BES Fellowship for Founding School Leaders - Arizona

About the role

The BES Fellowship for Founding School Leaders - Arizona is a rigorous, multi-year training program designed to prepare highly motivated leaders to design and found a new public charter school in Arizona. Fellows will receive comprehensive training and support over four years, culminating in the establishment of a high-performing, locally responsive school.

Responsibilities

• Engage in over 300 hours of coursework on school design, leadership, governance, and community engagement, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Conduct in-depth studies of effective schools across the nation and complete residencies at high-performing schools.
• Develop a charter application and establish a founding board.
• Partner with a BES coach to refine project management and leadership skills, hire founding staff, recruit students, and solidify school vision.
• Put vision into action, welcome the inaugural class, coach teachers, and use data to drive academic success.
• Deepen academic focus, serve a growing population of students, and build leadership capacity to support future growth.
• Foster an empowered, mission-aligned team.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s or Professional degree preferred
• Minimum 8 years of professional experience, with instructional or instructional leadership experience required
• At least 2 years managing and supervising adults in a PreK-12 setting required, 2 years of school leadership experience preferred
• Commitment to serving as a school leader in the proposed community for at least 10 years required
• Ability to establish and activate local connections to support school enrollment
• Strong preference for candidates with 2-3 years of experience living or working in the proposed school region, especially those with strong ties to the community
• A clear, compelling rationale for the proposed school location

Qualifications

• Commitment to excellence for all students

Benefits

• This is a contract role with a $100,000 grant during the first year of the program (the Fellowship training year)
• Healthcare grants available
• Travel and accommodations for training and during school study travel
• Reimbursement for up to $5,000 in moving expenses
• Up to $3,500 grants for school design expenses for Build Fellows
• Up to $11,500 reimbursed for character and equity-focused professional development for Character and Equity Fellows.
• The opportunity to apply for BES start-up fund awards and/or those provided exclusively to Fellows by our partners

Pay

This is a contract role with a $100,000 grant during the first year of the program (the Fellowship training year).

Schedule

The BES Fellowship training year runs from August 2026 through July 2027, during which time BES Fellows will receive disbursements from their $100,000 grant. While grant disbursements will end in July 2027, the authorization process in certain regions can sometimes extend beyond that time. BES Fellows will continue to receive coaching and guidance from BES through this phase to help them navigate the entirety of the authorization process. In addition, BES will work with Fellows affected by this timeline to identify additional funding opportunities for Fellows, wherever possible.