Opportunities

Entrepreneur-in-Residence

The Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) program is a two-year incubator that supports future school founders as they design and launch a new school in St. Louis. We aim to select up to two entrepreneurs each year. For this cohort, we are adding an additional EIR opportunity specifically for the purpose of launching an Early College High School model focused on STEM careers.

Building Schools for the Future

The Opportunity Trust believes that all students deserve a school that honors who they are and prepares them to thrive in our rapidly changing world. However, that promise goes unrealized for far too many students in St. Louis.

We are committed to supporting bold leaders who are working to provide families with the schools they deserve. The Entrepreneur-in-Residence program is an opportunity for school visionaries to imagine, design, pilot, and launch world-class schools in response to family and community needs in St. Louis.

STEM Early College High School Founder Opportunity

A group of regional partners – including universities, corporations, and local community leaders have been convening for several months to outline key features of an Early College High School for STEM concept. The EIR – STEM Early College High School Founder would be working across these partners to turn that broad vision into a concrete school design and partnership model.

This school concept would draw from successful national models such as P-TECH and the Brooklyn STEAM Center.

Learn more

Our Approach

The Entrepreneur-in-Residence program is built around five core beliefs that guide each step of the program. You can download our EIR Milestones Guide to learn more about the phases and focus-areas over the two years of the program.

Self-Driven

Entrepreneurs operate as true leaders, directing and tailoring the support they need to achieve ambitious aims. They advocate for what they need. This level of agency represents not only the caliber of leader in the program but grows the skills we know are critical in the long-term success of school leadership.

Inspiring

We seek diverse inspiration and push ourselves to pursue bold visions. We are voracious about learning from the best out there but open to imagining something new when necessary for our kids.

Rigorous

The stakes are high, and so is the bar. We hold world-class standards for ourselves and each other. We vet our thinking with proven research and evidence.

Iterative

We balance planning and visioning with doing--bringing the model into action through pilots, having multiple chances to practice key leadership skills while getting feedback. We commit to cycles of doing, reflection, iteration.

Collective

Great work is done in great teams. We humbly link arms with each other and many groups beyond the Opportunity Trust. We elevate the voices of students and families and co-create alongside them.

Ecosystem of Support

As part of the fellowship, Entrepreneurs-in-Residence have access to numerous supports to help design and launch a world-class school for children in St. Louis, including:

People

Coaching
Entrepreneurs will have regular meetings with a coach to support the process, offer guidance, and identify additional resources and opportunities to drive progress.

Community & Network
We will help to build a broader network of co-creators, advisors, and formal supports. EIRs will also have access to and collaboration with fellow EIRs, staff members of The Opportunity Trust, and leading thinkers both locally and across the nation.

Experiences

Learning Days
The Opportunity Trust delivers bi-weekly learning days to provide a regular opportunity for EIRs to come together to advance their work. They are meant to provide space to tackle responsive needs and forecast key areas of knowledge and skill-building.

Conferences
We partner with Attuned to provide world-class content and support in applying the best-in-class insights from effective schools–with a particular focus on curriculum, instruction, enabling systems, culture, and talent practices.

Tools & Resources

Salary
Salary ranging from $90,000 to $125,000 per year and health benefits provided for up to two years while designing and preparing to launch a new school.

Stipend
In addition to your salary and benefits, you are eligible for a $25K planning grant to support your learning, piloting, and upstart costs each year.

Curated Resources
Entrepreneurs-in-Residence gain access to curated research, templates, and tools that we believe will help your journey.

About You

While we’re actively seeking diverse profiles of leadership, applicants must demonstrate:

An unwavering bar for excellence and a track record of results

You are obsessed with exceeding the bar for rigorous and relevant learning and can show results achieved.

Commitment to equity

You regularly reflect on identity and power and are poised to co-create schools that represent a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Curiosity and self-direction

You are humble and continually seek out broad inspiration. You drive development and are prepared to take the reins of your EIR journey.

Strong people leadership

You have experience leading diverse, thriving teams and supporting the growth and development of others.

A promising vision for a new school

While this will evolve through the program, you have an initial school vision that speaks to an authentic community need and represents an engaging, rigorous, relevant learning environment for students.

Kimberly Townsend

Founder, The Leadership School

The EIR program has been invaluable to my journey to design and build an excellent school. The programmatic and coaching support has allowed me to learn from the best schools and education leaders around the country, ensuring that we build a school that will be successful from the first day.

Key Dates

General Application Opens

STEM Early College Founder Application Opens

Virtual Info Session

General Application Closes

STEM Early College Founder Application Closes

Offers Extended

The Selection Process

  1. Submit Application

    Applications are now closed

  2. Initial Phone Interview

  3. One-way Interview + Performance Task

  4. Final Interview

  5. Mutual Due Diligence

  6. Offers Extended

The Opportunity Trust invests in educators and school systems eager to build the capacity required to make significant and measurable change.

If that's you, check out our opportunities