Head of School
🌟 Head of School
📍 Durham, NC (in-person required)
📅 Start Date: October 2025
⏳ Commitment: Part-time initially → Pathway to Full-Time Leadership + Potential Equity Partnership
About Purpose Schools
At Purpose Schools, we believe children thrive when education is rooted in agency, rigor, curiosity, independence, and joy.
Our mission is to reimagine school as a place where every child’s unique potential is nurtured through:
✨ Montessori principles
✨ Strong relationships
✨ A culture of purpose-driven learning
We are launching our first school in Durham, NC — and seeking a Head of School to lead this exciting journey.
👉 This is not a typical school leadership role. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to:
- Build a school from the ground up
- Shape its culture and vision
- Lead a team of passionate educators
- Create something extraordinary for children and families
The Opportunity
🔹 Part-time (design + launch phase) → move into full-time leadership after a successful 3-month trial
🔹 Potential equity ownership for the right long-term leader
We are looking for someone who is:
- 🚀 Excited by the challenge of building a school from scratch
- 🎨 Entrepreneurial and creative, with a love for designing learning experiences, culture, and community
- 🤝 Ready to take on significant ownership and autonomy, while working closely with the founding team
- 🍎 Experienced with Montessori philosophy and pedagogy, and confident coaching Montessori-trained teachers
Responsibilities
Pre-Launch (Sept–Dec 2025)
- Partner in school design: shaping instructional philosophy, culture, and values
- Support family engagement: enrollment calls, events, community-building
- Participate in hiring + onboarding educators
- Support + coach teachers as we launch our first classroom
Post-Launch (Jan 2026 onward)
- Lead the daily rhythm (drop-off, pick-up, operations)
- Serve as instructional leader + coach (guidance, feedback, support)
- Step into classroom teaching as needed
- Manage substitutes + cover when necessary
- Foster a thriving Montessori school culture
- Lead family communications + relationships
- Collaborate on operations, safety, and protocols
- Shape the long-term vision + growth of Purpose Schools
Required ✅
- 1+ year school leadership OR 5+ years classroom teaching
- Montessori certification (AMI, AMS, NAMC, or equivalent)
- First Aid/CPR (or ability to obtain before start date)
- Strong coaching + educator management skills
- Excellent communication + comfort with remote collaboration tools
- Self-directed, entrepreneurial, energized by autonomy
- Successful completion of background check + references
Preferred ⭐
- Education degree, teaching certification, or related field
- Bilingual abilities or experience with multilingual families
- Experience in school launch, microschools, or innovative models
Why This Role is Different
🌱 Autonomy + Ownership: Shape the vision, culture, and design of a new school
🚀 Entrepreneurial Energy: Build something unique while leading day-to-day operations
🤝 Trial → Partnership: 3-month trial with pathway to equity partnership
❤️ Mission-Driven: Reimagine joyful, rigorous, purposeful school experiences for children, families, and educators
Compensation & Benefits
💰 Competitive, experience-based compensation
🕒 Part-time stipend during pre-launch + trial period
📈 Clear pathway to full-time leadership role
🤝 Potential for long-term partnership + equity
How to Apply
Send your CV/resume + a brief statement sharing:
- Why you’re excited about launching + leading a new school
- How your experience aligns with Montessori leadership + school design
- What autonomy + ownership in a school context mean to you
Average salary estimate
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