Description

ORGANIZATION

Francophone Charter School of Oakland (FCSO) is an independently run public charter school in Oakland, California that provides a dual immersion curriculum to a diverse community of students in grades TK-8. Established in 2015, our mission is to develop bilingual and bi-literate global citizens who are open-minded and value intellectual curiosity, personal integrity, and creativity. Our faculty hail from over a half-dozen countries to implement our dual immersion language model where instruction is provided primarily in French for younger children who advance to an even French-English split by the middle school grades. 

Our school is one of the most diverse in Oakland, with families who come from dozens of countries around the world and includes a number of students whose primary language at home is neither French nor English. Francophone’s faculty, staff and parents are deeply committed to the school’s model of language immersion and global citizenship and celebrate its true multicultural environment where there are students, parents, staff, and teachers from around the world interacting and learning together.

To learn more about Francophone Charter School of Oakland, please visit www.francophoneschool.org.

OPPORTUNITY

FCSO is in search of a dynamic and visionary Executive Director to lead the transformative journey of the diverse students of FCSO. With remarkable outcomes and high proficiency, combined with a focus on student wellness, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the academic program to cater to the diverse student population. Your strategic leadership will be instrumental in recruiting and retaining a dedicated and largely international teaching staff, aligning with the mission of FCSO and contributing to the success of our teacher leadership model.

In the arena of student enrollment, FCSO has undergone expansion, and your visionary approach will guide the growth of the school, fostering leadership and promoting social-emotional development. Community engagement is at the heart of FCSO, with actively involved and supportive families participating in various committees and fundraising initiatives. Your commitment to creating a welcoming environment will be essential as we strive for every family to feel embraced by the school and connected with others. This is an ideal opportunity for a highly motivated school leader who is ready to jump into the work and occupy a central role in shaping the future of Francophone education in Oakland. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Responsibilities of the Executive Director include:

• People Leadership
  • Attract, select, retain, and develop a diverse pool of both local and international talent, emphasizing a commitment to equity.
  • Anticipate challenges and problems before they occur, and quickly lead others in implementing a variety of effective and realistic solutions in a timely manner.
  • Be adaptive and relational; have evidence of experience leading through influence and emotional intelligence.

• Academic Leadership
  • Drive toward FCSO’s vision by systematically analyzing multiple data points to identify priorities and to create and adjust robust priority plans.
  • Actively monitor and analyze non-academic student information (e.g., chronic absence, attendance, discipline, etc.) to tailor teacher planning, support, interventions, and management of staff and deploy resources to meet the mission.

• Organizational and Operational Leadership
  • Juggle multiple projects and competing priorities across teams of people with attention to detail; create and implement processes, systems, and strategies that ensure projects are organized and methodically managed and tracked from start to finish.
  • Have a track record of driving operational efficiency and scalability through systems, process enhancements, and operational infrastructure.
  • Demonstrate results-oriented leadership with the ability to establish and maintain systems for organization-wide goal-setting and measurement of success.

• Stakeholder Engagement
  • Demonstrate experience partnering with parents, families, and community members as close collaborators, engaging them directly in supporting the overall mission and vision of the organization.
  • Exhibit self-awareness and humility, seek feedback, use it to change practice and inform strategies, and have the courage to make tough decisions.
  • Build a collaborative culture and trusting relationships with teachers, school staff, school leadership, and families so that stakeholders understand and are invested in the instructional vision, provide valuable support for student achievement, and remain productively engaged throughout the year and beyond.

• Financial Management
  • Demonstrate competency in managing budgets, financial projections, revenue, and other fiscal responsibilities.
  • Exhibit understanding of best practices regarding relevant rules, policies, regulations, and procedures for finances within the sector.

PRIORITIES

A successful first year in this role for the new Executive Director will include:

• Ensure student outcomes consistently improve and achievement gaps are eliminated;
• Maintain the school’s rigorous academic program by working with the administrative team to manage all aspects of the school across two campuses;
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with all school stakeholders (CA Department of Education, Oakland Unified School District as charter authorizer, Francophone board members, staff, faculty, families, and students), ensure transparent lines of communication and address issues in a timely and constructive manner;
• Ensure the strength of student support systems that meet students’ academic, social-emotional, and safety needs;
• Oversee the front and back office staff to ensure that all operations processes (e.g., finance, facilities, human resources, student record-keeping, compliance) are managed efficiently and professionally;
• Align budget to goals, including partnering with a third-party accounting provider to develop an annual budget and manage the budget during the year with regular updates to the board;
• Lead initiatives to continue building a sense of equity and inclusion within the school while maintaining a strong sense of community among staff, parents, and students.

Requirements

In order to fulfill these responsibilities, the ideal Executive Director candidate will be:

• An accomplished leader with 5 years of success in educational leadership with experience driving academic and school culture results.
• Demonstrated commitment to FCSO’s mission of providing a dual-immersion curriculum to a diverse community of students.
• Culturally competent and a self-reflective leader who understands the effects of race, class, ethnicity, income, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and other issues of difference in society and is able to lead direct conversations about them.
• A builder of authentic relationships with community partners, policymakers, funders and other supporters, able to engage with a variety of individuals and speaks in a clear and compelling manner about the organization’s goals and priorities.

• Experienced in school finance and decision-making around resource allocation for a student-serving organization, raising public and private dollars as needed.
• Comfortable serving as the liaison between the school and public agencies, including interacting with the Oakland Unified School District (as FCSO’s authorizer and provider of a facility through Prop 39 MOUs).
• Proficient in French and/or Spanish language preferred but not required.
• Bachelor’s degree required and a CA administrator credential or the ability to acquire the credential (find more information on that processhere). 

Benefits

This position offers a competitive salary range of $174,000 - $194,000 and robust benefits including medical, dental, retirement, and a stipend for executive coaching or other professional development. More details can be provided upon request.

For additional questions about this position or to speak with someone about your interest, please contact Floricet Diaz atfdiaz@edgilityconsulting.com.

Francophone Charter School of Oakland is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. Recruiting staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds. Candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.