Principal - State Teacher III - Lookout Mountain Youth Service Center

Salary : $92,232.00 - $119,424.00 Annually
Location : Golden, CO
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: IKA 01428 10/14/26
Department: Colorado Department of Human Services
Division: OCYF - Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center
Opening Date: 10/14/2026
Closing Date: 10/25/2026 11:59 PM Mountain
FLSA: Determined by Position
Type of Announcement: This position is open only to Colorado state residents.
Primary Physical Work Address: 2901 Ford St, Golden, CO 80401, USA
FLSA Status: Exempt; position is not eligible for overtime compensation.
Department Contact Information:
How To Apply: Please submit an online application for this position at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado. Reach out to the Department Contact to apply using a paper application, including any supplemental questions. Failure to submit a complete and timely application may result in the rejection of your application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that application materials are received by the appropriate Human Resources office before the closing date and time listed.

Description of Job
You are required to work at your assigned work location during your scheduled work times.
Please note: Work arrangements are subject to change at any time.
Summary of this position:
The Principal creates a school environment in which students learn and make progress across all educational domains while also growing in social emotional regulation and the use of treatment tools to support successful transition back to the community. The Principal is responsible for supervising, planning, and assuring the delivery of daily educational services to students. This includes oversight of the individualization and integration of curriculum to meet diverse student needs while aligning with grade-level expectations, postsecondary and workforce readiness goals, the Division of Youth Services (DYS) district instructional model and curriculum guidelines, special and general education outcomes, assessment requirements, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) and career pathway outcomes. The role ensures coherence in the collection, analysis, and use of data and information across classrooms and the broader facility system, making data accessible and meaningful for all stakeholders, including teachers and students and is responsible for effective education data management, monitoring, and reporting through established systems and structures on a monthly basis and as otherwise directed. This position facilitates ongoing communication and collaboration between the school program and other programs within the facility, while maintaining safety and security and ensuring adherence to all facility policies and procedures; the role ensures compliance with all legally mandated state and federal education requirements, accreditation expectations, and assures timely, accurate communication with Central Office and other stakeholders in accordance with established processes and protocols. The Principal oversees human resource functions within the school program, ensuring that supervision, coaching cycles, performance management, and all state and agency HR processes are implemented with fidelity for all education staff. The role also builds and sustains strong partnerships with parents, families, and community stakeholders. Responsible for maintaining CDE Principal or Administrator licensure. Duties in this position include:
Curriculum, Data and Instructional Leadership:

• Supervises and guides the development and implementation of curriculum and instructional practices across general education, special education and intervention services, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) and career courses while assessing overall effectiveness
• Monitors the ongoing completion of unit plans and daily lesson plans and evaluates the quality of those plans, providing feedback and action steps. This includes ensuring fidelity of engagement strategies, clear teacher pedagogical approaches, planning for relevance and career connections, alignment with clear learning goals, state standards and graduation competencies
• Observation, coaching, and data will further reflect the classroom and school use of the DYS Education Instructional Model, ratings for accreditation standards, as well as targeted elements of Project Based Learning
• Provides a structured plan for ongoing professional development for teachers, both individually and collectively to include instructional coaching, professional learning aligned with DYS initiatives, classroom observations and monitoring growth in instructional or workplace practices, and responding to identified student needs with targeted lessons and data collection/use to guide practice
• Collects monthly and ongoing data related to student progress in essential skills, targeted outcomes, and classwork/computer-based work as well as formative and summative assessment performance, ensuring data is systematically tracked and monitored
• Provides leadership and establishes expectations for data-driven instruction, including detailed plans to address student needs through comprehensive Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) processes and intervention processes
• Assures progress monitoring for both special education and general education is current, accurate, and complete and documents skill monitoring for post-secondary youth. Collects and analyzes data from classroom observations, grades, behavioral incidents, and other sources to assess educational programming effectiveness and student progress and provides a coherent analysis of the data
• Utilizes required data and monitoring systems, including Smartsheets, TRAILS, staff supervision tools, classroom observation systems, SIS, and HR tracking mechanisms for both education staff and youth served, within established timelines

Program Supervision, Strategy, and Communication:

• Supervises, evaluates, and guides the implementation of academic, Title I, special education, vocational, and postsecondary programming to ensure fidelity to established guidelines, regulatory requirements, and DYS expectations. Establishes and maintains systems to monitor compliance with state and federal laws, DYS education policies, and special education & general education audit standards
• Develops, implements, and monitors the annual School Development Plan (SDP) within established timelines and processes, including alignment with QAYS standards and ensures the plan serves as a structured process for the education team and facility leadership to understand data trends, compliance requirements, program progress, and identified needs
• Oversees and/or completes all required reporting related to QAYS standards, accreditation requirements, and educational outcomes at designated intervals. Ensures documentation, data collection, and reporting are accurate, timely, and aligned with required standards, including documented student progress and clear communication of school-based issues and successes
• Reviews and analyzes student educational records, transcripts, assessment data, and performance information to determine individual academic needs and to create an academic plan for each student and uses this information to inform master scheduling, course offerings, and graduation planning. Develops and/or monitors the academic and post secondary plans and timelines
• Ensures school operations, schedules, youth plans and cross-departmental decisions are communicated clearly and effectively to all relevant stakeholders while seeking collaboration from other departments prior to decision implementation
• Provides ongoing, accurate, and timely communication to facility leadership, the Facility Director, the Education Office, and the Director of Education which includes expected and standing updates on strategic plan implementation, human resource processes and progress, mandated testing plans and outcomes, supervision processes, youth programming, staffing concerns, compliance matters, and identified action steps
• Plans and facilitates structured communication systems for the education team, including weekly team meetings, MTSS meetings, special education coordination meetings, and dissemination of facility leadership information; ensures meetings include structured agendas, documentation of decisions, and clear follow-up action steps. Ensures consistent understanding and use of Education Office processes, forms, and protocols across all education positions
• Manages the site education budget in alignment with DYS Education Office guidance and provides monthly financial reports to the Education Director.
• Models and performs professional communication with youth support networks, including families and external partners

Supervision, Coaching, and Performance Management Leadership:

• Supervises education staff through scheduled all-period classroom observations, accreditation-required observations, and monthly documented classroom walkthroughs, as well as observations conducted in other professional settings during the duty day
• Provides in-class modeling of lessons, instructional objectives, classroom management strategies, and professional expectations, including modeling reflective practice, effective time management and adherence to deadlines
• Evaluates staff performance across core competencies within the Performance Management Program (PMP), assigned duties outlined in position descriptions, and identified professional focus areas aligned to QAYS standards, Cognia accreditation requirements, the DYS Education Instructional Model, and the School Development Plan (SDP)
• Provides actionable feedback, establishes next steps for improvement, and implements performance improvement plans when staff do not meet established standards, following all applicable HR processes
• Completes PMP evaluations in a thorough and timely manner in accordance with required deadlines
• Ensures consistent communication of expectations, including creation and review of instructional documents, instructional assignments and course planning, daily schedules, meeting and collaboration expectations, safety norms, work expectations, ongoing duties, and critical deadlines for all education staff
• Monitors and reviews classroom management practices, behavioral interventions, and restorative approaches to student behavior and reviews classroom incidents. Approves annual and sick leave in alignment with staffing and operational needs
• Facilitates productive staff meetings, supervision meetings, facility information debriefs, and collective student data reviews with documented agendas, clarity and actionable outcomes
• Ensures effective implementation of student behavior management practices across educational settings
• Leads hiring, onboarding, and training of new staff within established timelines and agency processes and maintains accountability for action plans, agreements, and performance expectations

Teamwork, Culture, and Climate:

• Collaborate and communicate with key stakeholders, including clinicians, client managers, facility administration, students, education teams and parents, regarding school program practices, student progress, expected outcomes, student data and goals, and programmatic information
• Incorporate student efficacy and recognition in programming and classrooms through the use of student-led conferences, student recognition processes, honor roll, education open houses, and goal sharing and stakeholder communication through parent phone calls, client manager outreach for youth on plans or who have received IRs, staff meetings, professional outreach, small teams and treatment team opportunities
• Schedule regular staff roundtables and feedback forums, monitor action items, and addresses identified needs in coordination with facility leadership and supervisors while also serving as an active member of the facility leadership team, meeting the participation expectations, follow-up responsibilities, and established timelines.
• Maintain communication that is ongoing, consistent, clear, and professional with DYS staff, facility personnel, and the Education Office and that is tailored to the needs of the meeting, stakeholder group, or event
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