Executive Director

Stride Learning•Apex, NC

13d•Remote

About The Position

The Executive Director serves as the chief executive officer of Coast to Mountains Preparatory Academy, providing strategic leadership for all aspects of school operations, academics, enrollment growth, student success, and financial sustainability. This role is responsible for advancing the school's mission through exceptional educational leadership while driving innovation, expanding educational opportunities, and strengthening partnerships that increase access to high-quality private education across North and South Carolina. A key focus of this position is leading the school's Opportunity Scholarship (OS) and ESA+ strategy, ensuring families successfully access available scholarship funding while positioning the school for continued growth in existing and emerging school choice programs. The Executive Director serves as the public face of the school, cultivating strong relationships with families, community organizations, scholarship agencies, business partners, and state education leaders while ensuring compliance with all accreditation, state, and regulatory requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in relevant field
Ten (10) years of related professional experience
Five (5) years of leadership
Demonstrated leadership, management, interpersonal relations and communication skills.
Proven business experience and acumen.
Owner of a line of business or school budget.
Experience building a leadership team of top talent and creating an environment that supports active listening and willingness to share different viewpoints.
Successful creation of strategic partnerships that enable business growth.
MS 365; Web proficiency.
Ability to travel 25% of the time
Ability to clear required background check
Must reside in North Carolina or South Carolina

Nice To Haves

Experience leading a remote team
Master’s degree or MBA

Responsibilities

Serve as the executive officer of Coast to Mountains Preparatory Academy, providing visionary leadership that supports academic excellence, operational effectiveness, and sustainable enrollment growth.
Develop and execute the school's strategic plan aligned with organizational priorities and long-term growth objectives.
Lead innovation by identifying, designing, and implementing new academic programs and student support services that expand educational opportunities.
Foster a culture centered on student achievement, family satisfaction, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Lead the strategic implementation and expansion of North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship, ESA+, South Carolina ESTF, and future school choice initiatives.
Ensure scholarship participation continues to grow through proactive planning, family engagement, operational oversight, and cross-functional collaboration.
Develop processes that improve scholarship completion rates, family communication, and funding utilization.
Identify legislative and policy opportunities that expand access to private education through scholarships and educational savings accounts.
Own enrollment strategy in partnership with marketing, admissions, and school leadership.
Develop initiatives that improve inquiry conversion, enrollment, re-registration, retention, and overall family satisfaction.
Build strong relationships with prospective and current families, serving as an ambassador for the school and its mission.
Utilize enrollment, retention, scholarship, and satisfaction data to guide strategic decision making.
Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of innovative educational programs.
Evaluate emerging educational trends and develop programs that strengthen the school's competitive position.
Ensure delivery of a high-quality instructional program that supports student growth and achievement.
Supervise and develop school leadership team members while empowering instructional leaders to achieve academic excellence.
Monitor academic performance using student achievement data and implement improvement strategies when necessary.
Ensure compliance with accreditation standards and state requirements.
Own school budget, forecasting, staffing plans, and financial performance.
Allocate resources strategically to support enrollment growth, academic priorities, and organizational sustainability.
Ensure operational efficiency while maintaining exceptional service to families.
Make informed business decisions using financial, operational, enrollment, and market data.
Represent Coast to Mountains Preparatory Academy with community organizations, scholarship partners, higher education institutions, business leaders, and state agencies.
Develop strategic partnerships that increase enrollment opportunities, student programming, and community engagement.
Serve as the school's primary spokesperson and advocate within the school choice community.
Recruit, develop, coach, and retain high-performing school leaders and staff.
Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and professional growth.
Establish clear performance expectations while supporting continuous improvement across the organization.
Directly supervises 5 - 10 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees and/or contractors.
Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws.
Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.