Yu Ming Charter School, Chief Executive Officer

ORGANIZATION

Yu Ming Charter School is a non-profit, tuition-free network of public schools located in Oakland and San Leandro and open to all residents of California. As a leader in Mandarin Immersion education, our mission is to nurture our inclusive and diverse community to become empowered, engaged and outstanding global citizens. We currently serve 766 students across three campuses, and continue to grow enrollment each year. Our intentionally diverse student body comes from many racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds representing 70 zip codes across the Bay Area and 29 home languages. Founded in 2011, Yu Ming is the first Mandarin immersion public charter school in the state.

We believe every child, regardless of their background or zip code, deserves a free, high-quality education that prepares them today to succeed tomorrow. Ranked the #7 Elementary School and the #2 Elementary Charter School in California by U.S. News, Yu Ming is a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and a 2020 California Distinguished School. Yu Ming’s future-forward model prepares young people to succeed and thrive in an interconnected and multicultural world through personalized and rigorous learning experiences, active student agency, whole child and community focus, and multilingual education. As a result, our students far outperform their peers in the district, county, and state, regardless of socio-economic status, race, language background, and learning differences. We are closing the opportunity gap for our historically underserved students every day.

To learn more about our innovative school visit our website www.yumingschool.org.

OPPORTUNITY

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the overall senior leader of Yu Ming and will report directly to the Yu Ming Board of Directors. This is a unique opportunity for an exceptional academic and community leader with a deep commitment to excellence, equity and innovation in American public education.

The CEO will lead, manage, and oversee all functions of the organization partnering with the network leadership team and school principals for high-quality educational programs and student performance, sound fiscal and operations management, community and partner relations, and facilities and talent development. A significant priority will be to secure two permanent school sites to maximize Yu Ming’s impact, growth, and sustainability.

The impact of the next CEO will be to create the conditions for Yu Ming’s success not only with the students it serves in the Bay Area but to continue to develop a vision for greater impact that expands access and opportunity to our innovative and highly successful model that integrates:

• Mandarin Immersion dual-language education;
• Academic excellence through personalized learning and performance assessment;
• Whole child, whole heart education and;
• Intentionally diverse, inclusive school communities.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Responsibilities of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) include:

• Mission and Vision Alignment: Model, sustain and champion Yu Ming’s organizational culture aligned to our core values, mission and equity vision statement. Set and steward a bold vision for regional and larger change, informed by the communities served, and lead the organization in alignment with that vision.
• Organizational Leadership: Make organizational decisions, including resource allocation, based on both quantitative and qualitative data to achieve our mission and goals. Effectively manage change, influence others, and lead teams to execution of our organizational strategic plan.
• People Leadership: Build a senior leadership team that strategically learns and collaborates across differences, to ensure student learning and experience are prioritized. Set organizational imperative for talent, ensuring that the leadership team invests in attracting, developing and retaining top talent.
• External Relations/Fundraising: Oversee the organization’s fundraising and development efforts, serving as an important liaison with the donor community and champions. Manage different partnerships, especially political relationships, to ensure we successfully navigate through an increasingly anti-charter landscape.
• Board and Community Engagement: Partner with the board on strong governance and fundraising to ensure we are effectively stewarding the organization toward our mission and vision. Elevate and listen to the voices of our community in order to form and shape the organization's strategies, priorities, and goals. Champion and grow Yu Ming’s impact regionally and nationally.

PRIORITIES

A successful first year in this role for the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will include:

• Building rapport and trust with the board, network leadership team, site leadership team, and staff.
• Serving as the face of the organization, fostering relationships with key community stakeholders that include families, the Alameda County Office of Education, Oakland Unified School District, Oakland School Board and local charter authorizers.
• Securing two permanent school sites to maximize and ensure Yu Ming’s impact, growth, and sustainability.
• Working closely with the network leadership team on building systems and relationships to support a positive culture, promote collaboration, maintain transparency and open communication.

QUALIFICATIONS

In order to fulfill these responsibilities, the ideal Chief Executive Officer (CEO) candidate will have/be:

• An accomplished leader with 5+ years of success in educational leadership
• Belief in the mission and vision of Yu Ming and commitment to its language immersion, whole child model of education (experience with both models preferred)
• Demonstrated commitment to anti-bias and anti-racist education and experience in advancing diverse, equitable and inclusive communities in schools and in the workplace
• A visionary for educational equity and advocate for reimagining public education to create joyful, relationship-based, agentic, and excellent learning experiences for students
• Prior school or education system leadership experience with a track record of success
• A seasoned professional and experienced manager who knows how to recruit, coach and develop staff at all levels
• Fundraising experience preferred, including a track-record of meeting (or surpassing) ambitious revenue goals over a sustained period and building brand awareness
• Understanding of political climate, labor partnerships, and policy development/ implementation
• 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

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This position offers a competitive salary range of $210,000-230,000, a potential for signing bonus and/or relocation stipend and robust benefits including medical, dental and STRS retirement. More details can be provided upon request.

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume online at https://apply.workable.com/j/780123A9A6. For additional questions about this position or to speak with someone about your interest, please contact Brett Kunsch at bkunsch@edgilityconsulting.com or Serena Moy at smoy@edgilityconsulting.com.

Yu Ming Charter School 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.