Job Class: 0230, Certificated Execuitve Director

Salary Range: $150,147.52-$197,576.08/annually

Calendar: Full Time / Full Year

Who We Are

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is the seventh largest school district in California, serving more than 50,000 students who speak more than 44 documented languages across 130 schools in the city of San Francisco every year. We aim for every student who attends SFUSD schools to discover his or her spark, along with a strong sense of self and purpose, and that all students graduate from high school ready for college and career, and equipped with the skills, capacities and dispositions outlined in SFUSD’s Graduate Profile. Every day in our quest to achieve this mission we provide each and every student the quality instruction and equitable support required to thrive in the 21st century.

What It Means to Work Here

The SFUSD community is unified by our Core Values:

Student-centered: We put students’ needs first

Fearless: We persist through challenges

United: We celebrate and build on each other’s strengths

Social Justice: We stand with those most vulnerable in our community

Diversity-driven: We respect and seek to understand each person

We are also inspired by Vision, Values and Guardrails which captures our aspirations and vision for the future of public education in San Francisco. Alongside the District’s strategic plan. SFUSD is reimagining how public education will change over the next decade to meet the dynamic future of San Francisco. As a CORE district, SFUSD is also a leader in critical systems change for more comprehensive school accountability and innovations that help strengthen the instructional core, which is the foundation of our strategic plan and Vision 2025.

Who We Want

We want talented people from diverse backgrounds and experiences, who are inspired by our mission, steeped in equity, and who are motivated to unleash our children’s potential. We want people who are strong collaborators, skilled communicators, and problem solvers who are comfortable in a community of continuous learning.

Position Description

The Executive Director of P-3 Systems and Program Quality Enhancement reports to the Assistant Superintendent P-5 and serves as a district leader in advancing high-quality early education, UPK and preschool-to-third-grade (P-3) alignment. This position is responsible for ensuring coherence, innovation, and quality enhancement in early education programs, supporting professional development, instructional coaching, program evaluation, and workforce development to improve student outcomes. The Executive Director of P-3 Systems and Program Quality Enhancement will lead SFUSD’s Early Education and P-3 initiatives, serve as the SFCOE UPK coordinator, ensuring that programs are high-quality, inclusive, developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and aligned across systems in accordance with California’s Universal PreKindergarten framework. This role includes overseeing curriculum development, professional learning, early education site quality, family engagement, and policy compliance, with a focus on equity, school readiness, and continuous improvement.

Essential Duties

The duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to the job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive or exhaustive list.

Strategic Leadership & Program Quality Enhancement

Develop and implement a district-wide vision for high-quality early education and P-3 instructional alignment, ensuring continuity in curriculum, assessment, and student support across preschool, transitional kindergarten, and early elementary grades.

Supervise and support instructional coaching and site support teams, guiding program improvement, pedagogical best practices, and data-driven decision-making.

Oversee the Quality Improvement Plan for early education sites on the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), ensuring alignment with California’s Quality Matrix.

Utilize research-based knowledge in early education quality, school readiness, instructional strategies, and program evaluation to drive continuous improvement.

In collaboration with the coaching teams, ensure classroom environments, instructional strategies, routines, and assessments adhere to SFUSD policies and best practices in early education.

Oversee formative and summative assessments, such as ASQ, DRDP, KRI, IGDIs, ECERS-R, CLASS, and other relevant evaluation tools, to track program success and guide instructional improvements.

Professional Development & Workforce Development

Lead professional development opportunities for early education and early elementary educators, emphasizing high-quality instruction, P-3 alignment, and workforce capacity building.

Establish interdisciplinary professional learning communities for preschool through third-grade educators and leaders to foster collaboration, shared best practices, and instructional alignment.

Incorporate social-emotional learning, trauma-informed care, and restorative justice practices into professional development to support student and staff well-being.

Work with curriculum specialists and assessment experts to align instructional resources, pedagogical strategies, and assessment tools with California’s UPK and early education standards.

Collaboration, Family Engagement & Partnerships

Collaborate with SF Department of Early Childhood, site leaders, and district departments, institutions of higher education, and community partners to design, align, implement systems supporting continuous quality improvement.

Strengthen partnerships with community organizations, higher education institutions, and state agencies to enhance resources, workforce development, and program funding for SFUSD’s early education and P-3 programs.

Foster a culture of inclusion, equity, and family engagement, ensuring that early education programs meet the diverse needs of SFUSD’s families.

Engage with district leaders, principals, and teachers to create coherent early education and P-3 policies that support a smooth preschool-to-elementary transition for students.

Lead vertical alignment teams of preschool, transitional kindergarten, and early elementary teachers to ensure a seamless developmental continuum in instruction and student support.

The strongest candidates will have:

A clear vision for early childhood education and a strategic approach to aligning preschool through third-grade programs for continuity, coherence, and high-quality instruction.

Expertise in early childhood development, curriculum frameworks, assessment strategies, and P-3 best practices, along with knowledge of California’s UPK and QRIS.

A strong commitment to equity, social-emotional learning, and culturally responsive teaching to ensure high-quality educational experiences for all students.

A track record of managing organizational change and implementing key innovations in early childhood education.

The ability to work effectively across multiple roles and functions within a large, complex educational system.

Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with senior district leadership, school staff, families, and external partners.

A data-driven leadership approach, using analytics, research, and evidence-based practices to inform programmatic and instructional decisions.

Success leading effective teams and professional learning communities to improve early education instruction and school readiness outcomes.

Excellent communication skills, including the ability to facilitate meetings, deliver presentations, and engage with diverse stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Master’s or Ed.D. in Early Childhood Education, Educational Development, Education Leadership, Early Elementary, or a related field, with an emphasis on ages birth to 8 years
CTC Child Development Program Director Permit, valid California Administrative Credential, OR eligibility for a California Administrative Credential
Administrative experience working with early education programs (Birth-8 years), with at least two years in a supervisory capacity.
Possession of a valid California driver’s license with state-mandated insurance coverage

Desired Qualifications:

Bilingual/biliterate proficiency.
Knowledge of or experience implementing Response to Intervention and Instruction (RTI²), Restorative Justice Practices, and Balanced Literacy.
Strategic leadership and management experience in a PK-12 urban public educational setting.

What We Offer

SFUSD offers a competitive salary of $150,147.52-$197,576.08/annually commensurate with experience in a similar position. We offer a comprehensive benefits plan including dental and vision plans, a defined benefit pension plan, disability, life insurance, flexible spending account options and vacation time. We also offer an inclusive and equity-centered environment where we encourage staff to bring their whole selves to work.

How to Apply

Visit www.careers.sfusd.edu and create a new account to begin your application.
Visit careers.sf.gov and begin the application process.
You will be prompted to electronically attach a letter of interest, resume, list of professional references and any applicable credentials or licenses
Our Human Resources team will then review your entire application to determine your eligibility status and contact you directly should you move forward in the process

Verification

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at http://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification from this and future job opportunities with the San Francisco Unified School District.

Non-Discrimination Policy

San Francisco Unified School District programs, activities, and practices shall be free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression; or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. This policy extends to San Francisco County Office of Education, including community school programs and activities.

For more information about the District's non-discrimination policy, please review Board Policy 4030.

Executive Director, P-3 Systems and Program Quality Enhancement (0230)(2025/2026)