Chief Executive Officer, Charter School Network                            (Startup CMO – St. Louis, MO )

Location: St. Louis, MO
Salary Range: $225,000–$275,000 + performance bonus and comprehensive benefits
Reports to: Founding Board of Directors
Launch Support Provided by: The Opportunity Trust

About the Opportunity

We are seeking a bold, visionary, and entrepreneurial leader to found and lead a new and innovative Charter Management Organization (CMO) in St. Louis. With the support of The Opportunity Trust, this founding Chief Executive Officer will have one full year of planning and build time, along with the opportunity to hire founding staff who will help bring their vision to life, launching the network and first school in the 2026–27 school year.

This is a rare opportunity to build something transformational from the ground up—designing not only the school model but the organizational structure, team, and culture. Unbound by traditional limitations, the founding CEO has the rare chance to design a new model from scratch—blending forward-thinking ideas with strategies we know make a lasting impact. Innovation and evidence-based practices are not mutually exclusive—this is a chance to design new solutions informed by both.

The Role: Founding Chief Executive Officer

As the founding CEO, you will be the visionary architect, chief strategist, and culture builder of this new CMO. You will:

• Design and build a bold, excellence, and innovation-driven backbone organization to support to development and launch of new schools 
• Develop effective  academic and operational supports grounded in evidence-based practices
• Build a high-performing founding network team to launch and support schools
• Recruit and collaborate with a founding board of directors, ensuring strong governance and aligned oversight
• Establish autonomous and accountable governance structures where each school operates with its community advisory board
• Cultivate strong relationships with community members, families, educators, and key stakeholders
• Oversee all aspects of organizational and school  development—from academics and talent to operations and finance
• Raise early-stage funding and advocate for supportive policy conditions
• Build infrastructure to scale with quality, excellence, and sustainability at the core

What You'll Do

Startup Strategy & Innovation

• Lead the creation of the CMO’s vision, mission, values, and strategic plan
• Support educator-entrepreneurs to design schools that integrate effective and innovative  approaches to instruction, student support, and school culture
• Translate vision into action with clear goals, execution plans, and agile learning loops

Team & Culture Building

• Recruit and manage a founding network team responsible for efficient and effective shared services in academics, culture, and operations
• Work with The Opportunity Trust, the Missouri Charter Public School Commission, and the Missouri Charter Public School Association to build alignment and shared vision around this new CMO model 

Governance & Board Development

• Recruit and engage a founding board of directors aligned to the organization’s mission and vision
• Develop systems for board governance, accountability, and engagement
• Establish systems for performance management, professional development, and organizational culture
• Support school leaders in developing community advisory boards to ensure local insight and ownership

Community Engagement & Advocacy

• Build deep, trust-based relationships with families, students, educators, and community leaders
• Serve as a powerful external voice for the CMO’s mission and innovation agenda
• Influence the broader education ecosystem through coalition-building and collaboration alongside others in the education innovation community

Academic & Operational Excellence

• Oversee the design of high-quality instructional, operational, and support systems
• Ensure that the founding school and subsequent schools launch with excellence and establish a strong foundation for future growth

Fundraising & Resource Development

• Create and execute a fundraising strategy to support launch and early-stage growth
• Manage public and private funding streams with transparency and strong financial stewardship

You Are…

• A builder who thrives in ambiguity and can turn vision into structure
• A systems thinker who leads with both strategy and execution
• A trailblazer who values both innovation and evidence-based practices
• A people developer who inspires and grows high-performing teams
• A community-centered leader who values trust, partnership, and belonging
• A resilient and reflective learner who leads with humility, feedback, and focus
• A skilled communicator who can mobilize stakeholders through bold storytelling and clear direction

Required Experience

• 7-10+ years of leadership experience in education, nonprofit management, or startup environments
• Proven success launching or scaling high performing schools, systems, or organizations in the education space
• Deep knowledge of effective academic, talent, and operational systems
• Track record of designing and leading innovative, equity-centered initiatives
• Experience with governance and semi-autonomous and/or networked organizations a plus
• Familiarity with the St. Louis education landscape is a plus

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary Range: $225,000–$275,000
• Performance Bonus: Based on key milestones and student outcomes
• Benefits: Comprehensive healthcare, retirement contributions, flexible PTO, and professional development as part of founding support (and then you design the benefit system for the organization)
• Support: Strategic coaching, funding access, and planning assistance from The Opportunity Trust

About The Opportunity Trust

The Opportunity Trust is a nonprofit organization working to ensure every child in St. Louis has access to a quality public school that prepares them to lead a life of choice and dignity. Since 2019, the organization has attracted and invested $100 million to transform public education in Missouri—launching nine new schools, strengthening educator and leadership pipelines, and expanding access to quality public schools.

In 2023, The Opportunity Trust secured Missouri’s first-ever $35 million U.S. Department of Education Charter School Program award—a landmark investment to expand access to quality public charter schools across the state.

The organization is also accelerating statewide progress by advocating for effective education policies, securing more equitable funding for district and charter public schools, advancing teacher pay increases, and investing in expanding access to early childhood education. By 2027, The Opportunity Trust aims to more than double the number of St. Louis students in quality schools—from 13% to 30%—through targeted investments in parent advocacy, educator development, and policies that deliver strong academics and real accountability to families and communities.