Executive Director, CAST Schools

Title: Executive Director

Location: San Antonio, TX

Salary Range: $150,000-$250,000 annually

Setting: In-person

Reports to: CAST Schools Board of Directors

About CAST:

The Centers for Applied Science and Technology (CAST) is a 501(c)(3) network of public-partnership schools working in collaboration with San Antonio-area independent school districts. CAST’s mission is to reinvent schooling to maximize opportunities for students while preparing them for the jobs of the future.

Through applied, hands-on learning, youth voice and agency, deep relationships, and a relentless commitment to equity, CAST is reimagining what school can be. With a network of seven schools across four districts, CAST works as both a practitioner and innovator, modeling next-generation learning while building pathways to economic mobility for young people and families. Governed by a board of civic and industry leaders, CAST is supported by an executive team composed of the Executive Director, Deputy Director, Senior Partnership Director, and senior staff directors.

About the Role:

As the Executive Director you will serve as the visionary and chief storyteller of CAST, responsible for advancing the organization’s mission and sharing its impact with local, state, and national audiences. In this role, you will ensure fidelity to the CAST model across schools, while also codifying and evolving the model to document, refine, and spread effective practices. Your leadership will position CAST as a thought leader and catalyst for educational transformation in San Antonio and beyond.

The ideal candidate is a mission-driven leader with a strong track record of building and sustaining long-term partnerships with superintendents, higher education institutions, employers, policymakers, and community leaders. This role requires both strategic leadership and hands-on execution: managing high-functioning teams, aligning fiscal and operational strategies, driving meaningful influence, and ensuring programmatic excellence across multiple schools and school districts.

Key Responsibilities:

Storytelling & Influence

• Serve as CAST’s chief storyteller, championing the voices of students, educators, and partners to inspire community investment and national recognition.

Model Codification & Innovation

• Codify and refine the CAST model, ensuring it is documented, tested, and continuously improved as a replicable, scalable approach to schooling. As the organization matures, root and sustain CAST Schools as a national exemplar.
• Cultivate and sustain long-term partnerships with San Antonio area school districts, industry, higher education, and community organizations, aligning resources to expand opportunities for youth.
• Bring practitioner experience and knowledge of the local and state education landscape to inform decisions, navigate policy environments, and ground CAST’s work in real-world practice and San Antonio’s specific context.
• Lead a high-functioning executive team; oversee fiscal, fundraising, communications, and programmatic strategies; ensure alignment to CAST’s strategic plan and KPIs. Lead grant fund development and gain sponsorship from industry partners.

Educational Excellence

• Draw on deep experience mentoring, coaching, and leading educators at all levels to cultivate a culture of professional growth and instructional innovation, ensuring CAST continues to set the standard for reimagining high school and developing transformative models of teaching and learning.

Partnerships & Ecosystem Building

• Cultivate and sustain long-term partnerships with San Antonio area school districts, industry, higher education, and community organizations, aligning resources to expand opportunities for youth.

Contextual Leadership

• Bring practitioner experience and knowledge of the local and state education landscape to inform decisions, navigate policy environments, and ground CAST’s work in real-world practice and San Antonio’s specific context.

Organizational Management & Health

• Lead a high-functioning executive team; oversee fiscal, fundraising, communications, and programmatic strategies; ensure alignment to CAST’s strategic plan and KPIs. Lead grant fund development and gain sponsorship from industry partners.

Board Engagement

• Partner with the CAST Board of Directors in strategic planning, governance, and resource development to strengthen the organization’s long-term sustainability.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Full range of supervisory activities, including selection, training, evaluation, coaching and mentoring of nonprofit staff as well as principals.
• Direct reports include the Executive Team and Development Director; the Executive Director oversees all employees of the nonprofit organization and is also responsible for the evaluations of five of the seven CAST School principals.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s or advanced degree preferred.
• Must have 10+ years of professional experience with significant leadership responsibilities, ideally including direct practitioner experience in education, such as principalship
• Deep knowledge of local and state education landscapes, combined with strong financial acumen and political insight.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize, delegate effectively, and cultivate high-performing collaborative teams.
• Exceptional communication skills, with demonstrated success in storytelling, advocacy, and coalition-building across diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to partner successfully with a range of stakeholders (educators, policy makers, board members, institutions, community leaders, etc.)
• Mission-driven leader who thrives in dynamic, collaborative environments.
• Authentic practitioner experience in education and a deep understanding of San Antonio’s unique context—as well as Texas’s broader policy environment.
• Principal and T-PESS certification (evaluation of principals) preferred.
• Bilingual preferred

Core Competencies

• Mission-Focused – Demonstrates unwavering commitment to CAST’s mission and four pillars.
• Chief Storyteller – Elevates authentic narratives of students, educators, and partners to inspire and mobilize support.
• Team Builder – Aligns the right people in the right roles, fostering trust, commitment, accountability, and collaboration.

Why Join CAST?

As Executive Director, you’ll have the opportunity to lead our innovative school models and work with passionate educators and partners across sectors. You will join a high-performing team that is committed to student success and community transformation. If you are a results-oriented leader ready to lead our organization into its next chapter of impact and growth, we want to hear from you. Apply today to become a part of our journey!