Job Description

Job Summary

Freedom Preparatory Academy Charter Schools (Freedom Prep or FPA), is a K-12 network of six (soon to be seven) charter schools in Memphis, TN, and Alabama. Founded in 2009 with 96 6th graders, FPA now serves over 2,000 students and launched its first Alabama campus in Birmingham in fall 2024, with plans to expand to Montgomery in 2026. Over the past 16 years, FPA students have exceeded local and state averages in math and English, and in 2023–25 all five Memphis schools achieved TVAAS level 5 growth. In 2024–25, FPA posted gains in every core subject, and for the seventh year in a row, alumni attained a 100% college acceptance rate.

Freedom Prep’s mission is to prepare all students to excel in college and life, driven by three core beliefs: every child deserves a high-quality public education, character development is essential, and broad exposure to opportunities builds confidence and global readiness. FPA creates a structured, rigorous environment where students master academics, develop advanced skills, and demonstrate values of Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Excellence, and Community. Its culture is collaborative, supportive, and consistent across campuses while responsive to local communities. FPA’s mission is lived daily through urgency, passion, and high expectations, proving what is possible for students in the South. For more information, please visit their website.

The National Board of Directors seeks a strategic, visionary, experienced, and inspirational leader who will build on FPA’s history and legacy and lead the organization into its next chapter. Location in Tennessee or Alabama is highly preferred. The CEO will work closely with the Board, staff, families, students, and the communities FPA serves to ensure the network is successful in achieving its mission and vision. The CEO will enter Freedom Prep with the opportunity to build on its outstanding foundations, deepen its impact, elevate the quality of the organization in Tennessee and Alabama, and develop the infrastructure, systems, and resources to support future growth across the South.

The ideal candidate is a strong culture builder, communicator, coach, community advocate, active listener, and will maintain a high standard of excellence for the organization.

The CEO of Freedom Prep will focus on the following key priorities:

• Achieving organizational and financial stability, including meeting ambitious fundraising goals;
• Building trusting relationships with key stakeholders and deeply understanding FPA’s organizational history and program model;
• Maintaining a cohesive culture that retains and develops high-performing leaders, teachers, and staff;
• Continuing to improve academic outcomes for FPA students in Tennessee and Alabama;
• Clarifying the path forward and building the internal conditions to support FPA’s growth across the South.

Job Responsibilities

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Refine and implement a multi-year strategic vision and plan for the network in alignment with the Board, that strengthens the organization and outcomes for students and families;
• Ensure accountability by setting clear academic, operational, talent, advancement, and financial goals and priorities aligned with the strategic plan;
• Drive continuous improvement efforts, ensuring high-quality educational outcomes for students and families FPA serves;
• Build the staff, systems, and infrastructure necessary for scale and complexity as Freedom Prep potentially expands to new regions in the South;
• Further define the organization’s growth strategy, balancing the delivery of a quality program in current regions with opportunities in new states/regions to ensure that FPA continues to transform education for students and families across the South.

Organizational Culture and Team Management

• Develop, coach, support, and retain a high-performing leadership team and manage them towards ambitious goals;
• Continue to clarify the national and regional model and organizational structure, including team and individual roles and responsibilities;
• Foster a positive, cohesive, and collaborative organizational culture that reflects core Freedom Prep values while maintaining responsiveness to local communities; ensure equal access to educational opportunities for all FPA students;
• Provide leadership and professional development opportunities to staff, contributing to an environment that emphasizes learning and growth, and retains top talent.

External Partnership, Engagement, and Sustainability

• Externally champion the mission, goals, and values of Freedom Prep, including speaking publicly, and communicating widely about the accomplishments of the organization;
• Create and execute strategies to increase student enrollment and improve school facilities;
• Ensure that Freedom Prep has a viable and sustainable short and long-term financial plan; steward the organizational budget of approximately $37 MM;
• Lead fundraising efforts to meet ambitious annual development goals (approximately $4 MM)
  by identifying, cultivating, and soliciting public, individual, and foundation sources of giving; ensure that schools/regions are maximizing all public revenue sources;
• Build and expand community partnerships, including with key local leaders, government officials, philanthropic organizations, and community-based organizations to enhance the network’s programs and resources;
• Interact regularly with charter authorizers and ensure compliance with all laws, regulations, and charter requirements for FPA schools.

Partnership with the Board of Directors

• Continue to develop an engaged and active Board in close partnership with the Board Chair;?
• Continue to clarify the roles, responsibilities, and governance structures of the regional and national boards;
• Update and strategize with the Board of Directors regularly regarding the academic state of the network, policy review, board directives, and fiscal matters;
• Continue to recruit new board members and ensure board members bring different perspectives, experiences, community ties, and areas of expertise to bear in their roles;
• Receive and incorporate board feedback on performance annually;
• Partner with the board on fundraising and capital campaign efforts.

Qualifications

Qualifications

The ideal CEO candidate will bring the following experiences, knowledge, skills, and mindset/values:

Required Experience, Knowledge, and Skills

• At least 10 years of professional leadership experience with increasing responsibility, including successful management of a complex educational organization, school network, or non-profit organization with ambitious goals;
• Experience successfully building, managing, developing, and supporting high-performing leadership teams;
• Experience leading, investing, and motivating stakeholders in a shared vision for an organization, and defining strategies to operationalize that vision;
• Ability to create a strategic plan with clear metrics for success, and lead a team to execute the plan;
• Strong financial management skills and acumen;
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills;
• Executive presence, political savvy, and superior relationship management and communications skills; the ability to engage, inspire, and energize a variety of stakeholders;
• Experience creating, improving, and scaling organizational systems and infrastructure;
• Demonstrated ability to foster a positive work environment defined by a culture of collaboration, high expectations, accountability, and continuous improvement;
• Proven ability to lead an organization through a period of change/transition while providing stability;
• Experience building and stewarding external partnerships and serving as the external face of an organization;
• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited, four-year university.

Preferred Experience, Knowledge, and Skills

• Experience teaching and leading at a high-performing charter or district elementary, middle, and/or high school with a student population similar to the communities FPA serves;
• Proven fundraising/development experience;
• Demonstrated ability to successfully manage a large organizational budget equal to or greater than $10 MM;
• Connection to and/or understanding of the educational landscape in the South;
• Experience successfully working with (ideally reporting to) boards;
• Knowledge of charter school laws, regulations, and compliance requirements;
• An advanced degree in Education or a related field.

Mindsets and Values

• Alignment with the mission and vision of Freedom Prep and an appreciation for the organization’s history and legacy in the South;
• Belief in the importance of engaging with and investing in students, families, and the communities Freedom Prep serves;
• A deep-seated commitment to leading with authenticity, integrity, and transparency;
• Future-oriented; promotes innovation to continue to improve supports and programs for the students and families Freedom Prep serves;
• Evidence of well-developed emotional intelligence, humility, growth mindset, and receptiveness to feedback.

Additional Information

Benefits

Freedom Prep offers a comprehensive benefits package and will offer relocation assistance to anyone relocating for the position. The CEO will also be eligible for an annual performance-based bonus (up to 10% of their annual salary) tied to specific organizational and academic outcomes, to be determined by the National Board.

This position requires travel, including between Tennessee and Alabama, and beyond, to sustain Freedom Prep’s operations, local and national partnerships, and for continued expansion efforts across the South.

How to Apply

Please review the full job description and complete your application here.

Details

• Date Posted: October 6, 2025
• Type: Full-Time
• Job Function: Executive Leadership
• Service Area: Children / Youth
• Start Date: 01/01/2025
• Salary Range: 225,000
• Working Hours: 40 hrs/wk

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