School Leader

Description:

Vivo Missouri

Vivo Missouri is a nonprofit private school network building innovative, recovery-focused high schools designed for young people who want different paths to success. Our schools combine rigorous, project-based academics with strong recovery supports, internships, and real-world learning to help students reconnect to purpose, community, and their future. We believe in high expectations, deep relationships, and continuous improvement, and we are relentless in pursuing outcomes that change life trajectories. At Vivo, adults and students learn, build, and grow together in service of meaningful, self-directed lives.

Vivo schools are Big Picture Learning schools, immersing students in work they are passionate about in order to develop skills, habits, and knowledge to actualize their post-high school plans and contribute positively to their communities. Teachers serve as advisors to a small group of 15 students and work with those students to develop individualized learning plans that include a substantial amount of learning through internships, apprenticeships, and rigorous, interest-based projects. Our schools align to Big Picture Learning's Ten Distinguishers and our leaders embody the Leadership principles of Love, Breakthrough Leadership, Learning Organization, and Student-Aligned School Design.

Employment Status

This is a full-time, exempt, at-will position. The School Leaders report directly to the Executive Director.

Position Overview

The School Leader (Recovery) is a co-leadership role at a high school serving students in recovery, in which the School Leader (Recovery) and School Leader (Academic) share responsibility for the school's vision, daily leadership, and student outcomes. Working from a foundation of mutual trust, respect, and accountability, the two leaders collaborate as equal partners, balancing academic innovation with recovery-informed practices.

The School Leader (Recovery) is responsible for all aspects of leadership, design, and implementation of the school's recovery and wellness model. School Leaders must possess and enact a clear vision for developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed, and recovery-centered supports that enable students to thrive academically and personally. The School Leader (Recovery) provides oversight and direction for recovery programming, student support systems, community/mental health partnerships, staff training, and family engagement related to recovery. They supervise recovery, student support, and operations staff and co-lead the school's leadership team, which collaborates weekly to set, implement, and monitor the school's strategic direction.

Key Responsibilities

Purpose-Driven, Shared Leadership: Leads in close partnership with the School Leader (Academic) to steward a clear, shared school mission. Demonstrates the ability to collaboratively design, reflect, and decide while holding mutual accountability for student outcomes, staff culture, and organizational health. Models integrated leadership that honors both academic excellence and recovery-centered practice.

Recovery Model Design & Leadership: Serves as the lead designer and steward of the school's recovery framework, ensuring programming is evidence-informed, developmentally responsive, and aligned to best practices in adolescent recovery. Oversees recovery supports, including groups, individual interventions, routines, and rituals that promote safety, belonging, accountability, and growth.

Student Support & Integrated Care Systems: Leads systems that ensure students' recovery, mental health, and social-emotional needs are proactively identified and addressed. Integrates recovery supports with advisory, academics, attendance, and postsecondary planning so students experience the school as a coherent, whole-child environment.

Adult Learning & Staff Development: Builds and sustains a recovery-informed adult learning community. Trains, coaches, and supports staff to understand addiction, recovery pathways, trauma-informed practice, and boundaries in school-based recovery work. Ensures all adults are equipped to support students consistently, ethically, and compassionately.

Monitoring, Progress & Accountability: Designs and oversees systems to monitor student recovery engagement, well-being indicators, and program effectiveness while honoring confidentiality and student dignity. Uses qualitative and quantitative data to inform continuous improvement, risk management, and compliance with authorizer, funder, and partner expectations. Includes and prioritizes student voice in data systems.

Organizational Coherence & Sustainability: Aligns schedule, staffing, professional learning, and resources to support high-quality implementation of the school model. Partners with the School Leader (Academic) to ensure systems are sustainable, compliant with authorizer requirements, and responsive to student needs. Works with the Board and Central Admin team to ensure alignment across the Vivo network.

Relational & Community-Embedded Leadership: Builds strong partnerships with families, treatment providers, community-based organizations, and recovery networks. Serves as a visible, trusted leader representing the school's recovery model with clarity, credibility, and care. Ensures families and partners are meaningfully engaged in supporting student success.

Job Duties

This is a DRAFT of job duties for the school year; this will evolve as school is launched; priorities may shift over time.

Perform related duties as assigned.

Salary and Benefits:

Salary $100-130K

Participation in the health benefits package

Eligible for participation in 401K and Roth plans (optional)

Paid time off / Paid sick leave / Parental leave / FMLA

Approximately 3-4 weeks of summer vacation; approximately 5 weeks of school holidays and vacation throughout the school year

Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications:

Lived experience with recovery

High school diploma/GED or higher

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Minimum of 3+ years working with youth in recovery, or other similar environment

(Preferred) At least two years of leadership experience in recovery or mental health settings, ideally in a setting that serves adolescents

(Preferred) Spanish-speaker

Fingerprint background check clearance; current eligibility to work in the U.S.