Director of Special Education

Company: Vista Autism Services
Location: Hershey
Posted on: February 14, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description The Director of Special Education is responsible for providing school leadership to the psychology, health, and student services programming within The Vista School as both an Approved Private School (“APS”) and a Licensed Private Academic School (“LPAS”). This position serves as a member of program director leadership with requirements to plan, develop, and implement initiatives and workflows across school department supervisors to produce high quality outcomes. This position possesses considerable knowledge about the effective and ethical treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder as well as student, health, and evaluative services. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Leads and directs Student Services (Health and Educational) and Evaluative Services Works closely with the Behavioral Services Manager Ensures effective communication with LEAs, parents, staff, and other stakeholders’ campus wide Oversees the development and implementation of staff training and staff evaluation systems, Point of contact for parent concerns regarding related and evaluative services issues and staff issues at the highest levels of need and/or concern Point of contact for parent concerns regarding related and evaluative services issues and staff issues at the highest levels of need and/or concern Coordinates with school families, staff and other stakeholders to support strong sense of school community Reviews, submits, and manages timeline and other budgetary needs of department Develops performance metrics, measures staff performance using appropriate tools and rubrics, and conducts assigned performance reviews as scheduled Identifies, addresses, and manages employee performance discrepancies, disciplinary issues, and training deficiencies for department members Implements performance management policies and positive management practices to result in high performing employees and teams Leads monthly staff meetings Participates in recruiting and interviewing of new supervisory staff Sets performance targets, interprets key success indicators to monitor program trends, analyzes and reduces the frequency of incidents and risks, and continually implements quality improvement controls Achieves financial objectives by preparing annual budget, monitoring and scheduling expenditures, analyzing variances, producing successful audit scores, and initiating the necessary corrective actions Achieves strategic and tactical objectives for department/program Collaborates with other educational providers and the greater Vista organization to produce aligned company goals, quality clinical outcomes, and seamless pathways of care Represents the organization at both internal and interagency meetings, maintains positive stakeholder relationships, including parents and school districts Collaborates and responds to staff by seeking input, providing guidance, and responding to concerns surrounding special education, leadership within the classroom and classroom management, procedures, and best practices. Delivers training content, monitors effectiveness across various levels and adjusts as data indicates Reports the results of training to the Executive Director of Educational Services and provides a synthesis of these results to teachers and classroom staff. Tracks, monitors, and reports on employee training records, including, but not limited to remediation needs, annual required trainings, induction-related training, and on-going training in collaboration with the Special Education Supervisor Completes other duties as assigned SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY This position supervises the student, and evaluative services leadership of the school including the Supervisor of Special Education, Student Services Coordinators, School Psychologist, school nurses and school administrative assistant. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The following positions or frequent movements are typical of the job: sitting, walking, standing, reaching, pushing, pulling, lifting, stooping, and crawling, often for extended periods of the workday. Assignment may require the ability to physically move students during possible physical interventions in order to maintain a safe learning environment. The position requires that an individual be able to learn new tasks quickly and effectively. Job requirements may change frequently. The ability to understand and carry out detailed, involved, instructions is mandatory. The incumbent must be able to travel to multiple locations as needed, when needed to conduct organizational business. Subject to indoor conditions based on assignment. EXPECTED SCHEDULE This is a full-time position with a minimum 40-hour work week expectation, unless otherwise agreed upon. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday. The Director of Special Education is required to follow the administrative calendar and will have 10 paid holidays. DESIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE Minimum Master’s Degree in Special Education preferred. Other degree areas will be considered, based upon experience. Certification in Special Education Supervision required. Other areas of certifications will be considered (i.e. Principal K-12, Letter of Eligibility) Professional certification in a related service area or similar certification preferred Supervisory and evaluator experience required Experience working with individuals with autism required

Keywords: Vista Autism Services, Allentown , Director of Special Education, Education / Teaching , Hershey, Pennsylvania