[1] Martinez later received a fellowship from the Public Education Leadership Project at Harvard University, and graduated from the Broad Superintendents Academy.

[2] In 2003, he began to work as the budget director for Chicago Public Schools, serving under Arne Duncan, then the district's CEO.

[5] In April 2011, Martinez was hired as the deputy superintendent of instruction by the Clark County School District, succeeding the retiring Linda Kohut-Rost.

[5] In June 2012, Martinez was hired by the Washoe County School District, succeeding the departing Heath Morrison.

[6][7] His firing had been done by the school board in violation of open meeting laws, and wound up costing the taxpayers a half-million dollars in legal settlement fees to Martinez.

[2] Upon his departure from the district, Alejandra Lopez, the president of the teachers union San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel, claimed she felt Martinez had failed to hear or respect stakeholders' opinions when making decisions regarding these schools, claiming, “Pedro Martinez’s tenure here was characterized by a pro-charter agenda that is a hallmark of the Broad Academy that he attended, and very top-down decision-making.”[2] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Martinez was credited with pioneering ways for large city school districts to keep their schools open, while keeping students and faculty safe.

He partnered with a local nonprofit, Community Labs, to provide free COVID-19 testing at all school campuses, coordinated with vaccine clinics.

[14] In July 2024, Mayor Brandon Johnson (Lightfoot's successor) began suggesting that the school district should take on a new loan in order to cover expenses required to meet the Chicago Teachers Union's contract renegotiation demands related to the funding of pensions and contracts.

[22] Amid a resultant standstill, the teachers union publicly lambasted Martinez, blaming him and pejoratively labeling him a "Lightfoot holdover".

[23] On September 24, the Chicago Tribune published an op-ed by Martinez in which he outlined his reasons for refusing Johnson's request for him to resign.

[28] Since it is a "without cause" dismissal, the terms of Martinez's contract allow him to remain as CEO for six months (until June 2025) and collect a ]severance payment in excess of $130,000.

[29][30] Martinez sued the Board of Education for barring him from participating in negotiations related to the teachers union contract.

[29] In February 2025, Martinez applied for the superintendency of the school district of Clark County, Nevada; and was in consideration for the position.