, organizational, and project management skills
• Experience with academic scheduling, complex program design, or the strategic allocation of academic resources preferred
• Advanced degree in education, educational leadership, or a related field preferred

Leadership Attributes

The successful candidate will be an accomplished, strategic, collaborative, and student-centered academic leader who can balance innovation with thoughtful implementation. This individual will be deeply committed to creating opportunities that challenge and inspire students, encourage them to take ownership of their learning, and help them discover their interests and potential.

Above all, the Chief Academic Innovation Officer will keep students at the center of every decision, bringing people together to create an academic experience that is increasingly distinctive, challenging, joyful, and connected to the world beyond Newark Academy.

This is a full-time, 12-month position beginning July 1, 2027.

Pay and benefits

Base pay range $140,000-$160,000. Salary is dependent on numerous factors, including but not limited to education and experience.

Benefits

Including, but not limited to: Paid time off (PTO), paid holidays, retirement, medical, dental, and vision insurance, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance as well as a variety of other benefits.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

Newark Academy seeks and celebrates diversity in its faculty, staff and student body. In admission and employment practices, scholarship aid and educational programs, Newark Academy upholds applicable state and federal laws and regulations prohibiting unlawful discrimination.