Position: Chief of Schools
Location: Colorado, with proximity to Colorado Schools Fund’s Denver office
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Start: Spring or summer 2027, with flexibility to begin earlier for the right candidate
Overview
Colorado Schools Fund launched in Spring 2024 to support new, outstanding public charter schools and other innovative public school models that meet the needs of historically underserved students and aspirations of families across Colorado.
Colorado Schools Fund’s driving belief is that every child deserves access to a public PK-12 education in schools that hold high expectations for them and set them up for long-term success.
We are relentlessly focused on three things:
Engaging with communities: We engage deeply with communities to understand where there is a need for great new public options.
Finding great leaders: We seek out leaders who are developing plans to start or expand excellent public charter schools and other innovative public models.
Supporting great leaders: We partner with those leaders to provide funding and guidance towards accelerating outcomes, especially for students furthest from opportunity.
The Chief of Schools is a new and foundational leadership role, reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. Colorado Schools Fund has built strong investment, finance, and operational infrastructure. This role brings the complementary leadership we need next: A senior leader to build and lead the academic and school-quality side of our w ork.
The Chief of Schools will build and lead Colorado Schools Fund’s academic and leadership strategy across the portfolio, set clear standards for school quality, and develop the coaching strategy that helps high-potential schools achieve top-tier performance. This leader will also have the opportunity to craft Colorado Schools Fund’s school-facing approach. The ideal candidate will bring the credibility of having delivered for students, plus the expertise to allocate resources and support with an investor’s eye to drive academic gains.
The majority of schools Colorado Schools Fund supports are public charter schools, and thus this role will primarily be focused on helping those schools reach and hold top-tier academic performance. We have supported 15 new or expanding public schools to date across a range of school models – from language immersion to outdoor learning to project-based to career pathways high schools – with a goal of supporting 25 schools by 2028. We are a lean and senior team where leaders move fluidly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution.
Core Responsibilities
ACADEMIC AND LEADERSHIP STRATEGY ACROSS THE PORTFOLIO
Portfolio Ownership and Outcomes
Build and lead Colorado Schools Fund’s academic and leadership strategy across the portfolio: Further define what excellence looks like, know where each school stands, and direct the support that moves outcomes.
Hold accountability for our portfolio outcome goals, including the goal that two-thirds of portfolio schools reach top-tier performance.
Lead portfolio relationships and engagement through school visits, leader check-ins and coaching, annual reviews, and spring planning, building the trust that enables us to provide targeted support where needed.
Serve as the primary point of contact for the Legacy Fellowship, coordinating communication and collaboration between the fellowship and the organization.
Evaluation and Diligence
Lead the school quality and leadership diligence process alongside our operations and finance leadership: Assess leader strength and readiness, and evaluate a school’s opening path and family demand from the academic and leadership side.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND LEADERSHIP COACHING
Coaching Strategy and Supports
Develop and lead a strategy to drive school improvement, starting with Colorado Schools Fund’s portfolio and pipeline, with an opportunity to build a broader strategy for expanded impact.
Take ownership of and scale our 2026-27…