Executive Director, Match Charter Public School

Match Charter Public School Seeks Executive Director

About Match

Founded in 2000 and on the cusp of its 25-year anniversary, Match Charter Public School (“Match”) is a high-performing PreK-12 charter school in Boston that serves 1,250 students, preparing them for success in college and careers so they achieve economic security and mobility. Additionally, Match intends to serve large numbers of English Learners. Match families bring amazing racial and cultural diversity to the school community - they represent over twenty different countries of origin, speak over twenty different languages at home, and 94% are people of color. Also, Match meets the diverse learning needs of all students, including those who qualify for special education services (21%) and those who are English language learners (18%).

Match’s core values are equity, freedom, teamwork, innovation, and accountability. Match is working to reframe its organizational processes and policies to be truly anti-racist. At Match, three aspects of the organization are vital to its goals and mission: a staff that is diverse by race and other factors; a professional environment that is inclusive of all perspectives; and a curriculum throughout the PreK-12 grade span that is culturally competent.

Match Education is the shared brand name of Match Charter Public School and The Match Foundation, and the Executive Director manages all affiliated entities and programs. Match uses the Student Success Profile as its north star and builds a Pre-K-12 school program that includes:

• Unwaveringly high expectations and support
• A rigorous and culturally responsive curriculum
• Daily individual or small group support in addition to conventional class-based instruction
• Well-trained and caring teachers

Three innovative programs support this effort:

• Match Corps is a yearlong education fellowship where members serve as full-time tutors and mentors to both middle and high school students. Recent college graduates from universities across the country commit to a year of service through AmeriCorps to help close the achievement gap in Boston, one student at a time.
• : The MAT Program prepares candidates with 1-2 years of prior student-facing experience to serve as highly effective, first-year teachers in charter and turnaround schools. Throughout the year, MATs are coached and mentored by leaders and teachers and slowly take on more classroom responsibilities.
• : The mission of Match More is to ensure that every Match student has access to high quality summer experiences that drive their learning and development - in the great outdoors, service, sports, academics, the arts, and beyond.

Operating out of three school properties owned by Match in Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, and on Commonwealth Avenue and with an annual operating budget of approximately $40 million, Match is in a strong and stable financial position and has substantial reserves, resources, and assets. Match’s charter has also been successfully renewed this year for another 5-year term by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Collectively, Match employs 300 teachers and other staff members. The school is overseen by a volunteer Board of Trustees composed of nine dedicated community and education leaders.

About the Transition and Start Date Options

Since 2017, Match has been extremely well-led by its current Executive Director, who has been with Match since 2012 and who will remain in her position until June 30, 2025. Match has a deep bench to provide interim leadership, and thus it can offer candidates several start date options:

• July 1, 2025 – A candidate can assume school leadership at the start of the 2025-26 academic year and have an opportunity to start onboarding in the Spring
• September 1, 2025 – A candidate can join Match at the start of the school year.
• July 1, 2026 – A candidate can assume school leadership at the start of the 2025-26 school year and have an opportunity to start onboarding that Spring.

Candidates wishing to be considered for a July 1, 2025 or September 1, 2025 start date should apply no later than April 4, 2025.

The Opportunity

The Executive Director will have the opportunity to lead one of Boston’s most respected and lauded charter schools which has received many awards and been studied extensively. In addition to effectively and efficiently overseeing all ongoing school operations, finances, culture, governance, and resource development, high priorities for the Executive Director are:

• Leading and empowering a highly skilled and dedicated senior team and staff to innovate, create, and deliver post-pandemic strategies to bolster student achievement and growth across all grade spans.
• Sustaining Match’s unique school program and culture, and adhering to its core values, while also working to strategically differentiate Match’s work and mission within Boston’s increasingly challenging enrollment landscape. Prioritizing the effort to serve English Learners effectively.
• Serving as a trusted representative and unwavering ambassador of the school to the entire community of family, students, partners, and donors.
• Effectively managing the school’s finances and securing the resources needed, beyond per pupil revenue, to deliver the educational program Match’s students need to reach their potential. This work includes a potential multi-year new school building project to better serve students and families.

Profile of the Ideal Candidate

Desired Credentials:

• Passion for and commitment to Match’s mission, vision, core values, and its exceptionally diverse school community.
• A minimum of five years of senior educational leadership or equivalent experience.
• Knowledge and understanding of Boston’s neighborhoods, its unique public education history, and its broader educational landscape.
• Understanding of and experience in the charter public school sector is a plus, along with exposure to K-12 educational principles and practices.
• Experience with capital campaigns and leading school real estate design and development projects.

Skills and Attributes:

Culture and Team Builder

• Approachable and present leader able to make deep and meaningful connections with students, parents, teachers, administrators, staff, and partners, with the ability to show genuine care and support for staff and students and the capacity to be actively involved in the daily life of Match’s schools.
• High emotional and cultural intelligence with a down-to-earth, humble, and non-hierarchical orientation and the ability to foster a positive, trusting, and inclusive atmosphere where everyone feels heard and respected.
• Strong listening skills, openness to feedback, and ability to build relationships and collaborate with all of Match’s stakeholders.
• Unwavering advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion and able to understand and represent Match’s predominantly Black and brown community of families and students.

Experienced and Strategic Educational Administrator

• Strategic thinker who can develop and execute a vision for Match's future with the ability to navigate the changing funding context, right-size the budget, and drive innovation and growth.
• Commitment to academic excellence and high achievement across all grades while simultaneously tending to social-emotional learning and student well-being.
• Able to analyze and commit to a long-term approach and implement plans for the school’s improvement, even if approaches and plans require challenging and difficult choices.
• Successful track record leading a school or educational organization of similar scale and size in terms of educational program, students, and staff.
• Able to influence, advise, coach, and delegate effectively to the school’s academic and/or instructional leaders to accelerate academic gains.
• Skilled at developing and managing budgets, understanding and reporting on financials, and raising the philanthropic funds needed to supplement Match’s per pupil revenue.

Engaged Manager of People and Community

• Prior personnel management experience with the ability to delegate authority to senior leadership and hold others highly accountable.
• Able to leverage strong educational knowledge to address issues and effectively foster open communication with educators.
• Value and promote individuals’ well-being and embrace diverse cultures and backgrounds to sustain an inclusive environment.
• Acknowledge the importance of family, community engagement, and student voice, ensuring all are heard and respected through active listening and open, honest communication.
• Maintain a cool, calm, and collected demeanor, handling conflicts with a deliberative approach and making thoughtful and collaborative decisions.

Application Guidelines

This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position with a starting salary range of $200,000 to $225,000. Match also offers a comprehensive benefits package. Match prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, religion, veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in any aspect of the access to, admission, or treatment of students in its programs and activities, or in employment and application for employment.

Candidates should include a resume and a cover letter that describes how their qualifications and experience match the needs and mission of Match. Applicants wishing to lead Match during the 2025-26 school year should apply by April 4, 2025. Submit required documents at: https://eostransitions.applicantpool.com/jobs/.

Eos Transition Partners consultant Erin Cox is managing this executive search. All submissions will be acknowledged and are confidential, and any questions must be submitted to Erin at: ecox@eostransitions.com.