Senior Educator

SailFuture; Saint Petersburg (FL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Membership to Clearwater Community Sailing Center

Consistent time off throughout the year

Planning time each week

All expenses paid sailing experiences

Curriculum freedom and autonomy

Job summary

SailFuture in Saint Petersburg, Florida, is seeking a Senior Educator to lead curriculum design and support junior teaching staff. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of teaching experience and a proven track record in mentorship. This role operates on a year-round calendar with flexibility and significant planning time.

Responsibilities include co-authoring curriculum, facilitating hands-on learning, and building relationships with students. Compensation includes a salary range of $60,000 – $70,000, along with generous paid time off and benefits.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of teaching experience with at least 2 years in a leadership or mentor capacity.
• Deep expertise in curriculum design and project-based pedagogy.
• Ability to establish meaningful relationships with students and families.

Responsibilities

• Co-author and lead project-based learning curriculum and lesson plans.
• Facilitate learning in a hands-on, inquiry-driven classroom.
• Serve as a mentor and instructional model for junior staff.

Job description

About the SailFuture Academy

SailFuture Academy is a private, nonprofit high school in St. Petersburg, Florida. Our mandate is to develop an exceptional educational model for system-involved youth and families experiencing extreme poverty.

We make exceptional education accessible to hard-to-reach youth, empowering students to achieve economic freedom and social mobility through a pragmatic high school experience. Students focus on foundational academic and character development in 8th through 10th grade, participate in an in-house internship in 11th grade, and complete an external apprenticeship in 12th grade. Every student participates in a 7-week international rite-of-passage sailing expedition onboard a 100’ school ship.

Senior Educator

The Senior Educator is a leadership position for an experienced educator who is equally skilled at designing curriculum, developing other teachers, and building the kind of relationships that change a student’s trajectory.

You’ll own your department’s instructional program from the ground up: designing project-based units, writing curriculum in collaboration with school leadership, and continuously refining your classes based on what you see working in the room. You’ll also serve as a model for less experienced staff. Your classroom is a living example of what great instruction looks like here.

SailFuture Academy operates on a year-round, 5-term calendar. Each term runs approximately eight weeks, followed by a two-week break for students. Senior teachers receive seven weeks of paid time off per year: one week during each of the four break periods, and three weeks during summer. A typical workday runs 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with 10 to 15 hours of dedicated planning and grading time built into each week.

Time off during break weeks and summer allows for genuine flexibility in how and where you work, but requires the ability to manage your own time and output to ensure curriculum development, classroom preparation, and student-facing goals are met to a high standard.

Responsibilities

• Co-author and lead project-based learning curriculum and lesson plans within your subject area, in close partnership with school leadership.
• Manage responsibilities with autonomy.
• Facilitate learning for students in a hands‑on, inquiry-driven classroom environment built around critical thinking and real-world application.
• Serve as a mentor and instructional model for junior teaching staff, supporting their development through coaching, co‑planning, and direct feedback.
• Establish meaningful relationships with students and families that improve behavior, academic performance, and long-term outcomes.
• Serve as the primary parent contact and campus advisory leader for students in your assigned crew.
• Contribute to school-wide culture by upholding and modeling community standards in and out of the classroom.
• Design and execute culminating projects each term that showcase student learning through tangible, high-quality outcomes.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a seasoned educator who has led classrooms, developed curriculum, and mentored other adults — and they’re looking for a school that matches their ambition for what education can be.

• Deep expertise in curriculum design, project-based pedagogy, and classroom facilitation.
• Lived or professional experience that enables genuine empathy for the students we serve.
• A track record of mentorship and leadership with other educators or staff.
• A “whatever it takes” mentality grounded in discipline and follow-through.
• 5+ years of teaching experience, with at least 2 years in a leadership or mentor capacity.

Compensation

• $60,000 – $70,000 depending on experience.
• 7 weeks paid time off.
• 7 paid holidays.
• $250 per month employee health contribution.
• 401(k) with 6% match.

Perks

• Membership to Clearwater Community Sailing Center (Kayaks, sailboats, beach).
• Consistent time off throughout the year (1 week every 7 weeks).
• 10–15 hours of planning time per week.
• Two 1-week all expenses paid sailing experiences with faculty and students.
• Curriculum freedom and autonomy.