About Our Client

Our client is a growing group of vocational beauty schools in the Phoenix metro area, backed by a supportive private equity partner that believes deeply in innovation, operational excellence, and creating meaningful career pathways for students. With three campuses and a diverse workforce, the organization is ready for a fresh, dynamic leader who can bring cohesion, elevate performance, and drive strategic growth with confidence and clarity.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a modern, entrepreneurial executive who thrives in multi-site, student-focused environments and loves building strong teams and strong cultures.

The Opportunity

Our client is seeking a President who will take full ownership of the organization’s performance, vision, and operational direction. This leader will drive admissions growth, ensure operational excellence across all campuses, and strengthen the leadership team while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation.

The ideal candidate is smart, agile, hungry, and highly communicative — someone who brings a mix of executive presence and hands-on leadership, and who isn’t afraid to roll up their sleeves to understand the business at ground level.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute a clear, data-informed strategy that accelerates admissions growth and advances the organization’s long-term vision.
• Partner closely with PE ownership on strategic initiatives, performance expectations, and organizational development.
• Assess the current leadership structure and talent, making thoughtful changes to elevate performance and align the team around shared goals.
• Help to plan and execute an expansion strategy that includes replacing current locations, opening new locations, and adding more programming.

Operational & P&L Ownership

• Lead all day-to-day operations across three Phoenix-area campuses.
• Hold full P&L responsibility, including budgeting, forecasting, resource allocation, and performance optimization.
• Establish and refine systems for consistent, scalable campus operations.

Team Leadership & Culture

• Directly oversee 6–7 leaders, including Campus Directors, Admissions, Financial Aid, and Compliance.
• Build a cohesive, high-performance leadership team grounded in trust, accountability, and open communication.
• Model an approachable, “in the trenches” leadership style that inspires confidence at all levels.

Admissions & Student Pipeline

• Play a hands-on role in admissions strategy, including coaching staff, reviewing metrics, and driving initiatives to build sustainable enrollment growth.
• Partner with the Director of Admissions to modernize student recruitment practices and elevate the student experience.

Compliance & Accreditation

• Ensure campuses meet academic, accreditation, and regulatory standards.
• Quickly learn Title IV, compliance, and accreditation requirements if not already experienced.

External Engagement (Optional)

• Opportunity to represent our client in the community, with employers, or at industry events — based on the strengths and preferences of the leader.

Who You Are

Leadership Traits

• Entrepreneurial mindset — comfortable building, innovating, and challenging outdated models.
• Strong financial acumen and business judgment.
• Direct, clear communicator who can adapt messaging across diverse audiences.
• Self-motivated, solutions-oriented, and energized by fast-paced environments.
• Approachable, grounded, and engaging — strong executive presence without being overly formal or corporate.

Experience

• 10–15+ years of leadership experience, ideally with multi-site operational responsibility.
• Experience in vocational education is a plus (beauty, healthcare, trades, etc.), but not required.
• Backgrounds that may also translate well: multi-unit consumer services, franchised operations, fitness, childcare, senior living, or similar people-centric service businesses.
• Proven success building high-performance teams and driving results through influence, coaching, and accountability.
• Must reside in the Phoenix area or be willing to relocate.

What We Prefer to Avoid

• Overly corporate operators who thrive only in structured, bureaucratic environments.
• Leaders who are resistant to innovation or who struggle to engage with modern workforce and student expectations.

Why This Role Matters

Our client is in an exciting phase — stabilizing the team, refining operations, and preparing for a new era of growth. The President will be the catalyst for that evolution: a confident, people-first leader who can align teams, improve performance, modernize practices, and deliver meaningful results.

This is the perfect role for an executive who wants to make a real impact, innovate within a legacy space, and lead an organization into its next chapter.