School Supports Ops Guide for Emerging Schools

About Wildflower Schools

At Wildflower, we are committed to the liberation of every human being, every community, and the human spirit — so that we may all live in harmony with our individual purpose and the world around us, free from oppression and able to follow life’s unfolding journey.

More than a decade later, the Wildflower network has grown to over 80 schools across 23 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. While every Wildflower school shares our values and principles, each is unique — a reflection of the training, lived experience, and educational vision of the small team of teachers who lead it.

Position Summary

The School Supports Ops Guide plays a pivotal role in supporting Emerging Teacher Leaders (ETLs) and existing Teacher Leaders as they navigate the School Startup Journey (SSJ) to bring their Wildflower school vision to life. Acting as a trusted advisor and connector, the Ops Guide bridges the gap between ETLs' aspirations and Wildflower's tools, processes, and resources — ensuring schools open successfully and thrive during their foundational stages.

This role is designed for someone who can take initiative without waiting for direction, seek advice across stakeholders before and after making decisions, and over-communicate proactively in a collaborative, decentralized environment. Wildflower operates as a Teal organization — meaning there is no traditional hierarchy directing this work. The right candidate will thrive in that structure, not be unsettled by it.

This is an hourly contract position with a flexible schedule tailored to the needs of the schools and teams being supported.

Key Responsibilities

Guiding the School Startup Journey (SSJ)

• Coach Emerging Teacher Leaders (ETLs) through SSJ milestones, supporting school design and launch decisions across entity formation, team building, startup funding, budgeting, and operational planning.
• Help ETLs develop and maintain startup timelines and project plans across key workstreams, using Wildflower's SSJ tools and resources to keep work grounded in their vision and local context.
• Advise on operational and organizational decisions that shape startup execution and early school operations, maintaining working fluency in SSJ tools and processes throughout.

Coordinating the Support Ecosystem

• Co-create individualized support networks for each ETL team, connecting them to Wildflower, regional, and local resources — including experienced Teacher Leaders, contractors, and technical specialists.
• Coordinate roles and responsibilities across SSJ workstreams and collaborate with direct support specialists in finance, facilities, fundraising, legal, and operations to advance startup work.

Monitoring Progress & Information Sharing

• Maintain documentation of ETL work to support continuity, reflection, and collaboration; track startup progress in shared systems including SSJ status, confidence levels, school updates, and projected opening timelines.
• Communicate ETL progress and key developments to relevant stakeholders through regular check-ins and coordination with regional leads — proactively, not when asked.
• Pivot plans in an organized way when new information emerges, looping in the right stakeholders and seeking advice before and after key decisions.
• Maintain clear visibility of the startup pipeline through consistent updates and reporting.

Stakeholder Coordination & Network Participation

• Participate in School Supports and Ops Guide circle meetings, including the Emerging Schools Huddle, to strengthen practice, share school progress, and align on SSJ tools and approaches.
• Use collaborative governance processes to surface tensions, refine startup support practices, and share feedback from ETL experiences to inform SSJ development and network learning.

Equity, Reflection & Network Contribution

• Center equity in all coaching relationships — actively surfacing equity tensions in ETL decision-making and naming power dynamics when they arise.
• Engage in ongoing personal reflection on identity and coaching practice, and contribute to the evolution of SSJ tools through peer collaboration and network feedback loops.

Qualifications & Competencies

Experience Proven background in operations, project management, or educational startup settings serving diverse communities. Direct experience with school startup processes — including entity formation, budgeting, enrollment, and operational design — is strongly preferred. Familiarity with Montessori education and public or charter schools is a plus. A demonstrated equity lens and proactive approach to follow-up are essential.

Skills Strong coaching, facilitation, and organizational abilities. Exceptional capacity to manage complex projects, build collaborative relationships across diverse stakeholders, and pivot plans in an organized way when circumstances change. Experience with family engagement, student recruitment, and community-based enrollment strategy is a priority for this hire — not a nice-to-have.

Mindset Equity-focused, mission-driven, and committed to empowering others rather than solving problems for them. Thrives without a traditional hierarchy — takes initiative, seeks advice relentlessly, and over-communicates as a default. Stays grounded when the path is unclear and brings that steadiness to the people being supported.

Tools Proficiency with Google Workspace and Excel; experience with budget planning tools; familiarity with QuickBooks Online (QBO); and willingness to learn new platforms as needed.

Work Environment

This is a fully remote position. Evening and weekend availability is often required to accommodate Emerging Teacher Leader schedules. We strongly encourage women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities to apply.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and cover letter to careers@wildflowerschools.org. We look forward to learning more about you.

The Wildflower Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, status with regard to public assistance, or any other personal identity marker unrelated to an individual’s capacity to carry out the responsibilities of this role.

English language based work, Spanish-speaking a plus.