[Hiring] CEO - Innovative Alternative School Network @Equal Teaching

Role Description

We are recruiting a Founding-Stage CEO for a highly innovative, expanding alternative school network. Our client is not just building schools; they are reimagining high school education by putting students in control of their learning through a hybrid, mastery-based model. This tuition-free program prioritizes purpose over grades, passion over pressure, and progress over conformity.

Currently, they are a high-quality network of 2–3 pilot schools and are now looking for a "1-to-10" leader to build the operational engine, protect the culture, and lead their expansion into the next 10 locations.

• Architect the Expansion: Take a proven "pilot" model and define the strategic roadmap to scale across multiple geographies without losing the "secret sauce".
• Guard the Culture: Maintain the innovative spirit of student-centered learning while standardizing the operational non-negotiables that ensure excellence at every new site.
• Build the Team from the Ground Up: Recruit, develop, and inspire high-performing teams of educators and guides who thrive in early-stage, ambiguous environments.
• Own the "Founder" P&L: Manage budgets and fundraising with the discipline of a startup operator, ensuring every dollar drives measurable student agency and outcomes.
• Pioneer Local Partnerships: Navigate the uncertainty of new markets by cultivating deep trust with families, community partners, and local stakeholders.

Qualifications

• An Entrepreneurial Builder: You have a track record of taking organizations from "zero-to-one" or "one-to-ten." You are energized by the ambiguity of early-stage ventures and prefer building systems to merely managing them.
• A High-Quality Specialist: You have led organizations (regardless of size) that have gained a reputation for excellence, distinction, or transformative results.
• Philosophically Grounded: You have a deep, practitioner-level understanding of student agency, mastery-based progression, and technology-enabled education.
• Ambiguity-Fluent: You are a data-informed decision-maker who embraces experimentation and can "fail forward" to find the best path to growth.
• An Exceptional Communicator: You can inspire a board, a group of venture partners, and a room full of teenagers with equal authenticity.

Requirements

• Executive Leadership Experience: Proven success in a CEO, Founder, or Superintendent role within an early-stage or high-growth education organization.
• Scale Capability: Demonstrated experience launching new sites, managing rapid enrollment growth, or architecting multi-state expansions.
• Financial Stewardship: Experience owning P&L and managing capital, grants, or fundraising rounds for growth-stage entities.
• Mission Alignment: A visible commitment to alternative education and learner-centered models.

Benefits

• Impact & Influence: Lead an Educational Revolution: This is a rare opportunity to be at the helm of a network that is not just changing how students learn, but how they view their place in the world.
• Elite Academic Backing: Lead a mission-driven organization supported by top-tier academic thinkers and world-class institutions.
• National Thought Leadership: Serve as the primary voice and face of a pioneering model with the potential for national and global replication.
• Compensation & Security: Executive Compensation: A competitive salary package commensurate with the high level of experience and strategic expertise required for this role.
• Well-Funded Stability: The peace of mind that comes with leading a well-funded startup, providing the runway and resources necessary to execute a multi-year growth strategy.
• Incentive Participation: Eligibility for performance-based rewards tied to successful site launches, enrollment milestones, and the maintenance of our high-quality educational standards.
• Professional Environment: Architectural Autonomy: The mandate to design and build the operational infrastructure of a 1-to-10 school network.
• Relocation Support: Comprehensive assistance for the right leader to transition to our regional hub in Arizona.
• High-Stakes Partnership: Work directly with a sophisticated Board of Directors and institutional partners committed to long-term systemic change.