Executive School Director

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Are you an experienced, passionate early childhood leader ready to lead a thriving school community? Join us as the Executive School Director at The Gardner School of Schaumburg!

At The Gardner School, we believe in providing a nurturing, academically focused environment where children thrive—and where leaders like you inspire excellence every day. As the Executive School Director, you’ll be at the helm of building a high-performing team, cultivating family partnerships, and bringing our mission and values to life from Day One.

The Executive School Director at The Gardner School is a dynamic leader responsible for fostering a positive educational environment, driving operational excellence, and upholding The Gardner School’s mission, vision, and values. This role requires a hands-on leader who can inspire, mentor, and manage a team, while maintaining high standards of educational quality, compliance, operational efficiency, and community engagement. In addition to upholding a positive brand image for The Gardner School within the community, the Executive School Director drives the school’s financial performance, meeting key objectives through effective operational management, team leadership, and strategic planning.

The Executive School Director plays a critical role in shaping the school’s success and reputation.

The anticipated salary range for this position is $58,000-$73,000 per year, which represents what The Gardner School reasonably expects to pay for this role based on the position location, experience, education, internal equity, and other job-related factors. Actual compensation may vary depending on these factors and geographic market conditions.

This position is also eligible for a quarterly performance bonus based on individual and school performance. We offer full medical benefits, 401k, and discounted childcare tuition.

Key Responsibilities Enrollment Management:

Drive enrollment to align with the school’s performance targets, maintaining accountability for meeting or exceeding enrollment milestones each quarter.

Serve as the primary sales leader for the school by actively engaging prospective families through tours, follow-ups, and converting inquiries to enrollments.

Execute community marketing initiatives with measurable outcomes, building relationships with local organizations, businesses, and family-centric groups to increase brand awareness and drive enrollment leads.

Track, analyze, and act upon enrollment pipeline metrics to identify areas of opportunity and refine sales strategies as needed.

Strategically open new classrooms in alignment with enrollment projections, ensuring staffing, materials, and readiness support a seamless launch.

Team Staffing, Leadership and Development:

Lead, inspire, and manage a diverse team effectively, ensuring alignment with organizational goals while promoting a positive and productive work environment.

Recruit, interview, hire, and train Team Members to maintain proper staff/child ratio.

Lead monthly team meetings, ensuring alignment with school goals and fostering a collaborative work environment.

Conduct regular classroom observations to provide teachers with constructive feedback and developmental support.

Encourage and support the creation of individualized development plans for all Team Members focusing on continuous performance improvement and professional growth.

Uphold and train the team on The Gardner School’s strategy, vision, and values, promoting a unified culture that supports the school’s mission.

Oversee onboarding activities with a focus on mentorship and long-term development for…