NEW MEXICO FUTURE SCHOOLS FELLOWSHIP

This is for a July 2026 start date for the 2026-27 school year and 2027-28 school year to launch in 2028-29. This application will be reviewed on a rolling basis and you will be contacted if we are scheduling next steps. A connection to a community in New Mexico is strongly recommended.

ORGANIZATION WEBSITE: New Mexico Future Schools Fellowship

ROLE: School Founder Fellow (New Mexico)

LOCATION: New Mexico

SALARY RANGE: $105,000 + Health, Dental, Vision, Life, PTO, and Paid Training & $5,000 Relocation Stipend

JOB DESCRIPTION:

WHO WE ARE

Are you a LEADER with the fortitude to develop and launch an exceptional school? This unique, two-year fellowship program provides you with individualized training and support to design and launch a public charter school in New Mexico.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

YEAR 1: TRAINING. A rigorous, IN-DEPTH LEARNING EXPERIENCE to facilitate school design and charter application writing focused on:

• Delivering high-quality curriculum and instruction

• Creating a mission-driven culture Hiring and developing great educators

• Building a high-functioning board Engaging families and communities

• Learning from high-performing schools and education organizations

• Earning authorization to operate your charter school

• In-state and out-of-state excellent school visits

• A month-long leadership residency experience

YEAR 2: PLANNING: Following charter authorization, INDIVIDUALIZED COACHING and local support for:

• Developing as a results-driven leader

• Building and training your team

• Recruiting students

• Securing a school building

• Setting up strong systems for operations, governance, finance, legal, and compliance functions

• Preparing to open your school

WHO YOU ARE

• Level 5 Leadership: You balance personal humility with professional determination, deliver exceptional results, and drive long-term shared success with others.

• Personal Humility: You care nothing about credit and put the needs of the students, the team, and the school above yourself at all times.

• Professional Resolve: You are fiercely dedicated to both achieving meaningful outcomes and developing people, especially in challenging situations.

• Entrepreneurial Spirit: You are innovative, adaptable, and willing to take calculated risks to build something special and impactful.

• Dedication to Colorado: You thrive in an in-person, hands-on role based locally. This is a full-time, in-person opportunity, in a real community.

• Endurance: You demonstrate resilience, sustaining physical and mental effort to overcome challenges and have the unusual stamina to do the work for 10+ years.

• Cultural Competence: You understand the impact of identity differences and are capable of building and leading a diverse team and organization.

• Relationship-Building: You build genuine connections with diverse stakeholders and communicate the vision of the work passionately and clearly.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s or Professional degree preferred

• Strong connection to New Mexico with 2-3 years living or working in the proposed school region preferred

• Commitment to opening a new school with a significantly longer day and year that better aligns the school calendar to the working family calendar strongly preferred

• Commitment to opening a new school that starts with preschool and or elementary grades and expands to at least PreK-8 strongly preferred

• 2-4 years full-time professional work experience required; 5-7+ years strongly preferred

• Two years of experience in PreK-12 education is preferred; 5-7+ years of PreK-12 school based experience strongly preferred

• Public school (district or charter) and or nonprofit experience serving primarily students from under-resourced communities strongly preferred

• Preference for candidates with a strong history of managing and developing people, preferably in a school based or nonprofit setting

• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion principles required