Chief Executive Officer

OpenSciEd; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 300,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenSciEd is seeking a visionary CEO to lead strategy, expand adoption of its NGSS-aligned, open-source science curriculum, and ensure financial stability in a remote-first setting.

You will report to the OpenSciEd Board of Directors, build partnerships with districts and funders, shape organizational culture around trust and learning, and drive strategic planning, revenue growth, and board collaboration.

Qualifications

• Seasoned leader with a track record in strategic planning and execution.
• Experience guiding nonprofits or education technology initiatives.
• Proven ability to build partnerships with districts, funders, and boards.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and implement a field-responsive plan that affirms OpenSciEd’s leadership.
• Scale adoption and impact while protecting the freely accessible core and learning.
• Foster an adaptive culture grounded in trust, educator voice, and collaboration with the Board.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Nonprofit/government partnerships

Fundraising/development

Executive communication

Product/education strategy

Job description

Fast Facts

Location: Remote | Anticipated start: Q1 2027

Reports to: OpenSciEd Board of Directors

The Organization

Developed with leading science educators, researchers, and classroom teachers, OpenSciEd’s free, NGSS-aligned instructional materials engage all students in student-led science learning. Its materials, professional learning, and ongoing support help schools and districts create science classrooms where students investigate, ask questions, use evidence, and build explanations about the world around them.

OpenSciEd has earned trust as a leader in high quality, open-source science curriculum and professional learning. As curriculum development advances, the next CEO will expand reach, strengthen educator and partner support, ensure financial stability, and respond thoughtfully to emerging technologies, including AI, while protecting the quality, openness, and student-centered approach that distinguish the organization.

What You Will Accomplish

Lead the strategy. Implement an innovative, field-responsive strategic plan that affirms OpenSciEd’s leadership in shaping the future of science curriculum.

Scale adoption and impact. Grow adoption and market share while protecting the freely accessible core. Define successful implementation and connect professional learning, user feedback, partner standards, and product improvement so all students—especially those in communities underserved or underrepresented in science—experience the intended quality of instruction.

Build an adaptive culture. Strengthen a work culture grounded in trust, transparency, educator voice, and OpenSciEd’s core values, enabling alignment and effective leadership through change.

CEO Priorities

The CEO will guide OpenSciEd’s next stage of growth, expanding access to high-quality science education while strengthening classroom implementation and long-term financial sustainability.

The role’s priorities span strategic planning and implementation (30%), revenue generation (25%), and partnerships (25%), with additional focus on culture transformation (10%) and collaboration with the Board and executive team (10%).

Together, these priorities call for a leader who can translate vision into action, build strong relationships, and cultivate a culture of trust, learning, and shared purpose.

Who Should Apply

We welcome leaders with significant experience in the following areas:

• Creating and executing innovative, field-responsive strategies


• Leading and motivating high-performing teams around a shared vision


• Building cycles of innovation, learning, and continuous improvement


• Designing, building, and scaling high-quality curriculum


• Building consensus across diverse stakeholder groups

Potential candidates may include:

• Education nonprofit C-suite leaders


• Chief Academic Officers


• Chief Operating Officer


• Chief Growth Officers


• Chief Product Officers


• EdTech and startup leaders


• Executives with past or current school system experience

Support Across The Field

OpenSciEd’s work is supported by funders including Amazon Future Engineer, Gates Foundation, Andrew Carnegie Foundation, Overdeck Family Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Cambiar Education. This support helps advance OpenSciEd’s mission to expand access to high-quality, student-centered science education.

What Stakeholders Say

“OpenSciEd has pioneered curriculum by which classroom teachers, district and state leadership, researchers and curriculum developers work together…”

their impact has truly been remarkable to the field”

— Jill Cowart, former Assistant Superintendent of Academic Content, Louisiana Department of Education