Chief Talent Officer

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential.  We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

Organizational Overview
Rocketship schools are top-tier public elementary schools known for academic results and a holistic approach to personalized learning. Rocketship has successfully launched 22 elementary schools across the country since first opening in the Bay Area over eighteen years ago. 

Rocketship Public Schools is a non-profit network of public elementary charter schools that propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and intentionally partners with parents to help high-quality public schools thrive in their community. Rocketship Public Schools is a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across the country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

  • VISION – Equal opportunity for all.
  • MISSION – Catalyze transformative change in low-income communities through a scalable and sustainable public school model that propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community.
  • VALUES
    • AUTHENTICITY – We deliver transparency in our work – assessing how we are growing and learning with honesty and humility.
    • COMMUNITY – We seek a diverse set of perspectives to build understanding as we work toward our greater purpose.
    • TENACITY – We pursue our goals relentlessly and take courageous steps to reach ambitious outcomes.
    • INNOVATION – We challenge the status quo and take responsible risks in pursuit of meaningful impact.
    • PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE – We believe all children can succeed and are committed to unleashing the potential inside every Rocketeer.

Position Description
The Chief Talent Officer (CTO) will play a pivotal role in shaping Rocketship’s next chapter, ensuring the exceptional talent and leadership needed to elevate its school model, accelerate student achievement, and grow its impact across the country. Reporting to the CEO and serving on the Network Executive Team, the CTO will lead Rocketship's network talent strategy across Organizational Effectiveness, Employee Relations and Compliance, Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Rewards, and Systems.
Rocketship is at an exciting point in its evolution, expanding into new communities, scaling existing regions, and continuing to innovate. The next phase requires a Talent function that can evolve alongside those ambitions. The CTO will build on Rocketship’s foundation while raising the bar for what is possible. They will foster a culture of high expectations through accountability and support, build a proactive talent engine from pipeline through retention, strengthen the systems needed to scale, and increase the talent and leadership capacity Rocketship needs for the future.  
The ideal candidate is a results-driven leader who can help Rocketship navigate its next phase of growth while strengthening performance. They balance a strong enterprise perspective with an understanding of what is needed on the ground, using data to guide decisions. They are highly relational and collaborative, especially with Executive Directors and regional teams, in their ability to earn trust across school, regional, and network teams and bring people along through change.
Year 1 priorities include a stronger focus on Teachers and School Leaders that broadens in subsequent years:

  • Lead a major transformation of how Talent operates by refining the operating model and building the systems, processes, tools, data, and accountabilities needed to enable more consistent, data-driven Talent decisions and execution across schools, regions, functions, and the network.
  • Build a high-performing Talent Acquisition engine for school-based roles, with an initial focus on teachers and school leaders. Strengthen pipelines, recruitment and selection practices, service levels, and accountability to improve hiring speed, quality, and outcomes.
  • Raise the bar on performance and manager effectiveness by strengthening managers’ ability to set clear expectations, coach and develop their teams, give timely and actionable feedback, differentiate performance, retain strong performers, and address underperformance effectively.
  • Redesign and standardize the employee lifecycle for teachers and school leaders, creating clear, end-to-end experiences from recruitment and hiring through onboarding, development, performance, retention, and transitions with clear ownership, handoffs, and expectations across teams and regions.
  • Elevate teacher and school leader experience and engagement across schools by identifying the most important drivers of teacher eNPS, translating employee feedback into visible action, and improving communication, follow-through, and the day-to-day experience towards Rocketship being a great place to work.

This position is ideally based in one of Rocketship’s regions, with preferred locations including the Bay Area, California; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee; and Washington, DC. Regular travel to regions nationwide is required, with up to 40-60% travel expected during the first year.

Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb ladders. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.
 
Compensation:
Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), and generous paid time off.
 

Rocketship Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Rocketship Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Rocketship Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Rocketship Public Schools’ employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated. Click here for our  Sexual Harassment Policy.  For questions, concerns, or complaints, please contact Human Resources.