ASPIRA Delaware, Chief Executive Officer

Job Description

Job Description

SCHOOL MISSION

ASPIRA Delaware was established to educate and empower each ASPIRANTE to realize their full potential and positively impact their communities.

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

Las Américas ASPIRA Academy was founded in 2011 as an extension of ASPIRA of Delaware’s long-standing mission to empower young people through education, leadership, and cultural pride. What began with just over 300 students has grown into a thriving K–12 dual-language school community in Newark, Delaware, dedicated to developing biliterate leaders, changemakers, and confident decision-makers. Rooted in more than 50 years of ASPIRA’s national legacy, the school was created to help students realize their full potential while honoring the richness of their identities, languages, and communities.

At the heart of ASPIRA Academy is a vibrant culture built around character, equity, and belonging. Students are encouraged to grow not only academically, but also as compassionate, resilient, and socially aware individuals. Through its focus on dual-language learning, leadership development, and community impact, ASPIRA creates an environment where every student is seen, celebrated, and inspired to dream big. The school’s values emphasize accountability, positive mindset, inquiry, resilience, and appreciation—helping students become empowered leaders who are prepared to make a meaningful difference in the world around them.

To learn more about ASPIRA Academy, please visit  

OPPORTUNITY  

ASPIRA Delaware is seeking a visionary and results-driven Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead the organization through its next phase of strategic growth, academic excellence, and organizational impact.

The CEO serves as the chief executive and educational leader of ASPIRA Delaware, responsible for driving overall organizational performance, long-term strategic direction, and sustainability.

In this role, the CEO provides oversight of both academic outcomes and operational effectiveness, while leading strategic growth and expansion initiatives that extend the organization’s impact and reach. The CEO operates at a systems level, ensuring that school leaders are empowered and held accountable for day-to-day instructional leadership and school-based operations.

As Chief Executive Officer of ASPIRA Delaware, the leader brings a unique blend of strategic vision and deep community commitment, guiding an organization that has reimagined how students are supported—academically, emotionally, and culturally. The CEO champions a student-centered approach grounded in high expectations, bilingualism, and meaningful engagement with families and the broader community.  The CEO aligns with the core mission, vision, and values of the ASPIRA Delaware organization and is committed to providing the highest quality services to Latino and Hispanic communities. This commitment represents the core essence of the academic and cultural strengths of our schools and programs.

The CEO reports directly to the ASPIRA Board of Directors and serves as the primary liaison between the Board and the organization, ensuring strong alignment across school leadership, staff, families, and external stakeholders.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Responsibilities of the CEO include:

Academic Leadership

• Set and drive a system-wide vision for academic excellence, student achievement, and instructional best practices across K–12 programs.
• Guide and integrate curricular and instructional programs to maximize student outcomes and build a high-performing, consistent, and data-driven culture.
• Support, develop, and evaluate school leadership while upholding systems of learning, accountability, and continuous improvement grounded in student outcomes.

Organizational & Operational Leadership

• Oversee organizational operations including HR, finance, facilities, nutrition, transportation, safety and security, IT, building systems, and compliance.
• Ensure alignment with Delaware charter regulations, state and federal requirements, and governance expectations through strong compliance, ethics, and accountability practices.
• Build scalable systems and lead enterprise risk management, crisis response, emergency planning, and leadership continuity efforts to ensure organizational stability and performance.

Strategic Growth & Expansion

• Lead the design and execution of growth initiatives, including replication of the ASPIRA Academy model, expansion of grades/campuses/programs, and exploration of regional or national opportunities.
• Develop and present expansion proposals to the Board and oversee charter applications, renewals, and amendments associated with growth initiatives.
• Build the talent, systems, funding, and operational infrastructure necessary to scale successfully while maintaining academic quality and mission alignment.

People Leadership & Culture

• Build, develop, support, and retain high-performing leaders, educators, and staff through strong leadership pipelines, succession planning, and professional growth opportunities.
• Foster a culture of excellence, accountability, inclusion, continuous improvement, and commitment to bilingual education and cultural identity.

Financial Management

• Partner with the CFO/Director of Finance to develop and manage the annual budget, long-term financial plans, and financial strategies aligned to operational and expansion priorities.
• Ensure strong financial controls, transparency, clean audits, and reporting practices aligned with Board oversight and accountability expectations.
• Secure and steward funding sources, including grants, partnerships, and philanthropy, to support organizational sustainability and growth.

Performance & Accountability

• Establish and monitor organizational performance metrics aligned to academic, operational, financial, and strategic goals.
• Implement systems for organizational effectiveness, continuous improvement, and accountability across leadership teams.
• Provide transparent performance reporting and dashboards to the Board and key stakeholders.

Board Relations & Governance

• Serve as the primary liaison to the ASPIRA Board of Directors and provide regular reporting on academic, operational, financial, and growth priorities.
• Partner with the Board on strategic planning, CEO evaluation, governance compliance, succession planning, and major organizational decisions.
• Maintain transparent communication regarding organizational risks, leadership transitions, crisis response, and significant organizational changes.

Family, Community & External Relations

• Build strong, trust-based relationships with families, community members, and organizational stakeholders while serving as a visible and accessible leader.
• Represent ASPIRA Delaware at the local, state, and national levels, including engagement with the Delaware Department of Education, charter authorizers, universities, nonprofits, funders, and community partners.
• Advocate for educational equity, bilingual education, and ASPIRA Delaware’s mission through strategic partnerships and transparent stakeholder communication.

Requirements

Required (Non-Negotiable)

• Proven leadership experience in public education with an understanding of charter school operations (e.g., Head of School, Principal, or senior executive role within a school system).
• Graduate degree in Education, Business, or related area required. Ed.D. or Ph.D. preferred.
• Strong track record of driving student achievement and organizational performance.
• Experience managing complex operations and budgets.
• Demonstrated ability to lead high-performing teams and deliver measurable results.

Preferred

• Experience with school expansion or multi-site management.
• Background in dual-language or bilingual education.
• Familiarity with Delaware education systems and regulations.
• Spanish proficiency strongly preferred.
• Successful change leadership or turnaround leadership experience.

Key Competencies & Leadership Profile

• Strong leadership presence with the ability to inspire trust, credibility, and alignment across stakeholders.
• Proven ability to build a culture that drives performance, accountability, and inclusion.
• Exceptional communication skills (written, verbal, and interpersonal) across diverse audiences.
• Track record of developing high-performing teams and leadership pipelines.
• High level of attention to detail with strong execution discipline.
• Demonstrated financial acumen and ability to align strategy with resource allocation.
• Deep passion for education and commitment to student success and equity.
• Ability to build and sustain strong internal and external relationships.
• Strong professional judgment and decision-making capability.
• Strategic mindset combined with hands-on leadership and operational rigor.
• Strong understanding of governance, compliance, and ethical leadership expectations.
• Ability to lead through crisis and manage organizational risk effectively.
• Demonstrated commitment to transparency and stakeholder communication.
• Experience implementing performance measurement and accountability systems.

Impact Opportunity

This role offers the opportunity not only to lead a high-impact school, but to scale a proven model, extending ASPIRA Delaware’s mission to more students and communities while preserving its commitment to excellence and cultural identity.

At ASPIRA Delaware, we believe every team member must possess the following professional attributes to be successful in our school:

• Commitment: A genuine commitment to ASPIRA Delaware’s mission, vision, and core values as well as excellence in education to close the opportunity gap by creating positive learning environments where all students thrive.
• Leadership: An ability to demonstrate passion and inner drive, motivate others, and model core values to maximize individual potential to achieve the school vision and mission.
• Focus on the Whole Child: An ability to focus on student strengths, and to be driven by a desire to support their academic, social and emotional growth.
• Innovative Problem-Solving: An ability to see opportunity in challenges by taking the initiative to explore issues and find potential innovative solutions.
• Adaptability: An ability to embrace opportunities and change with a positive mindset by shifting priorities and fulfilling responsibilities to meet the needs of the school community.
• Collaborative Spirit: An ability to demonstrate social, emotional and interpersonal strengths by respecting and honoring the diverse beliefs, backgrounds and perspectives of others, while working toward a common goal.

Benefits

This position offers a competitive salary range of $160,000 - $200,000. ASPIRA Delaware participates in the State of Delaware employee benefits program through the State of Delaware Benefits Office. As a participating Delaware charter school, eligible employees have access to the same benefit structure available to public education employees within the State system. A full overview of the education employee benefits provided through the State of Delaware can be found here: State of Delaware Education Benefits Overview.

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume online at

ASPIRA Delaware is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. Recruiting staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds. Candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.