Interim Chief Executive Officer

Republicschools; Jackson (MS); On-site; USD 210,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary $210k–$250k

Retirement plans: TCRS/Principal

Life insurance: $10,000

Disability coverage

Carrot Fertility benefits

Job summary

RePublic Schools seeks an Interim Chief Executive Officer to guide the organization through a period of transition, maintaining stability and focusing on academic and operational performance across its Jackson, MS and Nashville, TN regions.

The role emphasizes leading senior leadership, partnering with the Boards, and ensuring effective execution of current priorities while planning for the next chapter of leadership.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in K–12 education; experience serving historically underserved communities is strongly preferred.
• Experience leading school or network performance improvement and connecting academic outcomes with enrollment and family engagement.
• Experience partnering effectively with governing boards and managing executive transitions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as chief executive during the transition and provide clear leadership.
• Establish decision-making structures and staff roles for the interim period.
• Oversee senior leadership team, drive accountability, and maintain organizational momentum.
• Partner with boards to review operating structure and support schools and students.
• Maintain financial health and ensure compliance and operational stability during transition.

Skills

Executive leadership

K-12 education

Board governance

Strategic planning

Change management

Job description

Reports to: RePublic Charter Management Board of Directors

Anticipated Start Date: January 1, 2027

Anticipated Term: 8–18 months

Salary Range: $210,000- $250,000 dependent on experience

RePublic Schools is seeking an Interim Chief Executive Officer to lead the organization through an important period of transition. The Interim CEO will be responsible for maintaining organizational stability, supporting strong academic and operational performance, leading and developing the senior leadership team, and ensuring that RePublic’s schools remain focused on serving scholars, families, and staff.

This is a time-bound leadership role with a distinct mandate. Rather than establishing a new long-term strategic direction for the organization, the Interim CEO will ensure strong execution of current priorities while partnering closely with the Boards of Directors as they review RePublic’s operating structure to understand how best to support its schools and students going forward.

The Interim CEO must be both a steady organizational leader and an effective transition leader: someone who can make necessary decisions, create clarity during uncertainty, build trust across multiple constituencies, and ensure that the organization is positioned for a successful transition to its next phase of leadership.

The Interim CEO should be based in Jackson, Mississippi, or Nashville, Tennessee, with the expectation that they spend approximately 50% of their time in each region regardless of their primary location.

What You’ll Do

Provide Stable and Effective Organizational Leadership

• Serve as the organization’s chief executive and provide clear, consistent leadership during the transition period.
• Establish clear decision‑making structures, roles, and expectations so staff understand how the organization will operate during the interim period.
• Manage systems change as directed by the board of directors aligned with the strategic plan.
• Identify issues requiring immediate executive action and distinguish them from longer‑term strategic decisions that should be made in partnership with the Boards or reserved for RePublic’s future leadership.
• Maintain organizational momentum while avoiding unnecessary disruption or major long‑term commitments that could constrain RePublic’s future direction.

Maintain Strong Academic and Organizational Performance

• Ensure continued focus on academic achievement, scholar belonging, enrollment and retention, staff retention, and financial health.
• Strengthen the conditions for sustainable enrollment by connecting academic performance, family experience, community confidence, and enrollment planning.
• Work closely with academic and school leaders to ensure schools receive the support, resources, and executive attention necessary to serve scholars effectively.
• Monitor organizational performance and intervene when key academic, operational, talent, enrollment, or financial indicators fall off track.
• Partner with academic leaders to protect instructional priorities, strengthen academic outcomes, and ensure school performance remains central to executive decisions.
• Maintain high expectations while recognizing the additional demands that organizational transition can place on staff and school communities.

Lead and Support the Senior Leadership Team

• Lead, coach, and support RePublic’s senior leadership team, ensuring leaders have clear priorities, decision‑making authority, accountability, and resources.
• Build cohesion and trust among senior leaders and facilitate effective collaboration across functions and geographies.
• Establish consistent Chiefs Team routines, shared goals, decision rights, and performance expectations so senior leaders operate as one cohesive team.
• Retain and develop high‑performing staff and proactively address critical talent or organizational capacity needs.
• Partner with Talent and school leaders to address critical vacancies, strengthen leadership pipelines, and improve retention of effective staff.
• Foster a culture in which people feel valued, respected, informed, and accountable for results.

Partner Effectively with RePublic’s Boards

• Serve as the primary executive partner to the RCM Board and work effectively with the separate boards that govern the Mississippi and Nashville regions.
• Provide the Boards with timely, candid, and actionable information regarding academic performance, enrollment, talent, operations, finances, organizational health, and emerging risks.
• Support Board of Directors SY28 decisions regarding RePublic's long‑term Tennessee footprint through rigorous analysis of academic, enrollment, operational, and financial considerations.
• Implement Board‑approved decisions and ensure appropriate communication and execution throughout the organization.
• Clearly identify decisions requiring Board involvement and elevate significant risks, tradeoffs, or strategic questions in a timely manner.

Steward RePublic’s Financial and Operational Health

• Ensure strong financial stewardship and maintain appropriate oversight of budgets, cash flow, enrollment, staffing, compliance, and other organizational operations.
• Partner with financial and operational leaders to identify emerging risks and ensure appropriate mitigation plans are developed and implemented.
• Ensure the organization remains compliant with applicable laws, authorizer requirements, contracts, policies, and Board expectations.
• Lead executive preparation for upcoming school renewal and authorizer processes, including Revive Collegiate's renewal, with clear ownership, timelines, and evidence of school performance.

Communicate and Build Trust Through Transition

• Communicate regularly and transparently with staff regarding organizational priorities, decisions, and the transition process.
• Engage school and regional stakeholders through purposeful listening and regular school visits before proposing significant changes.
• Maintain strong relationships with school leaders, staff, scholars, families, community partners, authorizers, funders, elected officials, and other key stakeholders.
• Represent RePublic externally and maintain confidence in the organization’s leadership and continued commitment to its communities.
• Listen actively to stakeholders across the organization and ensure perspectives from those closest to scholars and schools inform executive decision‑making.
• Model calm, transparency, humility, decisiveness, and respect during periods of uncertainty.

Prepare RePublic for Its Next Chapter

• Partner with the outgoing CEO and Board to ensure an effective transfer of institutional knowledge, relationships, responsibilities, and critical organizational information.
• Document key decisions, organizational risks, priorities, stakeholder relationships, and other institutional knowledge that will support future leadership.
• Ensure a thoughtful handoff to the permanent CEO or successor leadership structure at the conclusion of the interim appointment.
• Leave the organization stable, well‑managed, and positioned for its next phase.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in K–12 education, including at least 2 years in a senior or executive charter leadership role. Experience serving historically underserved communities and delivering strong academic outcomes is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading school or network performance improvement, with the ability to connect academic achievement, school quality, family confidence, and enrollment outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience leading through organizational change, leadership transition, financial pressure, restructuring, or periods of uncertainty.
• Experience leading across multiple schools, functions, or regions, including managing complex governance and external accountability relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop senior‑level teams while building trust and organizational cohesion.
• Strong financial and operational judgment, including experience overseeing significant organizational budgets and managing organizational risk.
• Experience partnering effectively with governing boards.
• Demonstrated ability to lead executive teams through challenging interpersonal dynamics, align leaders around shared priorities, and establish clear accountability for results.
• Ability to balance decisive executive leadership with appropriate Board governance and stakeholder engagement.
• Strong judgment regarding which decisions require immediate action and which should be preserved for longer‑term leadership or Board consideration.
• Exceptional communication, relationship‑building, critical‑thinking, and problem‑solving skills.
• Strong project‑management and execution skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• A demonstrated commitment to educational equity and a steadfast belief that all students can achieve academic excellence regardless of background.

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation: This is a salaried executive leadership position with a recommended salary range of $210,000 to $250,000, commensurate with experience, qualifications, and demonstrated leadership success.
• Retirement Plans: Employees may participate in the TCRS retirement plan in Nashville, TN, or the Principal retirement plan in Jackson, MS, based on eligibility and location.
• Comprehensive Benefits Program: RePublic Schools provides $10,000 in employer‑paid life insurance, along with term life insurance, disability coverage, and Carrot Fertility benefits, with 100% of applicable premiums covered by the organization.
• Opportunity to Lead and Make an Impact: As CEO, you will have the opportunity to shape the future of RePublic Schools across Jackson, MS, and Nashville, TN. This role offers the unique opportunity to strengthen academic excellence, drive sustainable enrollment growth, develop exceptional leaders, and position RePublic Schools for long‑term success.