Special Education Teacher

Job Opportunity: Lead Special Education Teacher & Accreditation ConsultantOverview

Our client is seeking an experienced, visionary, and highly qualified Special Education Lead Teacher & Accreditation Consultant to lead a holistic, nature-based neurodiverse micropod in North Austin, TX. Working in direct collaboration with the Program Director, this unique position combines lead classroom instruction, individualized curriculum planning, multidisciplinary therapy integration, comprehensive parent communication, and Cognia accreditation oversight for a micro-learning environment serving roughly 15 students with diverse learning profiles.

Role Summary & Nature of the Job

The Lead Special Education Consultant serves as the primary instructional leader, case manager, and educational specialist for the micropod, working under the overarching direction of the Program Director. The nature of this role requires taking direct operational responsibility for classroom instruction, student developmental outcomes, instructional aide leadership, daily center care, and proactive family collaboration.

Daily responsibilities and operational expectations include:

1. Curriculum, Assessment & Instructional Leadership

• Individualized Program Design: Develop, write, and execute comprehensive Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) tailored to each child's specific developmental, academic, and behavioral goals, Individualized lesson plans.
• Dual-Spectrum Differentiation: Design engaging learning tracks for a diverse group of ~15 learners spanning both high-support needs and high-functioning/ADHD profiles.
• Gifted & Talented (GT) Instruction: Implement twice-exceptional (2e) strategies to challenge, enrich, and accelerate high-functioning learners.
• Life Skills & Practical Pedagogy: Integrate functional life skills, self-regulation techniques, executive functioning coaching, and practical independence training into daily routines.
• Vocational Instruction & Transition Planning: Design and lead age-appropriate vocational training, practical pre-employment skill-building, real-world task mastery, and vocational pathway planning for eligible learners.
• Social Skills : Nurture and implement Social Skills Strategies and goals.
• Assessments & Progress Tracking: Conduct continuous formal and informal assessments to measure academic growth, developmental milestones, and IEP goal mastery.

2. Holistic & Nature-Based Environment Leadership

• Center Stewardship & Daily Care: Take fundamental responsibility for maintaining a safe, structured, nurturing, and welcoming educational environment at the center.
• Creative & Nature-Based Learning: Apply creative, holistic, and nature-integrated teaching methods that utilize hands-on exploration, outdoor learning, and child-centered discovery .
• Neurodiverse Advocacy: Cultivate an inclusive culture that respects neurodiversity, sensory needs, and individual learning rhythms.

3. Multidisciplinary Therapy Integration & Staff Guidance

• Therapy Coordination: Actively coordinate and align instruction with embedded allied health therapies, including Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Speech-Language Pathology (SLP), and Occupational Therapy (OT).
• Aide Supervision: Direct, mentor, and collaborate with two instructional aides to ensure seamless classroom management and fidelity of IEP implementation.
• Program Director Collaboration: Work closely with the Program Director to align classroom strategy with broader organizational goals and center management.

4. Parent Interaction & Ongoing Communication

• Parent Conferences: Plan and lead formal parent-teacher conferences, annual IEP review meetings, and collaborative goal-setting sessions.
• Daily & Weekly Parent Communication: Maintain consistent, proactive daily/weekly communication channels with parents (such as daily logs, digital updates, and behavioral tracking reports) regarding student developmental progress, wins, and therapeutic alignment.

5. Accreditation & Quality Compliance

• Cognia Accreditation Lead: Oversee end-to-end Cognia accreditation standards, evidence gathering, documentation, quality assurance mapping, and review preparation for the center.
• Educational Quality Assurance: Maintain high pedagogical standards and compliance with all center educational frameworks.

Qualifications & Experience RequirementsEducation & Credentials

• Master's Degree or Higher (Required): Special Education, Educational Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction, or a closely related field. Doctorate preferred.

Required Experience

• Administrative / Lead Teacher Level Experience: Proven background in educational leadership, department/center-level leadership, or senior case management.
• IEP Mastery: Extensive, hands-on expertise writing, managing, and executing comprehensive IEPs and progress reports.
• Accreditation Experience: Direct experience leading or participating in institutional accreditation processes (Cognia, SACS, or equivalent).
• Assessment Expertise: Proficient in implementing academic, developmental, and diagnostic assessment tools for neurodiverse students.
• Vocational & Life Skills Instruction Experience: Demonstrated background in vocational curriculum development, career readiness, transition services, and practical life skills training for special needs learners.
• Parent Engagement & Communication Expertise: Proven track record of strong written and verbal communication skills with parents, leading delicate discussions, managing parent expectations, and building collaborative family partnerships.

Preferred Skills & Attributes

• Gifted & Talented (GT) Pedagogy: Demonstrated experience working with gifted, 2e, and twice-exceptional learners.
• Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Strong working knowledge of ABA, Speech Therapy, and OT principles and their practical integration in instructional settings.
• Holistic & Creative Mindset: Passion for creative, non-traditional, and nature-based educational approaches tailored to neurodiverse learners.

Pay: $52.00 - $62.00 per hour

Expected hours: 20.0 - 30.0 per week

Education

• Master's (Preferred)

Experience

• Higher education teaching: 5 years (Required)
• School administration: 2 years (Preferred)

License/Certification

• Special Education Certification TX (Required)

Ability to Commute

• Austin, TX 78665 (Preferred)

Work Location: In person