School Network Staff Managing Director of Schools
Job Description
ABOUT US
Founded in 2017, Moonshot edVentures is recognized nationally as a model for a place-based, culturally responsive approach to identifying a diverse pipeline of educators and accelerating them to found and/or lead schools and programs that are co-created with students and families most on the margins in education. As one of the only organizations designed to develop and support BIPOC and LGBTQ+ educational leaders in the Rocky Mountain region, Moonshot is currently training our sixth cohort of Fellows, running several alumni programs, and continuing to grow our alumni network and services. To date Moonshot’s successes include:
- 100 leaders in our alumni network, 86% BIPOC and 65% women or non-binary
- 35 new schools or educational programs that center the needs of students and families of color
- Over 5,000 students served each year through Moonshot pilots and ventures in Metro Denver
Moonshot is in the beginning stages of executing on our next five year plan, which includes revising and codifying our proven programmatic model, developing a robust data and evaluation strategy, and exploring opportunities for expansion either state-wide or nationally.
You can learn about our programs on our website.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Moonshot edVentures seeks a Managing Director of Schools who will be a key strategic partner for the organization and the lead for Moonshot’s School Launcher Track programs for school founders. The Managing Director of Schools will execute a 2-year-long residency program for 4-6 residents and collaborate with contractors in continuing to develop frameworks and predictors of success. Utilizing their expertise in launching schools, this person will dive deep into school incubation strategy, lead alumni programming around schools, and define and support success for sustaining schools after launch.
Success in this role will include the creation of a compelling and comprehensive vision and strategy for Moonshot’s Network of Schools and serving as the point person for the schools moving through years 0 – 3. Moonshot’s current schools are mainly single-site charters. Additionally, this individual will play a critical role in fueling the growth of our organization by partnering with the CEO and Managing Director of Programs to execute Moonshot’s next 5-year strategic direction. This growth could include expansion within Denver, expansion across Colorado and/or national expansion.
The ideal candidate is both experienced and excited about refining strategy, vision, and innovation while simultaneously managing the day-to-day execution of programs. A successful candidate is an excellent relationship-builder, project manager, adult facilitator, and coach, with strengths in detail orientation and strategic thinking and a deep expertise in school leadership. The Managing Director of Schools is also a quick and nimble learner and is excited to innovate and adapt as needs evolve.
The Managing Director of Schools will serve as a Senior Leadership team member and report directly to the Chief Executive Officer. The role is based in the Metro Denver area and must be available to deliver programming on evenings and weekends. Given the nature of this position, The Managing Director of Schools will need reliable transportation for school visits and off-site programming.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The primary responsibilities will include, but are not limited to the following:
School Incubation & Success Strategy
A successful candidate is excellent at refining vision and building and executing strategy for school incubation and school leader development.
- Refine vision for Moonshot’s School Launcher Track, including two existing programs of the Residency Bridge Year and the School Launcher Residency.
- Set vision and execute strategy for the Moonshot Network of Schools to support the success and sustainability of Moonshot-led and founded schools in Years 0 – 3, based on results and learnings from current pilots.
- Create and manage the budget for all school incubation strategies.
- Collaborate with the Managing Director of Programs to ensure alignment across Moonshot’s overall programmatic vision, evaluation, and goals.
School Launch Programming Implementation
A successful candidate is accomplished in design and evaluation of new programs.
- Work with School Launcher Track contractor team to audit current program, form a unified opinion about what should be maintained or changed, and implement those changes.
- Execute the School Launcher Track programs for Moonshot alumni launching new schools in Metro Denver, including facilitation.
- Provide one-on-one coaching and support to 4-6 Residents in developing their school model and leadership readiness.
- Manage and support all contractors using best practices of equity-centered management and with a focus on achieving results and producing high-quality work.. Specifically:
- Multiple contractor relationships to provide meaningful and impactful supports to residents using high-quality feedback cycles and accountability.
Startup School & Leader Support
A successful candidate is highly relational and responsive and able to provide strategic, differentiated and impactful support to schools and its leaders.
- Provide intensive, responsive, and differentiated support to our existing school founders and leaders to ensure long-term success of their schools and sustainability of their leadership
- Lead quarterly site visits of Moonshot’s existing schools and provide strategic recommendations, resources and supports to the leaders and teams.
- Establish partnerships and align resources to support our school founders, including directly supporting or connecting founders with resources on fundraising, facilities, board governance, curriculum development, and other school founding needs. This may also include advocacy efforts on a district, city, or state level.
KEY QUALIFICATIONS
Success in this position will require the following:
What you’ve accomplished (required):
- 10+ years of total work experience
- 3+ years of experience in one of these capacities:
- As a founding school leader or founding team member with operations and/or instructional leadership experience
- As a senior leader of a charter network
- As a leader (head of function or higher) in a single-site charter school or school with limited resources
- Demonstrated success leading a highly complex project and team to outcomes while establishing a truly inclusive culture
Experiences you’ve either developed or would be excited to learn here:
- Experience launching a charter school or nonprofit organization as part of a founding team or supporting others to do so (resulting in a depth of knowledge about the skills, mindsets, and knowledge it takes to do so)
- Experience navigating politically complex local education ecosystems
- Experience facilitating adult learning sessions with success
- Knowledge of and relationships within the Metro Denver community and/or Colorado
How you work and what you value:
- An empathetic leader aligned to our mission & values with a deep commitment to racial and social justice and a drive to help students of color to excel and succeed.
- A diversity equity and inclusion centered leader adept at engaging liberatory practices to examine structures of oppression, white supremacy culture, and bias at a systems level. Actively centers liberation, equity and inclusivity in management, coaching and development, and decision making.
- A strategic and visionary leader who is able to manage ambiguity in start up, sustaining and scaling environments.
- An exemplary operator and manager who implements strategy with fidelity and effectively directs projects characteristic of many moving pieces through strong management of self, directly reporting staff, and indirectly reporting contractors/volunteers while facing competing priorities, resource/time scarcity, and ambiguity.
- A highly organized leader who is both adept at adopting new systems and practices and who has their own organizational systems in place to ensure success in a fast-paced environment.
- A highly relational and collaborative leader with the capacity to build strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders both in service of Moonshot’s goals and as a responsible and equity-minded steward of the broader ecosystem. Proven ability to build authentic, deep, and abiding relationships across lines of difference.
- A self-directed learner who is eager for feedback, proactively seeks opportunities for growth, and takes initiative to implement and apply learnings to their own work and practices.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:
- Fair Wages: The salary range for this position is $115,000 – $125,000.
- Excellent Benefits: We offer flexible paid time off with no cap on hours, 27 office black-out days, a 401k matching plan, short and long term disability, and a yearly wellness fund
- Commitment to Staff Learning and Development: We believe people are our most precious resource, and dedicate time, resources, and capacity towards the learning and development of each staff member. Managers undergo continuous training to grow their coaching and management practices. Each staff is allocated 15 hours of Professional Development hours per quarter and a yearly allocation of Professional Development Funds. We also engage in ongoing full-team professional development.
- Work that has a real impact: By working at Moonshot, each staff plays a role in building a robust, diverse education ecosystem and supporting BIPOC and historically marginalized leaders in actualizing their dreams. Our mission drives our work and is what brings people to our team.
- Flexible work culture: Staff have the option to work from our office or from home with the exception of in-person team meetings and programming.
