Executive Director, The Excel Center High School, Evergreen Goodwill

Executive Director of The Excel Center, Evergreen Goodwill

Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1923 that helps people get jobs across Northwest Washington by offering high-quality free job training, education and job placement. Goodwill empowers individuals to overcome barriers to working, by providing comprehensive support and connecting them with life changing job opportunities, ensuring they are career-ready and can support themselves and their families.

The organization employs over 2,000 people, operates five job-training centers, 23 nonprofit retail stores and more than 27 donation sites in King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and Kitsap Counties. Every day, Evergreen Goodwill connects people with the jobs, services and skills they need because Jobs Change Lives. We are committed to creating and sustaining a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion (DEI) and are focused on creating a joyful, inclusive and successful organization.

FLSA Status: Exempt

Reports to: VP, Mission

Location: Seattle, WA

Salary Range: $150K-180K annually

Evergreen Goodwill is seeking a transformational builder and leader with the gravitas, vision, and executional expertise to launch, scale, and operate a charter high school for adults that changes lives and expands access for greater opportunity. This role is not about maintaining a program; it is about building an institution. The school will be based on the Excel Center model, developed by Goodwill of Indiana and operating at other Goodwills nationally. Located in Seattle, WA, The Excel Center, Evergreen Goodwill will be the first adult high school of its kind on the west coast.

We are looking for a proven executive who has designed and scaled complex education systems, who is equally credible in front of a classroom, a boardroom, and a room full of major donors. The Executive Director of The Excel Center, Evergreen Goodwill will bring bold vision, disciplined execution, and the ability to lead and earn trust of students, staff, partners, and the community. They are a leader who can inspire school teams, and confidently represent The Excel Center to funders, policymakers, community and technical college leadership, and business leaders who will build The Excel Center into a flagship model that is locally transformative, nationally respected, and financially sustainable. If you are a builder, have passion and expertise in education administration, and want to help break cycles of poverty, this is your chance.

The Excel Center is a nationally recognized adult high school model developed by Goodwill Industries to support adults who did not complete high school. Excel Centers provide students with an opportunity to earn a tuition-free, fully accredited high school diploma while receiving intensive academic support, career coaching, and pathways to postsecondary education and employment. Across the country, Excel Centers have demonstrated strong outcomes in graduation, credential attainment, and postsecondary transition, particularly for students who have historically been underserved by traditional education systems. Evergreen Goodwill is launching and scaling the first-ever Excel Center High School on the West Coast, offering a once-in-a-career opportunity to build a nationally proven model from the ground up and shape a groundbreaking institution responsive to local community needs.

Core Responsibilities and Scope of Leadership

Executive Leadership and School Strategy

• Partner closely with Evergreen Goodwill leaders to set and execute a school-wide strategy aligned to enrollment growth, student persistence, graduation outcomes, and postsecondary success.
• Establish ambitious, data-driven goals for academic achievement, enrollment, retention, and completion, and adapt strategy as needed to ensure results.
• Serve as the founding leader accountable for translating vision into measurable outcomes, systems, and culture.

Academic Excellence and Student Outcomes

• Ensure strong alignment to Washington State Learning Standards, Common Core State Standards, and 21st Century Skills, with a particular emphasis on college and career-ready instruction.
• Lead the design and continuous improvement of college and career pathways, including dual credit attainment, credentialing, and postsecondary transition outcomes.
• Analyze student and graduate data to identify trends, strengthen programming, and drive continuous improvement.
• Use data intentionally to inform interventions, professional development, and instructional strategy.

Culture, Talent, and Organizational Leadership

• Build, lead, and sustain a high-performing school culture that sets a high bar for excellence while centering on dignity, belonging, and opportunity.
• Recruit, develop, and retain exceptional staff by cultivating strong hiring pipelines, leading thoughtful selection processes, and investing in ongoing professional growth.
• Implement performance evaluation, coaching, professional development, and succession planning to build leadership depth and continuity across the school.
• Support and integrate the culture and processes of EGNW with those of The Excel Center

Student Recruitment, Enrollment and Retention

• Provide strategic leadership for student recruitment and outreach to meet and sustain enrollment goals.
• Oversee orientation, onboarding, and engagement strategies to maximize enrollment conversion and student persistence.
• Continuously assess enrollment and retention data and adjust strategies to ensure equitable access and strong student momentum.

Partnerships, Board Engagement, and External Leadership

• Build and steward strong internal and external partnerships that expand opportunities for students and strengthen institutional impact.
• Serve as a trusted collaborator with the Board of Directors, authorizers, and key stakeholders in developing clear communications and supporting effective governance.
• Represent The Excel Center Goodwill with confidence and credibility among community and technical colleges, service providers, funders, employers, and public leaders.

Financial Management, Compliance and Accountability

• Ensure full compliance with Washington State charter school requirements, authorizer expectations, and all applicable legal and regulatory obligations.
• Maintain accreditation and license to operate as a charter school.
• Oversee monthly and annual budgeting, forecasting staffing and programmatic needs while maintaining financial discipline.
• Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and authorizer requirements while supporting equitable access and services for all students.
• Ensure timely, accurate state reporting and adherence to all required policies and procedures.
• Lead with a lens of equity, ensuring compliance requirements are met while all students are effectively supported.

Position Qualifications

• Degree and Credential Requirements - Bachelor's degree in psychology, human relations, social work, rehabilitation counseling, education, or related fields.
• 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in education, including experience building and launching charter schools and high school teaching experience.
• Demonstrated experience launching, scaling or significantly transforming a school or program; experience building or leading a charter high school is strongly preferred.
• Meaningful experience in adult education, alternative education, workforce-connected education, or postsecondary transition models.
• Demonstrated success serving underserved and historically marginalized communities, with the ability to build trust, lead with cultural humility, and partner authentically with students and communities.
• Experience aligning academic priorities with financial and operational decision-making, ideally in a charter or publicly funded setting.
• Experience working with individuals impacted by systemic barriers related to race, poverty, disability, or interrupted formal education.
• Certification/Licensure - Holds a current Washington State principal certification (or ability to obtain).
• Industry Standards - Displays a working knowledge of the Washington State Learning Standards, Common Core State Standards, and 21st Century Skills and knowledge of disciplinary literacy.
• Lived experience reflective of the communities served is a strong plus, though not required.

Everyone Is Welcome

When you join Evergreen Goodwill, you join a truly vibrant community. We value the things that make us different and unique. From diverse international and ethnic backgrounds, to languages, identities, ages, orientations, and beyond, Evergreen Goodwill celebrates individual and cultural diversity.

Why work at Evergreen Goodwill?

• A health plan that includes medical, dental, vision and prescription coverage
• 100% Employer-paid life, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), and long term disability insurance (for salaried employee)
• Voluntary supplemental coverage for life, accident, illness, and short- and long-term disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) Plan
• Roth and 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan program
• Paid vacation, (9) holiday and sick time
• Limited paid time off for Jury Duty and Bereavement Leave