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School Operations

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Director of School Operations
Achievement First Ops – Brooklyn, NY
Achievement First is currently seeking a strategic and dynamic Director of School Operations. Reporting to the Regional Director of Operations and the school principal, the Director of School Operations will be responsible for all matters of school administration that do not directly relate to instruction or student behavior. The Director is a cornerstone of the Achievement First school model, which seeks to relieve the principal of non-instructional obligations so that s/he can focus almost exclusively on student achievement and the professional development of the teaching staff. This position will take on a variety of operational responsibilities from overseeing the development and implementation of the school budget to gathering and analyzing school data to ensuring that the school has sufficient materials to serve its students. The Director of School Operations will also supervise a team of operations professionals including student services managers, office coordinators, and principal assistants.Responsibilities of the Director of School Operations will include but are not limited to:
Budget & Finance

  • Work with the school principal and Achievement First network finance staff to develop and manage the school’s budget
  • Maintain accurate records of all financial transactions and submit them to the Achievement First network finance staff for processing
  • Participate in monthly meetings to review/account for budget variances; monitor usage of the school credit card
  • Ensure adherence to school’s fiscal policy and procedures; participate in annual financial audit process by providing documentation as needed to auditors
  • Manage school purchasing process by placing orders with vendors, tracking delivery and maintaining inventory

School Operations

  • Each year, prepare the campus for start-up/new school year by ordering furniture, equipment, and classroom supplies as well as ensuring that school services (i.e., student food services, student transportation services) are lined up and ready for action
  • Process new hires and maintain employee records to prepare the facility for occupation
  • Manage the tracking and follow up regarding teacher certification and employee benefits
  • With the support of Achievement First’s network office, ensure compliance with all state, federal, and local employment laws and policies
  • Ensure the maintenance of campus facilities by managing custodial personnel and third-party contracts for trash removal, recycling, and security
  • Manage the school’s food and transportation services by coordinating with service providers and overseeing deliveries
  • Manage the school’s supply and asset inventory

School Administration

  • Ensure the timely implementation of all items on Achievement First’s monthly administrative calendar
  • Ensure that the school is adhering to all local compliance and reporting requirements, as per calendars and guidelines provided by Achievement First
  • Provide oversight of the planning and execution of school special events, such as field lessons, Report Card Night, and graduation
  • Oversee the administration of all student tests
  • With the support of the Achievement First network data analysts, disseminate progress reports to school staff and ensure the timely production of student report cards
  • Ensure that student records are properly maintained and updated at the school

Management and Leadership

  • Directly supervise the student services manager and office coordinator
  • Actively serve on the school’s leadership team, which also includes the school’s principal and deans

Skills and Characteristics

  • At least 3 years of operations management experience in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
  • Demonstrated passion for and commitment to the Achievement First mission and educational model
  • Comfort level with financial oversight and budgetary tracking to support strategic growth
  • Experience managing cross-functional teams to develop and implement systems and processes to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of a growing organization
  • Willingness to work autonomously, collaboratively, and/or under the direction of senior staff, as needed
  • Acute attention to detail coupled with the ability to think and act strategically
  • Flexible and able to multi-task; can work within an ambiguous, fast-moving environment, while also driving toward clarity and solutions
  • Demonstrated resourcefulness in setting priorities and guiding investment in people and systems
  • Personal qualities of maturity, humility, strong work ethic, sense of humor, and a roll-up-my-sleeves attitude
  • MBA preferred

Compensation
Salary for this position is very competitive and commensurate with experience. Additionally, Achievement First offers a comprehensive benefits package.

We seek directors of operations who are passionate about creating the conditions for student success in school. The dean of operations is responsible for all non-academic operations at the school and compliance with the school’s charter and with all laws and regulations. The dean supervises all non-academic staff at the school, and is responsible for the school’s budget, accounting, and financial reporting; enrollment and student records; human resources, payroll, and credential management; meals programs and receipts; the physical plant; nursing services; information technology; procurement; security and school safety programs; regulatory compliance; and relationships with the LEA, SEA, and charter authorizer. At Ascend, we value leaders with a hunger for feedback and professional growth, and a dedication to excellence.
At Ascend, we’re excited about educators who are committed to educational excellence and are fired up about our liberal arts program, positive approach to discipline, and commitment to serve all students. At Ascend we invest in your professional growth-training, supporting, and collaborating with you every step of the way.
Join us as we foster our students’ innate curiosities, encourage discussion and debate, and guide students to think, imagine, debate, and create.
Why extraordinary leaders lead at Ascend
Ascend is a growing network of K-12 public charter schools serving 5,500 students across 15 schools in Central Brooklyn and offering a new model for public education. Our mission is to lead our students on a great intellectual journey, providing them with an exceptional education and placing them firmly on the path to success in college and beyond.
We guide our students to think critically and independently and to enjoy education as an end in itself. We teach a rich and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that nurtures students’ natural curiosity about the world. We foster a positive, non-punitive school culture where students feel connected, empowered, and safe to take academic risks. Even our school buildings are designed to reflect our high aspirations for teaching and learning and the notable accomplishments that occur within our walls.
To create this kind of vibrant learning community, we invest heavily in our faculty by providing ongoing professional training and support, and encourage our educators to collaborate closely and push each other to achieve great outcomes.Leading at Ascend means growing deeply in your career, expressing your voice, and playing a defining role in the future of your students, your school, and the Ascend network.
The director of operations is responsible for the daily financial and business activities of the school. Specifically, the director of operations is responsible for:
  • Financial transactions and operations: Manage the daily financial and business activities of the school; ensure proper cash management, including timely and accurate deposits, record-keeping, and receipts; ensure proper asset management and adherence to the school’s budget; manage and ensure compliance with grants; prepare the proposed school budget in close coordination with the school director and Ascend network; coordinate with the school director to ensure that staff members adhere to the budget; and ensure that all reports are submitted accurately and on time.
  • Enrollment and funding: Ensure timely and proper enrollment and attendance reporting, and the timely and accurate collection of public funds; maintain the school’s waiting list for admission and enroll new students in compliance with the charter law and other regulations; and maintain all student records using the school management software, ensuring compliance with student confidentiality laws.
  • Human resources: Oversee and administer personnel matters, including (through vendors) payroll, benefits, and COBRA; properly implement all school and Ascend network policies and procedures relating to human resources (HR); provide appropriate information and assistance to school staff regarding personnel matters and benefits; provide effective support and advice to the school administrative team on personnel and HR issues; ensure that all staff hold credentials required by law (including ESSA) and pass background checks; prepare and maintain legal personnel-related documentation (including employment statements of hire, disciplinary procedures, and terminations of employment); maintain up-to-date personnel files; assist the school director with salary budget planning and staffing requirements; and effectively coordinate with the school director and the Ascend network as needed.
  • External reporting and compliance: Ensure strict compliance with state and federal regulations; and maintain effective working relationship with the authorizer, the state, and other regulatory and oversight agencies.
Staff and reporting relationships
The director of operations reports to the founding school director and participates as a member of the school leadership team. He or she also has a dotted line to the network director of operations. The director of operations manages operations team members.

Qualifications:

  • A bachelor’s degree; master’s degree preferred
  • 3-5 years professional experience, preferably in an educational organization or a school
  • An MPA or MBA, or equivalent experience, is preferred
  • Strong project management skills
  • Ability to lead a team
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills
  • Strong organizational skills and self-management with the ability to handle many responsibilities simultaneously
  • Highly developed problem-solving skills
  • Dependable with excellent follow-through
  • Alignment with the education philosophy and core beliefs of Ascend and the school
Diversity at Ascend
Ascend is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities—opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.
Compensation
Ascend offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Please visit www.ascendschools.org/careers to learn more about the benefits of working at Ascend.
About the Great Oaks FoundationThe Great Oaks (GO) Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of launching and supporting a network of charter schools that prepare students for college success through high-dosage tutoring coupled with outstanding classroom instruction. By design, GO schools contribute to the vitality of the urban neighborhoods where they are located by attracting and creating social, human and investment capital.What sets Great Oaks schools apart from other college preparatory charters is our high-dosage tutoring model; the tutoring is provided by the Great Oaks Fellow Corps, which is a selective cadre of recent college graduates who deliver at least two hours of tutoring to every student every day.The Great Oaks Foundation has successfully replicated this program in Newark, NJ; Bridgeport, CT; New York, NY and Wilmington, DE. A select group of tutors at Great Oaks are enrolled in a Teacher Residency program that is being conducted in partnership with NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education.Position Summary

The Great Oaks Foundation seeks an Operations Manager to support both school and central office operations. The role is full-time and will report to the Chief Operating Officer. The Operations Manager is capable of skillfully managing competing priorities, is not afraid to get his/her hands dirty, and can adeptly drive systems and processes.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Student Recruitment

  • Support the construction of annual, school-specific strategic plans for student recruitment; lead the implementation of those plans throughout the recruitment cycle in direct coordination with school staff; lead regular check-in meetings with school staff.
  • Maintain the Student Recruitment Playbook as a foundational resource to inform school planning; work with Foundation and school staff to update the content of Playbook on an annual basis, as needed.
  • Track school-specific enrollment data and provide analytics to inform school-level work; regularly report on recruitment activity progress to school and Foundation leadership.

Facilities

    • Lead the implementation of the School Facilities Rubric to track maintenance issues and promote accountability within school buildings; update the Rubric as needed.
    • Support coordination of facilities-related maintenance needs and vendor inquiries at school buildings.
    • Create and manage systems for managing tutor housing program, in direct collaboration with school staff, including but not limited to: strategic planning of move in/out, tutor placement, utilities management, and unit maintenance.

Operations

  • Coordinate school and Foundation operations-related calendars.
  • Assist in the planning logistics of Foundation events including troubleshooting, scheduling, and working with vendors.
  • Support in setting priorities for Operations staff throughout the year.
  • Support in identifying and supporting the implementation of opportunities for collaboration and professional development for Operations personnel across the Great Oaks Network.
  • Assist schools and the Foundation in sourcing coordinated, low-cost, high quality options for vendor services and capital projects, including drafting and tracking requests for proposals for items put to bid, as needed
  • Work with the COO and school operations personnel to develop operational systems, including for effective vendor use and supply inventory management

Marketing

  • Manage school website content by effecting real-time changes to the site, including updates required by school boards.
  • Conceptualize, design, and produce marketing materials related to student recruitment, in coordination with Foundation staff team and school personnel, as needed.
  • Manage relationships and workflow of third-party partners in carrying out marketing projects, as needed, to fulfill school needs and objectives.
  • Support the project management of the annual report production; Coordinate with graphic design vendors and Foundation to design, edit, and produce the final product.

Technology

  • Upkeep and ensure the effective utilization of network information management platforms, including the email server and Google suite of applications
  • Support relationship management with IT, utilities, graphic design, promotional, and facilities vendors to ensure efficient vendor use and prompt billing remittance.
  • Field technology issues and manage technology inventory at the Foundation.

Other duties as assigned.

Competencies and Qualifications

The successful candidate will believe in the core values of Great Oaks and be driven by its mission. Additionally, they will have experience balancing many competing priorities and projects at the same time, and they will take the initiative to develop systems that drive operational success.

  • A Bachelor’s Degree
  • Two years of operations, charter school, or education experience preferred
  • A strong eye for detail and impeccable time, project management, and organizational skills
  • Ability and desire to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and deadline sensitive environment
  • An unwavering belief in the ability of every child to succeed and a desire to facilitate equitable educational opportunities for all
  • Flexibility, grace under pressure, ability to make strong rational decisions, and a strong sense of humor

Compensation

Great Oaks provides a competitive compensation and benefits package; exact compensation will vary based on experience and education.