Lead Educator

The standard at Livewell is high. We are looking for the person who wouldn’t have it any other way.

Livewell Leadership Academy is a private, values-aligned alternative education program serving children in grades 3 through 8 in Pleasanton, California. We exist to develop young people into critical thinkers, confident leaders, and people of genuine character through hands-on, project-based, and passion-driven learning.

We are selective about who we serve. We are equally selective about who serves alongside us.

If you are exceptional at what you do and you know it, keep reading.

One important thing to note: We are looking for someone who pays attention to every detail. Your LinkedIn application is only considered complete AFTER you email your written responses to the five questions at the bottom of this post to ***email_hidden*** with the subject line: Lead Educator | [Your Name].

THE ROLE

This is not a support position. It is not a co-teaching role. It is not a place to show up and follow someone else’s plan.

The Lead Educator/Studio Director owns their studio completely, independently, and excellently. Every single day.

You lead a blended-age studio of twelve students in grades 3 through 8 across the full breadth of their learning day. That means structured academic programs including daily math and literacy/ELA instruction, socratic seminars, interdisciplinary project-based learning, life skills, physical education, art, gardening, cooking, and survival skills. Every six-week session is built around a unifying theme such as Kidpreneur, Civics, Survival Skills, Science and History. You design the experiences that bring that theme to life across every day of programming.

You run the studio from open to close. You know every child’s learning goals, family context, and growth edges. You communicate with families proactively. You document with precision. You plan entire sessions in advance, in daily detail, so the program runs with continuity and purpose whether or not anyone is looking over your shoulder.

This is a full-studio ownership role. Not a subject specialist. Not a co-facilitator. The Lead Educator. The Studio Director.

You create lessons on topics you may know nothing about, because this role demands curiosity, adaptability, and the willingness to learn alongside your students. You wear many hats. You do not drop any of them.

You do not wait to be told what needs to happen. You see it, you handle it, and you own it.

WHAT YOU BUILD EVERY DAY

An environment where children feel challenged, seen, and genuinely growing. Where projects are experiences rather than tasks. Where students develop autonomy, self-direction, and personal responsibility.

A studio that reflects your standard in its organization, its energy, its culture, and its daily execution. Families see this environment. Children absorb it. It must be excellent at all times, not just when someone is watching.

A relationship with families built on proactive communication, professional depth, and consistent trust. Parents at Livewell are partners. You treat them accordingly.

A program with enough precision and documentation that it could continue seamlessly in your absence. Detailed lesson plans. Complete student documentation. Systems that hold without prompting.

WHO YOU ARE

You hold yourself to a high standard in every area. How you show up, how you speak, how you carry yourself in a room full of children and families. You understand that in this role, you are the standard children measure themselves against every day.

You have built things. Programs, environments, experiences that required genuine planning, sustained execution, and follow-through that didn’t depend on someone checking behind you.

You are naturally organized. Not because you were trained to be, but because disorder costs you something personally. Your environment reflects your standard without anyone asking.

You hold children to a high standard with warmth, because you understand that challenge and care are not opposites. You develop respect, ownership, and self-regulation in young people rather than simple compliance.

You are values-driven at a conviction level. You don’t perform alignment with a mission. You live it. The families and children in your care can feel the difference.

You read this posting and felt something. Not because it described a job, but because it described the standard you already hold yourself to.

VALUES ALIGNMENT

Livewell serves families who have chosen a private, values-aligned education because it reflects their convictions about how their children should be raised and taught. Our community is private and selective, built on the shared belief that parents are the primary authority in their child's life.

The right Studio Director understands and respects that. Families at Livewell hold a wide range of personal beliefs, health philosophies, and convictions. Some are vocal about them. The Studio Director's role is to hold space for all of it with genuine respect and complete neutrality, never sharing personal opinions on politics, religion, health choices, or ideology with children or families.

If you are someone who leads with curiosity, respects parental authority, and can serve a diverse community of conviction-driven families without judgment or agenda, we want to hear from you.

If that kind of neutrality feels limiting rather than liberating, this is not the right opportunity

THE PRACTICAL DETAILS

Location: Pleasanton, California.

Schedule: Monday through Friday. Full time. In studio.

Calendar: Year-round, Full time

Compensation: Annual Service Contribution of $90,000 with additional performance-based bonus potential of up to $20,000 annually, evaluated across three review periods throughout the year.

Time Off: Five paid personal wellness days annually plus scheduled rest days, planning and professional development days built into the program calendar throughout the year.

Benefits: Health benefits are not provided.

This is a Contractor Member invitation within a private ministry community, not a statutory employment offer. Candidates who advance in the process will receive full details about the nature of this relationship before any commitment is made.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Our hiring process is designed to surface what matters most, and what cannot be performed.

Stage 1 | Written Application: Five questions. No word limits. Depth and specificity are everything. Vague or generic responses do not advance. Our Founder will directly reply to you.

Stage 2 | Values Conversation- 1st Interview: A direct conversation with the Founder about how you think, how you lead, and how you build.

Stage 3 | Execution Audition: An independent work task completed before any offer is made. This is the most important step in our process.

Stage 4 | Final Interview: Panel interview with Program Director and Education Advisors.

To apply, send your written responses to the five questions below to ***email_hidden*** with the subject line: Lead Educator | [Your Name].

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Question 1: Describe something you built and led independently, whether a program, an environment, or an experience. What made it excellent? What broke down and what did you do about it?

Question 2: Describe a moment when you held a high standard with a child or young person when it would have been easier to let it go. What happened and what did it produce?

Question 3: What is your honest relationship with systems, organization, and follow-through? Give a specific example rather than a general answer.

Question 4: This role requires you to create lessons and lead experiences across subject areas you may know nothing about, from survival skills to coding to financial literacy. How do you respond to that kind of demand? Give an example of a time you led something outside your existing knowledge base.

Question 5: Describe the environment you create when you are fully in your element. What does it look like, feel like, and produce in the people inside it?