Director, K-12 Education

DIRECTOR, K-12 EDUCATION
ABOUT VALHALLA IMPACT & VALHALLA FOUNDATION

Valhalla Impact (“Valhalla”) is the philanthropic organization of Scott Cook (co-founder of Intuit) and Signe Ostby. Valhalla invests in and supports innovative organizations aligned with its mission to drive measurable, meaningful improvement in outcomes that matter. Valhalla is a mission-driven organization that strategically integrates philanthropic funding, impact investing, and advocacy to achieve impact, primarily through the Valhalla Foundation.

Valhalla’s four main focus areas are K-12 Education, Early Childhood Development, Environmental Innovation, and Medical Research and Talent. Valhalla also engages in collaborative philanthropy through The Audacious Project, Blue Meridian Partners, and NextLadder Ventures. Scott and Signe have committed over $1.4 billion to grants and impact investments to date and subscribe to the philosophy of “giving while living” through their commitment to the Giving Pledge.

Valhalla applies a rigorous, data-driven approach to philanthropy and supports organizations beyond funding, helping them scale their impact. Learn more at www.valhallaimpact.com.

ABOUT THE K-12 EDUCATION PROGRAM
The nation’s K-12 education system is in a period of historic transition, driven by achievement levels that have yet to recover from pandemic-era losses, and persistent disparities which threaten economic mobility and civic participation. Simultaneously, AI is transforming the nature of learning and the work of teaching, and shifting the future of work. This inflection point creates an opportunity to reimagine how students learn, how educators teach, and how systems support all students with engaging experiences to develop the knowledge and skills they need for success in an ever-changing world.
Valhalla’s K-12 program focuses on expanding access to excellent public schools—including high-performing, innovative charter and district models—while strengthening the conditions that enable quality and scale. Investments prioritize educator effectiveness, data literacy, and policies that foster innovation, accountability, and equitable access, with the goal of ensuring all students graduate with strong academic foundations and the skills to thrive. Visit the K-12 program page for details.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE
The Director will join a nimble, mission-driven team focused on catalytic investments and collective
impact. This role will drive investments in two priority areas: (1) scaling proven, high-performing school models to reach more students in the near term, and (2) building evidence on new school designs that marry existing best practices in teaching and learning with a more intentional focus on building durable and human skills that students need to thrive in the future economy. This includes a rigorous assessment of schools designed to use artificial intelligence to expand and deepen learning
in a variety of ways.
Reporting to and supporting the Managing Director, K-12 Education, this individual will be responsible for shaping and driving an investment portfolio, by identifying compelling ideas that respond to field trends, and executing investments that deliver measurable outcomes over time, working in close collaboration with colleagues, investees and fellow funders. We are looking for a proactive do-er, who demonstrates initiative, tenacity and creative thinking about complex challenges, driven by a mission
to deliver better results for students.

What you will do:
● Lead and steward a major grantmaking portfolio focused on developing and scaling innovative school models.
● Guide strategy and execution for initiatives that build the field’s capacity for data use, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
● Lead rigorous internal diligence and investment decision-making to ensure that Valhalla’s resources, relationships, and learning translate into enduring field impact.
● Represent the foundation externally with credibility and influence, catalyzing collective action among funders and field leaders by fostering shared understanding and trust, convening stakeholders, and creating efficient mechanisms for collaboration that elevate stakeholder perspectives.
● Contribute to team culture and learning through thought partnership, collaborative
decision-making, and mentorship, helping to operationalize the foundation’s values of
humility, rigor, and collective impact.

CANDIDATE PROFILE
You are energized by the future of learning in K-12 education and possess these critical capabilities:
● Credible, well-networked leader with 15+ years of experience across philanthropy,
management consulting, education leadership, or adjacent sectors; brings deep domain
expertise and influence, proactively surfacing ideas that catalyze action and effectively
engaging investee leadership teams, boards, and co-funders.
● Analytical and systems thinker capable of integrating data, evaluation, and field learning into actionable strategy.
● Strategic decision-maker: defines key priorities, translates strategy into measurable targets and milestones, identifies and executes hard tradeoffs for the portfolio. Continuously interrogates how investments deliver impact. Sets direction for others.
● Exceptional communicator and writer, able to synthesize complexity and convey ideas with clarity and precision, articulating and standing behind an evidence-based point of view.
● Pragmatic, mission-driven collaborator, who centers investee experience, considers diverse perspectives, and models intellectual honesty and continuous learning.
● Based in or willing to relocate to the Bay Area, with approximately 25% travel for grantee engagement, convenings, and other field collaboration.
● MBA or equivalent advanced training or experience in management, policy, or a related discipline is preferred; candidates should bring comfort with business frameworks, analytics, and organizational strategy.

COMPENSATION
Valhalla conducted a comprehensive compensation study to develop transparent salary bands and promotion criteria for each role. The salary range for this position is $208K–$313K. New hires’ salaries are typically between the range minimum and midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process. Valhalla also offers a generous and competitive benefits package.

LOCATION
The Director will work from Valhalla’s Woodside, CA office a minimum of two days/week, with the option to work remotely for the remainder of the week when in-person collaboration is not required.
This role requires approximately 25% travel, including air travel.

INCLUSION STATEMENT
Valhalla is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring and developing a team that brings diversity of voices, ideas and approaches to the complex societal challenges we are tackling. We strive to be an organization that reflects the perspectives of our partners and the communities we seek to serve, and we encourage all interested candidates to apply. All applicants and those who join us as employees will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, age, religion,
pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.

APPLY
We have engaged LNS Partners to support the hiring process.
Please submit the following to complete your application:

● Your resume
● A video approximately five minutes in length in which you respond to these prompts:
○ What sparks your interest in philanthropy and the Director role at Valhalla?
○ What are the most important trends driving the direction of the K-12 field?
○ What are the ideas with the greatest momentum and what excites you most about thefuture of K-12 education?
○ What is your superpower and how will you apply it to optimize success in this role?
● A written description (approximately 500 words) of an initiative you led that aimed to strengthen a movement or generate collective impact. What was your biggest learning from the experience, and what aspect of the outcome makes you most proud?
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Send your application materials to ValhallaK12Dir@lns-partners.com.