Director of Secondary School Strategy, Partnerships, and Program Development

Founding Director Of Secondary School Strategy, Partnerships, And Program Development

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is seeking candidates who are eager to contribute to its Lasallian Catholic mission of awakening, nurturing, and empowering learners to ethical lives of service and leadership. We invite individuals to help transform lives through education, inspired by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition's quest to understand the human experience through faith and reason and its embrace of all who are dedicated to learning from one another through authentic conversations in search of the truth.

We are especially interested in and give preference to candidates who demonstrate a vision to create and nurture initiatives that will advance our mission within the scope of their duties and who will foster a culture of dialogue that, with respect for all people, supports the search for meaning and purpose in pursuit of excellence.

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota seeks a mission-driven, entrepreneurial, highly relational educational leader to serve as the Founding Director of Secondary School Strategy, Partnerships, and Program Development for its emerging Catholic Trade & Technology High School initiative.

This position is designed for a dynamic educational leader who can help guide the initiative from vision through launch and ultimately into stable operations as the school matures. The role combines strategic leadership, educational planning, relationship management, operational coordination, and mission integration within a highly collaborative environment.

The Founding Director serves as a senior strategic leader responsible for guiding the initiative from planning through implementation, while ensuring alignment among Church, University, donor, academic, operational, and community stakeholders to establish a sustainable and scalable Catholic secondary education model.

This individual will work closely with University leadership, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Dean of Advancing Studies, operations team, external partners, architects, advisors, and the newly established Advisory Council to help shape and execute the school's development.

Over time, the role is expected to transition naturally into the founding Principal or Head of School position as the institution launches and stabilizes.

The proposed Catholic Trade & Technology High School is envisioned as a distinctly Lasallian Catholic educational model integrating faith formation, workforce preparation, technical and academic excellence, dual enrollment/PSEO, Associate degree pathways, optional bachelor's completion pathways, character and leadership development, employer partnerships, dignity of work, practical and applied learning. The school seeks to create a new model of Catholic secondary-to-postsecondary workforce formation rooted in human dignity, craftsmanship, service, innovation, and Catholic identity.

Salary Range: $90k - $105K

This position is funded through a benefactor-supported gift and is contingent upon the continued availability of such funding. As a result, the position may be modified or discontinued at the discretion of the University should funding change or cease.

Strategic Leadership & Transition Coordination

• Help guide the initiative from project planning and mapping through operational launch
• Coordinate major implementation timelines and strategic priorities
• Assist in translating broad vision into executable operational steps
• Maintain momentum and accountability across multiple work streams
• Monitor progress, risks, dependencies, and operational readiness across strategic work streams.

Support long-range institutional planning and phased development

• Develop and maintain implementation frameworks, governance structures, and accountability systems necessary to support successful institutional launch.
• Provide regular implementation updates and strategic recommendations to University leadership and the Advisory Council.

Educational & Academic Planning

• Collaborate closely with the Dean of Advancing Studies and Senior academic leadership
• Assist in development of curriculum pathways and educational models
• Support PSEO and…