Director of Family Engagement, Alpha

Alpha School students, on average, experience 2.4 to 2.6 times the academic growth of traditional school students
— Forbes

Alpha is hiring.

• On-site:
  Lake Forest or Los Angeles/Malibu, California
• $200,000/yr
• Full-time W-2 employee
• Benefits: health, vision, dental, 401(k), PTO, and more

The hardest family conversations are not solved by saying yes. They are solved by listening closely, making a sound decision, and keeping trust intact after you deliver an answer a family may not want to hear.

You will be the visible parent-and-guide leader of an Alpha campus. On a typical day, you may greet families at morning drop-off, align with guides on a sensitive student situation, lead a difficult parent conversation, and host an evening community event. Families should feel known and supported, while guides should feel backed by clear boundaries and consistent decisions.

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 explain and defend that 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 will change 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 will focus more deeply on family retention, guide alignment, referrals, and community trust. If you want a fixed playbook or a role built around keeping everyone happy, this is not it.

• 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 your growth ownership to the campus phase, from local demand and enrollment follow-through at newer campuses to retention and community depth at mature campuses

• Running a parent-satisfaction desk or changing the school model to avoid difficult conversations
• Owning the same admissions quota at every campus, regardless of the campus 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

Create a trusted campus community where families and guides stay aligned, difficult decisions preserve confidence, and retention, advocacy, and growth strengthen.

• 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…