• March 12: Application Due Date

• March 13: Phone Screens End

• March 18 - 21 : Project Phase

• March 24 & 25: Semi-Finalist Round

• April 6: Final Interview Day (in-person in Memphis with up to $600 reimbursement for travel)

CANDIDATE PROFILE

▶️ The Scholarly Practitioner: A leader who quotes philosophy and literature not for show, but because it informs their soul. They are a "lead learner" who pursues original thoughts and views the high school as a laboratory for human flourishing.

▶️ The Detail-Oriented Dreamer: A master of "ambiguity-to-execution." They don't need to reinvent the mission; they take the existing humanistic framework and breathe life into it with nuanced, thoughtful details that others might miss.

▶️ The Craftsmanship Coach: A talent developer who treats teaching as a high-level craft. They coach with "compassion and clarity," inspiring teachers to find wonder in their own practice while maintaining a disciplined focus on student growth.

▶️ The Ethical Anchor: A "warm and firm" presence who holds an unwavering line on the school’s mission. They are as comfortable getting their hands dirty in "Work of the Hand" projects as they are navigating complex restorative conflict resolution.

SUMMARY

The High School Director at Libertas is a high-stakes founding role designed for a leader who values depth over breadth. Reporting to Head of Schools Josh Shelley, this leader enters a 1-to-2-year residency ($80k–$110k) to internalize the state’s first public Montessori charter model before launching a small, "trajectory-changing" high school. The role demands a rare psychological profile: someone who possesses the intellectual curiosity to read deeply and think originally, paired with the comfort with ambiguity required to build out a vision that has been "dreamed but not yet detailed."

This is not a traditional startup "hustle" role; it is a role for a disciplined explorer. The Director will manage the transition from a residency-spent coaching middle school teachers and teaching sections-to a full-scale launch (~250 students). Success is a "both/and" proposition: the Director must ensure 15% Reward School-level growth on NWEA MAP and TCAP data while simultaneously preserving the "open-ended exploration" that defines a liberal arts education. By bridging rigorous data-driven operations with an "Attachment Village" of family support, the Director ensures that Libertas becomes a national model for how a high school can cultivate minds, hands, and hearts.

Our School: Our School: Libertas is a public charter school serving the Frayser neighborhood in Memphis. Our mission is to be a school for human flourishing: cultivating minds, hands, and hearts for lives of wonder, work, and love. We offer a rich, rigorous, and personalized education through the method of Dr. Maria Montessori and the classical liberal arts. We offer an attachment village of wraparound family supports and develop virtues of character. Tennessee has twice named Libertas a Reward School - a top 15% school. We currently serve infant and toddler, early childhood and elementary at our founding location and a middle school on a second nearby campus. Over the next 1-2 years we will open a small high school (250 students in grades 9 to 12) that uniquely imparts literary and cultural tradition while also fostering student enterprise and work of the hand - together preparing students for college, career, and citizenship. We also operate a nationally- accredited, state-licensed teacher training program. Learn more about Libertas on our website.

Role Summary: Participate in a leadership and planning residency (SY 2026-2027 or 2026-2028) followed by the launch and implementation (in 2027 or 2028) of our new high school for human flourishing, where adolescents are prepared for a life of purpose by being formed as whole persons through rigorous academics, meaningful work, and an attachment village that cultivates hearts for virtue. The High School Director is responsible for ensuring effective implementation of the program, including day-to-day school leadership, curriculum and instruction, and student and adult culture. This role requires entrepreneurial skill to help design and launch a new program as well as interpersonal and logistical skills to sustain excellence. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help start and lead a nationally-recognized and trajectory-changing high school.

ROLE INFORMATION

• Full-time role. Work hours will vary with the published school calendar. Current middle school instructional staff hours are 7:45 AM - 3:45 PM (faculty meetings on Tuesdays until 4:45, other after-school meetings until 4:45 PM are common). Assist with periodic school events outside of the normal schedule. Four additional weeks of work and training in the summer for closeout and planning.

• Some travel should be expected during the leadership and planning residency for school observations and partnership meeting 

• Timeline:

  • One- or two-year leadership and planning residency (2026-2027 or 2026-2028)

  • Year 1 with ~60 students (2027-2028 or 2028-2029), Year 2 with ~125 students, Year 3 with ~190 students, Year 4 with ~250 students

  • Potential opportunity for promotion to leadership of full upper school (6-12) program

• Reports to: Head of Schools

• Supervises: High School staff

• Key relationships: shared services leadership (Directors of Operations, Finance, Communications, Family Engagement; ED), leaders of Lower School and Middle School programs

Measures of Success

• Planning & Residency Years:

  • On-time planning and successful launch of new High School Program

• Launch Year & Beyond:

  • Student progress through curriculum and growth on school metrics (e.g. gradebook, NWEA MAP, TCAP and EOCs, TVAAS, ACT, internal assessments, etc.)

  • Graduation rate and other college and career readiness indicators

  • Accurate and timely tracking of and responding to teacher and student data

• Ongoing:

  • Observed growth and development of staff; staff retention

  • 85% satisfaction among stakeholders (including High School staff and families)

  • Satisfactory performance evaluations

  • Strong alignment of the High School Program with Libertas’s mission and culture

  • Other indicators

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Planning & Residency Years (before program opens):

Leadership Residency and High School Program Development 

• Study and internalize the model and culture of Libertas’s existing Lower School and Middle School, as well as the principles of Montessori pedagogy and humanistic and liberal education. 

• Take on a variety of classroom and school leadership responsibilities across the school to gain experience with the Libertas way and in order to ensure program alignment and coherence. Examples of possible responsibilities could include:

  • Working with instructional leaders to coach teachers, including observing and giving feedback on instruction and classroom management

  • Supporting the Dean of Students and/or Attachment Village Manager in leading school culture initiatives and responding to student behavior needs

  • Teaching one or two sections of a Middle School course

  • Leading a section of middle school House and/or Work Period

• Learn from the best practices of high-performing high schools throughout our state and nation in order to incorporate those practices in our program design.

• Work closely with the Head of Schools in designing a detailed and comprehensive plan for a unique high school that educates minds, hands, and hearts

• In collaboration with Head of Schools and other stakeholders, play a key leadership role in the development of: 

  • A content rich and state standards-aligned roadmap of curriculum and assessment, including directing and reviewing the work of consultants or contractors. Collaborate with other academic leaders to ensure curricular coherence across all of Libertas’s grade levels and programs.

  • A plan for student culture practices, policies, and procedures that is aligned with our mission and philosophy.

• Collaborate with external educational partners to develop and implement opportunities for students to complete high quality dual enrollment and/or career and technical learning

• Develop a plan for school logistics (e.g. arrival and dismissal procedures, transitions, daily schedule, student scheduling, etc.)

• Conduct staff recruitment conversations, events, and interviews; partner with Head of Schools to select a founding faculty team that is aligned with our mission and prepared to implement the High School Program with excellence.

• Participate in the Family Engagement Team’s work to recruit students and their families to enroll

• Engage with other community stakeholders, including giving periodic reports to the Libertas Board of Directors about the progress of the program design

Upon launch of school:

Program Leadership

• Plan and lead day-to-day implementation of the High School Program (daily schedule, schoolwide procedures for arrival/dismissal and transitions, staff absence management, substitute assignments, etc.)

• Lead the implementation and monitoring of the planned roadmap of curriculum and assessment.

• Monitor, communicate, and make decisions based on student and teacher data (lesson plan quality, timeliness, assessment results, grades, etc.)

• OverseeHigh School staff: conduct or delegate regular goal setting and status meetings; plan and provide high-quality, appropriate professional development 

• Support High School staff in planning and implementing instruction and classroom environments that result in meeting academic goals. Conduct weekly or bi-weekly observations and debrief sessions with each teacher. Identify and prioritize areas of need/opportunity. Support the professional growth of staff members. Review and give feedback on weekly lesson plans. Co-plan, co-teach, and/or serve as a model teacher when needed.

• In collaboration with the Libertas Family Engagement Team and Dean of Students, communicate with families, address family concerns, and conduct family meetings when appropriate.

• Ensure stewardship of budgeted funds to achieve program goals.

• Ensure compliance with all academic, operational, and accountability requirements from school leadership and state and federal entities.

Student Culture

• Oversee student experiences, leadership opportunities, traditions, and community practices that reflect Libertas’s mission and virtues.

• Provide leadership to the Dean of Students in planning and implementing behavior protocols and supports, fostering positive relationships, ensuring appropriate limits for student behavior, assisting students during calm-down, facilitating reconnection and restoration of relationships and repair as needed, and supporting conflict resolution.

• Coach and collaborate with teachers around culture, behavior, and discipline. Train, coach, and support staff and students in implementing restorative discipline practices.

• Make final discipline and suspension determinations.

• Communicate and enforce the studentdress code.

• Ensure the effective implementation of our Virtue Study curriculum for teaching character and social-emotional practices in the classroom setting.

Adult Culture

• Support a positive adult culture in line with our school mission and vision. Foster professional collaboration, collegiality, and shared purpose.

• Facilitate resolution and restoration when adult conflicts arise.

• Hold staff members accountable for following our policies and expectations (e.g. family conferences, report cards, grace and courtesy, professionalism, dress code, etc.). 

Other Duties as Assigned

Qualifications and Traits

• Significant academic and/or adult leadership experience in a K-12 school setting (e.g. Coach, Department Chair, Assistant Principal, Principal, School Director, etc.); proven experience leading teams and projects to achieve desired results

• Deep understanding of instructional best practices and school culture systems

• Comfort and experience analyzing and presenting data

• Skilled in coaching and leading adults with clarity and compassion

• Warm and firm demeanor

• Organized, proactive, and able to manage multiple priorities; ability to multi-task while staying organized and attentive to detail

• Strong verbal and written communication

• Flexible, takes initiative, and has a strong sense of personal ownership of responsibilities

• Committed to Libertas’ mission and Montessori-inspired approach

• Work collaboratively, with a growth mindset. Give and receive feedback in a spirit of craftsmanship

• Model of character

• Bachelor’s degree or higher required; Tennessee educator license preferred

Compensation

• Starting Salary for planning year(s): $80,000 to $100,000 based on experience and proven effectiveness, with an expected range of $90,000 to $110,000 as the school expands to full scale. This is a total compensation (salary, insurance, and retirement benefits) of $100,000 to $130,000.

• Eligible for increases or stipends for performance or additional duties.

• Investment in professional development and growth. We sponsor our leaders’ participation in robust training through organizations like BES, Principal Learning Center, New Leaders, and other nationally-recognized partners.

• Paid sick leave. Deferred pay model distributes salary throughout the year (including breaks and vacations).

• Health insurance including family plans; retirement benefits (TCRS or up to 5% match).