Current Openings

Founding Middle School Director/School Leader

Magnolia Montessori for All (MFA) Middle School

Position: Founding Director/School Leader (Magnolia Montessori for All)

Location: Austin, Texas

FLSA Status: Exempt

Reports to: Executive Director

Start date: June 2025 or earlier, if available

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

Sun Han Consulting is honored to partner with Magnolia Montessori For All to hire their founding School Leader for the new Magnolia Middle that is set to open its doors in the summer of 2025. Magnolia Montessori for All (MFA) is a non-profit, free, public charter school that is proving that schools can break the mold of the factory model. They believe in the power of whole-child learning and view families as partners to nurture the intellectual, social, and emotional development of students in a small, supportive, and engaging environment. As a stand-alone charter, they are able to stay innovative, nimble, and highly relational, yet their impact is larger than the school size. The school serves as inspiration for visitors from across the globe and they openly share resources they develop to help make whole-child education a reality for children across the country. Magnolia has been featured by the Canopy Project, Next Generation Learning Challenge, and the Texas Education Agency, among others, as a model of innovation.

Magnolia MFA is thrilled to announce the expansion of their school to include 6th-8th grades for the 2025-2026 SY. Magnolia Middle will be located on the same campus as the existing public elementary school, providing continuity for current students and families, while also welcoming in new students from across the east Austin community and surrounding areas. Their linguistically, racially, culturally, and socio-economically diverse middle school is inspired by Montessori theory and grounded in best practices for adolescent development. Magnolia MFA’s program builds academic foundations while incorporating student choice, experiential and self-directed learning, and social emotional development to a much higher degree than would be found in a traditional school. While this can be felt in the fabric of the school and through a million tiny decisions they make, here are a few specific ways this ethos can be seen on their unique campus:

Academic rigor is expressed through experiential and application-based learning whenever possible
“Right sized” - big enough that children can have a variety of experiences and relationships….and small enough that every student is known and can get personalized support
Daily Seminar in multi-age groups with the same adult advisor for three years (with weekly advisory modeled after Chris Balme’s Argonaut Advisory training)
Minimal homework, allowing children to focus on exploring their passions and connecting with others
8th grade capstone projects, dedicating time for students to deep dive on a meaningful topic

POSITION OVERVIEW

Magnolia MFA seeks a passionate and experienced leader to join their team as they embark on the journey of building their middle school program from the ground up. In this pivotal role, you will not only shape the middle school’s culture and program, but also have a voice in guiding the strategic direction of the organization. This position offers a unique chance to influence big-picture decisions while fostering an inspiring educational environment. Prior Montessori experience is not required for this position. This is an ideal opportunity for those looking to make a lasting impact in an organization as they continue to grow.

What You Will Do:

Play a pivotal role in shaping the vision and mission of Magnolia Middle School and Montessori for All.
As the founding Middle School Director, you will design and implement a robust and engaging program, shaping the curriculum, coursework, and traditions based on the principles of Montessori learning, adolescent development, and whole child growth.
Partner in the recruitment, hiring, and support of a talented and diverse faculty.
Foster a positive and inclusive school culture that celebrates individual differences.
Oversee the daily operations of the school, ensuring a smooth and efficient learning environment.
Monitor and support practices, including data analysis and continuous improvement cycles, to ensure all students are meeting equitable outcomes.
Build strong relationships with families, the Austin community, and the broader educational landscape.

Who You Are:

Passionate about and experienced in creating an inclusive environment for linguistically, racially, culturally and socio-economically diverse middle schoolers and their families.
Drawn to the energy and curiosity of middle school students; committed to their academic and personal growth so they can become well-rounded, confident and empathetic human beings.
A visionary able to motivate a team of educators to hold multiple important outcomes in balance - achieving rigorous academic outcomes while fostering a culture of joy, purpose, justice and community.
A reflective leader who understands the significance of their own background within the school community, and is able to foster deep, meaningful relationships with students, families and faculty from diverse backgrounds.
An individual who thrives in a collaborative setting and is excited to be part of a start-up environment.
A leader with a proven track record of success in school administration or a related field, with skills in data analysis, curriculum development, instructional leadership, and school culture development.
A strong communicator with excellent interpersonal skills, who is able to build relationships with students, staff, families, and the broader community.
Bilingual (Spanish / English), preferred.

What Magnolia MFA Offers:

An exciting opportunity to be part of a ground-breaking school.
A collaborative and supportive work environment.
A competitive salary and benefits package.
The joy of working with amazing middle school students!
Children of staff receive automatic admission into their program (infant/toddler through middle school).

TO APPLY:

Sun Han Consulting will review applications on a rolling basis and the role has a priority deadline of December 3rd, 2024. Please submit your resume via this Google Form. Please note that the application form will ask you to submit a resume and answer the following questions.

How did you hear about this role?
After reading about the vision for the new Magnolia Middle School, please share in five sentences or less, why you are interested in the role and why you are uniquely qualified to be the founding School Leader.
We want to better understand your experience with middle school aged children, whether this is through a professional role or personal experience. Please answer the following questions in five sentences or less, per each question.

What do you believe is special about working with middle school aged students? How do you think this age group differs from younger or older students?
Middle school is often a time of significant change for children. How would you support students through this transitional phase while celebrating their individuality in an educational environment?

Our company is an equal opportunity employer. We have an optional self-identification form. Would you like to complete this form? Yes/No (If you answer yes, you’ll be sent a survey via email)
The midpoint of the annual salary range for this position is $120,000. Are you comfortable with this salary range?
When would you be available to start full time in this role? Please share any context that you think would be helpful for us to know.

Learn more about Magnolia Middle and Montessori for All at magnolia.montessoriforall.org.

We welcome and affirm people from all: races, religions, ethnicities, nationalities, ability statuses, gender identities, family structures, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses. We believe in equity, social justice, and peace. We believe that we are better together.