Executive Director

Job Description

Required Certificates and Licenses

• North Carolina or South Carolina Department of Education Administrator Certification Required

Residency Requirements

• Must reside in North Carolina or South Carolina
  • Travel is required 1-2 times per month

K12, a Stride Company, believes in Education for ANY ONE. We provide families an online option for a high-quality, personalized education experience. Students can thrive, find their passion, and learn in an environment that encourages discovery at their own pace.

Passionate Educators are needed at the Stride K12 partner school, Coast to Mountains Preparatory Academy (CM Prep). We want you to be a part of our talented team!

The mission of Coast to Mountains Preparatory Academy (CM Prep) is to provide an exemplary individualized and engaging educational experience for students by incorporating school and community/family partnerships coupled with a rigorous curriculum along with a data-driven and student-centered instructional model. Student success will be measured by valid and reliable assessment data, parent and student satisfaction, and continued institutional growth within the academic community. Join us!

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.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• 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.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: 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.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field AND
• Ten (10) years of related professional experience AND
• Five (5) years of leadership OR
• Equivalent combination of education and experience
• 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

DESIRED Qualifications:

• Experience leading a remote team
• Master’s degree or MBA

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS: Stride, Inc. considers a person’s education, experience, and qualifications, as well as the position’s work location, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value when determining a new employee’s salary level.  Salaries will differ based on these factors, the position’s level and expected contribution, and the employee’s benefits elections.  Offers will typically be in the bottom half of the range. 

• We anticipate the salary range to be $96,771.00 - $120,964.00. Eligible employees may receive a bonus.  This salary is not guaranteed, as an individual’s compensation can vary based on several factors.  These factors include, but are not limited to, geographic location, experience, training, education, and local market conditions. Stride offers a robust benefits package for eligible employees that can include health benefits, retirement contributions, and paid time off. 

Work Environment:  The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This position is virtual but does require travel to in-person field trips and events (probably 1-2 times a month)

Job Type

The above job is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor. All employment is “at-will” as governed by the law of the state where the employee works.  It is further understood that the “at-will” nature of employment is one aspect of employment that cannot be changed except in writing and signed by an authorized officer.

If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, you can request the appropriate accommodation by contacting [email protected].

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

Stride, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants receive consideration for employment based on merit without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law. Stride, Inc. complies with all legally required affirmative action obligations. Applicants will not be discriminated against because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.