Director of Parent Engagement, Alpha - $200,000/year USD

About the role

Alpha students complete core academics in two hours a day using AI-powered learning, then spend the rest of the day building real-world skills. You will be the visible parent-and-guide leader of an Alpha campus — greeting families at morning drop-off, aligning with guides on sensitive student situations, leading difficult parent conversations, and hosting evening community events. Families should feel known and supported, while guides should feel backed by clear boundaries and consistent decisions. You will explain and defend the Alpha model with conviction, use AI tools in your own work, and help sophisticated families understand both the power and the limits of an AI-powered school. Your ownership adapts as the campus grows: at a launch or under-enrolled campus you may help develop local demand and follow prospective families through enrollment; at a mature campus with dedicated admissions support you focus more deeply on family retention, guide alignment, referrals, and community trust.

Responsibilities

• Own ongoing relationships with campus families through visible daily presence, thoughtful follow-through, and clear communication
• Lead difficult parent conversations, uphold firm decisions, and resolve concerns without weakening Alpha's educational standards
• Partner with guides on sensitive family and student situations, make sound real-time judgments, and use the correct escalation path for high-risk issues
• Build parent networks, campus traditions, local partnerships, and events that strengthen retention, referrals, advocacy, and community credibility
• Adapt growth ownership to the campus phase — from local demand and enrollment follow-through at newer campuses to retention and community depth at mature campuses
• Create a trusted campus community where families and guides stay aligned, difficult decisions preserve confidence, and retention, advocacy, and growth strengthen

What you won't be doing

• Serving as a parent-satisfaction desk or changing the school model to avoid difficult conversations
• Owning the same admissions quota at every campus regardless of phase or available admissions support
• Passing every ambiguous decision upward or relying on a script when accountable judgment is required
• Managing routine school administration such as attendance, scheduling, newsletters, or parent-teacher conferences
• Planning social events without a clear retention, advocacy, referral, community, or growth outcome

Requirements

• Currently live within commuting distance of Lake Forest or Los Angeles/Malibu, California, or be ready to relocate within 60 days if offered the job
• 5+ years personally owning ongoing, high-trust relationships with families, clients, donors, members, or community stakeholders
• A concrete record of handling difficult stakeholder decisions, adapting when new information emerges, and preserving trust through resolution
• Independent ownership of an ambiguous relationship, community, program, retention, referral, enrollment, or growth outcome from diagnosis through follow-through
• Clear, concise communication and the judgment to earn confidence with affluent or otherwise sophisticated, high-expectation families
• Ability to partner with educators, protect instructional boundaries, and make accountable decisions in real-time student and family situations
• Practical hands-on use of AI tools, including checking output quality and explaining the capabilities and limits of AI-powered learning
• Willingness to work on-site full-time and attend early-morning, late-afternoon, evening, and occasional weekend activities
• Legal authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in an independent or private school, luxury hospitality, philanthropy, family services, membership organization, or another high-trust service environment
• Existing relationships within the Lake Forest, Los Angeles, Malibu, or nearby affluent community
• Evidence of personally improving family retention, referrals, advocacy, enrollment, or community participation
• Experience building systems and operating effectively while the playbook, team, or campus needs were still changing

About Alpha

Alpha reimagines the school day around faster learning, stronger mentorship, and more time for students to build real-world skills. Alpha hires teachers (guides), operators, admissions experts, school & curriculum leaders, and remote team members. Alpha offers six-figure roles for people ready to help build a radically better school experience. The culture is fast-moving, ambitious, and student-focused — for people who want to improve the system, not maintain it.

Compensation & benefits

• Salary: $200,000 USD/year (paid weekly)
• Full-time W-2 employee with immediate access to benefits: health, vision, dental, 401(k), PTO, and more
• On-site full-time at Lake Forest or Los Angeles/Malibu, California
• Schedule includes early-morning, late-afternoon, evening, and occasional weekend activities