EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DC REGION

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential. We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

The District of Columbia is home to one of the most progressive public education reform efforts in the nation. It is the only city in the country with two public school systems of roughly the same size. Competition is strong and student performance has traditionally grown and improved at both traditional district and public charter schools. 

On the charter side, the efforts of DC’s Public Charter School Board to close low-performing schools and attract more high-performers to the region has driven the sector and DC students forward over the years. In their nationwide search to identify innovative and impactful public school models, DC leaders singled out Rocketship as uniquely poised to transform the city’s most underserved communities. 

On August 22, 2016, Rocketship Rise Academy launched as the single largest opening in DC’s twenty-year history of charter schools. And in its very first year, Rocketship Rise scored in the Tier 1 category—the highest performance ranking for DC Public Charter Schools. A year later, Rocketship Legacy Prep opened in Ward 7 and once again earned a Tier 1 rating . In fact, Rocketship Legacy Prep achieved the highest score ever for an elementary school on the DC Public Charter School Board’s 2018 School Quality Report. In August 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, Rocketship Infinity Community Prep opened its doors as our third school in DC and achieved the ‘Bold Performance Award’ in 2023. 

Across the nearly 1,500 Rocketeers served at Rocketship’s schools, 72% of students are classified as at-risk, 12% are homeless, and 90% are African American. The performance of Rocketship’s DC Rocketeers is powerful proof that demographics do not define student potential. 

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Washington DC Executive Director serves as the leader of the Rocketship DC region and is responsible for setting the strategic vision aligned to Rocketship’s 5 Year Plan, shaping the external environment, and leading the regional teams to achieve transformational results. The Executive Director manages a $45M budget and oversees three public schools serving nearly 1,500 Rocketeers. There are over 150 DC team members working in and out of schools focused on: student achievement, development, external relationships management, family recruitment, student wellness, before and after care programming, and much more.  

This role will directly manage two teams, the Schools and Program Team &  the Community Engagement Team, which includes a focus on school leadership and management, instruction and program design, operations, external affairs and community engagement, family recruitment, and other core functions and roles.

The charge of the Executive Director is to 1) ensure the success of our Rocketeers; 2) cultivate the external environment for Rocketship to thrive and continue to grow the region’s impact and reputation over time; and 3) manage a financially sustainable network of high-performing elementary schools serving disadvantaged communities with the excellent education they deserve, 4) continue to maintain tight alignment and relationship with the larger Rocketship Network and Network Support Team (NeST) that enables strong collaboration, optimizing the resources and strengths of the National Network in a collaborative pursuit of ambitious, collective goals.

The Rocketship DC Executive Director is responsible for ensuring the success of the larger DC region on multiple measures, most importantly the achievement of our Rocketeers. They will accomplish this through effective development and management of the Schools and Program Team (e.g., VP of Schools and other core regional functions). Effective management includes inspiring all school and regional team members to achieve annual goals and consistently deliver outstanding results. The ideal candidate combines the capacity for systems-level and strategic thinking with experience in the non-profit sector. 

Additionally, the Executive Director is charged with directly shaping the external conditions where Rocketship schools can thrive, and the DC region can continue to grow its impact. This entails setting a strategic vision for external relations, directly and successfully growing and managing the regional DC Board as well as partnering with the Board in recruiting new members, collaborating with network and school leaders to successfully create and refine a strategy towards growing the regions impact and number of students and families served over time, engaging and cultivating relationships with donors, champions and advocates and forging partnerships that align with our vision and serve our Rocketeers and their families. In addition, the Executive Director is responsible for ensuring that our Family Recruitment and Parent Leadership teams, which are critical pillars in regard to school health and the DC region's theory of change, continue to thrive. The Executive Director is responsible for ensuring these groups continue to drive towards their goals and realize the ambitious objectives of the DC region.

Critical to the success of the Executive Director is an unwavering commitment to the community. The Executive Director is responsible for proactively addressing community needs, becoming an active participant within the DC education landscape, stewarding and nurturing allies and donors, and aligning regional priorities with the broader network community. Close collaboration and partnership between the Executive Director, our school leaders, and the broader Rocketship network staff is essential. 

Rocketship attracts regional leaders with ambitious aspirations. Just as we are committed to propelling student growth, we are dedicated to advancing the careers of our talented staff. The Executive Director will join a regional and national team (NeST), receive ongoing professional development in order to establish the vision and growth strategy, support in achieving community alignment and engagement, and guidance in order to ensure financial stability, as a member of a growing network regional leaders have ongoing opportunities to expand their reach, influence, and impact beyond their role.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The ideal Washington DC Executive Director candidate will align with Rocketship’s Vision, Mission, and Values. The candidate will establish, lead, and reinforce a positive culture within the DC region to ensure Rocketship returns to being a model of excellence in public education. This leader will have a strong presence, excellent communication skills and significant ability to motivate and influence others, they will have proven experience successfully managing diverse teams and realizing strong outcomes, especially in regards to student achievement and talent development. The candidate should possess exceptional strategic management, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with a track record of delivering on commitments through excellent execution.

The candidate will have the ability to easily navigate across the spectrum of Rocketship Public Schools stakeholders and communicate effectively with all kinds of people, including board members, NeST team members, donors, community members, and families. This leader will be grounded and connected to the community, and must show that they deeply value students, parents, teachers, and school leaders as stakeholders and partners in ensuring effective educational advocacy. The candidate will have experience successfully building coalitions and managing community and organizational stakeholders, as well as navigating political landscapes and working with elected officials/boards, especially in a manner that demonstrates an ability to ensure the successful renewal of the DC charter and region while over time enabling the DC region to continue to grow in impact. The ideal candidate will have experience leading multiple facets of an organization, ideally with a nonprofit or public-sector organization, and be able to easily understand and plug into a new environment.

The candidate must have strong emotional intelligence, excellent relationship management skills, and experience working with a diverse set of stakeholders. The candidate must have a deep understanding and commitment to creating and fostering a workplace that embraces and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. 

With an entrepreneurial spirit and growth mindset, this leader will be collaborative, innovative, and resilient, and demonstrate both humility and authenticity in their work. The candidate will lead with a spirit of inquiry, be a good listener, and be eager to learn and receive feedback. The candidate must also be a team player who listens first, understands perspectives, and finds shared values. We are seeking candidates who are talented leaders from diverse backgrounds and sectors, including but not limited to education.

The Executive Director will be the face and leader of Rocketship in Washington DC with a primary focus around ensuring the DC region meets key milestones in order to reach and maintain sustainable success while also continuing to grow the impact of Rocketship DC in years to come. A successful Executive Director will demonstrate leadership in the following ways:

$181,000 - $225,000 a year

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb ladders. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), and generous paid time off.

Rocketship Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Rocketship Public Schools’ employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated. Click here for our .  For questions, concerns, or complaints, please contact Human Resources.