Job Title: Preschool Early InterventionPrincipal Director 

1 Principal Director for the Northeastern Zone: suburban Allegheny County

1 Principal Director for the Southwestern Zone: suburban Allegheny County

Position Summary: 

The position is responsible for ensuring that a full range of services and programs are available to meet the needs of eligible preschool children with developmental delays and disabilities based on their assigned region of suburban Allegheny County (i.e., the Northeastern Zone or the Southwestern Zone). The Preschool Early Intervention (PEI) Principal Director is expected to collaborate with their colleague director, co-planning as needed while ensuring that program management within both zones is coordinated.  Moreover, the Principal Director will administer the PEI program in compliance with the regulations, standards, policies, and procedures of both the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU). This position includes responsibility for the fiscal management of the regional program in collaboration with the AIU’s office of business and finance, the supervision and evaluation of personnel supporting their assigned zone, and the coordination of special education services for preschool aged children within their specified region of the county.    

Duties and Responsibilities:     

1. Establishes the program’s regional priorities, implementing aligned activities and monitoring programmatic outcomes, ensuring that applicable regulations, professional standards, and recommended practices are addressed.

1. Implements a regional child find system to locate, screen, evaluate, and identify children who are thought to have a disability and to subsequently provide early intervention services to those children eligible for special education.

1. Coordinates and participates in preschooler’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) processes, in collaboration with the IEP team members and other administrative team members, ensuring that educational services for learners are safeguarded. 

1. Implements, supervises, and ensures that regional staff provide special education services, monitoring students’ progress in response to research-based and best practices in early intervention, to ensure that programming is responsive to the needs and interests of the learners and their guardians.

1. Coordinates annual kindergarten transition meetings with school-age local education agencies (LEAs), providing relevant technical assistance as needed, to ensure that the matriculation of children between educational systems is articulated.

1. Manages regional staffing matters including onboarding, assigning, supervising, and evaluating personnel, consistent with processes determined by the intermediate unit and agreements established with applicable collective bargaining units, to ensure the effective and orderly management of assigned staff.

1. Provides regional staff access to training and in-servicing activities that align with program needs and priorities, partnering with technical assistance providers, colleague administrators, and other personnel, so that employees are current, compliant, and knowledgeable in their areas of practice.

1. Participates in the development and oversight of the program’s regional budgets, in collaboration with the agency’s office of business and finance, safeguarding the cost-effective operations of the program while ensuring that fiscal management complies with the policies and procedures of the intermediate unit and other funding agencies.

1. Manages the program’s contracts, agreements, and grant applications including the annual special education plan, by complying with all reporting requirement and student accounting systems, ensuring that quality assurance requirements of funding agencies are met.

1. Develops and maintains a liaison with stakeholder groups (e.g., parents/guardians, barraging units’ local liaisons, community-based agencies, local education agencies, role-alike groups), through informal and formal means, for the purpose of soliciting input, clarifying problems, advocating for programs, and advancing program modification.

1. Other duties as assigned by administration in support of the regional programs.
   
   
    

Qualifications:     

1. Supervisory Certification of Special Education or Principal K-12 certification required.

2. Experience working in the field of special education or early childhood education preferred

3. Knowledge of special education law 

4. Experience supervising and evaluating professional and non-professional staff preferred

5. Evidence of strong leadership skills

6. Excellent written and oral communication skills 

7. Self-motivator, independent, cooperative, flexible, creative, and responsible. 

8. Ability and experience working as a member of a team

9. Ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines and work under pressure with limited supervision

10. Skilled in the use of Microsoft Office Suite, student information systems, and other electronic databases and dashboards

11. Ability to comply with AIU Policies and Pennsylvania's Code of Professional Practice and Conduct for Educators 

Additional Requirements:   

1. Current Act 114, Act 34, Act 151 and NSOR Clearances required prior to an offer (must be dated within 1 year of hire date).

1. School Personnel Health Record (Form H511.340) must be completed and received by Human Resources prior to hire date.

Working Conditions:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Sitting for extended period of time

2. Lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling 35 pounds

3. Ability to kneel, crouch, bend and reach to retrieve and handle teaching materials and supplies

4. Moving fingers and hands in a repetitive manner

5. Ability to speak clearly and distinctly when communicating with limited English-speaking customers

6. Hearing clearly

7. Adequate vision to perform duties

The information contained in this job description is for compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position.  Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this position and additional duties may be assigned.

Disclaimer: The preceding description is not designed to be a complete list of all duties and responsibilities required of this position.

Reports To: Assistant Executive Director for Special Education and Pupil Services

Department: Special Education and Pupil Services

Position Schedule: 260 Days

Salary:  Act 93, Grade 17

Benefits: Act 93 Benefit Guide

To Apply: Create an on-line application and upload a cover letter, resume, and PDE Teaching Certificate on the AIU Career Site.

Please send any questions to: [email protected]