26-27 CT Director of School Operations at Achievement First in Connecticut

Responsibilities

• Management and Leadership
• Serves as thought partner and “#2” to the principal; collaborates on identifying school priorities and school-wide decisions; participates in strategy setting
• Responsible for school meeting all operational KPIs as defined by the network, specifically focusing on financial management, school safety, student attendance, facilities, and monthly operational priorities.
• Serves as member of the school’s leadership team, which also includes the school’s principal and deans; taking a “balcony view” of the school’s goals, performance, culture, staff, and
• Directly manages the operations team - consisting of student services managers, office coordinators and other permanent and temporary staff - on their roles and responsibilities; ensuring they are meeting annual goals.
• Continually improves performance of operations team members by effectively identifying high and low performers, providing feedback on areas of growth, and providing training and stretch opportunities.
• Develops skill of all direct reports via bi-monthly step-backs and weekly coaching meetings.
• Budget & Finance
• Overall owner of school budgets (up to $10M); school-based lead for annual budgeting process; responsible for ongoing management of budget and monthly forecast projections to ensure school spending does not exceed revenue.
• Green-lights decisions to hire additional staff depending on funding available within budget constraints.
• Allocates resources to priority areas by collaborating with the principal and managing procurement processes.
• Oversees and approves financial transactions for up to 100 school staff members; verifies that purchases are in compliance with the organization’s fiscal policies and procedures.
• Participates in the annual financial audit process by providing documentation as needed to auditors
• Manages bi-monthly payroll to all school-based employees, in partnership with network support. Acts as the point person for school staff on payroll-related issues.
• Human Resources
• Lead human resources work for all school staff in collaboration with the network support team, including managing leaves of absence, accommodations, staff time, and attendance.
• Investigates employee relations issues in partnership with network support, including interviewing involved staff/students, recommending consequences to the principal, and participating in personnel committees to finalize decisions.Manages tracking and follow-up for teacher certification, ensuring staff meet certification compliance requirements.
• Acts as a point person for staff questions around employee benefits
• Ensures compliance with the support of Achievement First’s network office with all state, federal, and local employment laws and policies
• Manages onboarding and offboarding so that all new hires have taken the appropriate steps to be ready to begin employment and all former staff members are appropriately exited.
• Enrollment
• Leads family engagement with prospective and newly admitted families to ensure all board-approved seats are filled.
• Co-develops recruitment strategy with Team Student Recruitment and Enrollment to ensure that approach is tailored to the school.
• Manages the enrollment, transfer, discharge, and readmission process for students and the preparation of related records and files.
• Develops and maintains school-level systems to maintain accurate enrollment and attendance data.
• Convenes and facilitates cross-functional group for academy level matriculation; ensuring strong data processes and student/family engagement work is implemented well.
• School Safety
• Leads school in maintaining a physically safe environment for students and staff through meeting building safety requirements, conducting emergency drills, training staff on emergency procedures, and completing monthly walk-throughs of safety requirements.
• Orchestrates crisis response as the first person alerted to potential safety threats. Determines and executes immediate response, and coordinates with local police agencies, school social workers, and other on-site staff members to intervene and take appropriate actions to prevent and respond to large-scale safety issues.
• Facilitates building-specific crisis response team meetings to ensure the school team is ready to handle potential crises.
• Facilities
• Sets vision for school aesthetic and ensures that school building is appealing, welcoming, and safe for students, families, and staff.
• Oversees major renovations and site repairs, coordinating with Team Facilities and managing the day-to-day progress of the work on the ground.
• Manages custodial personnel and third-party contracts (maintenance, trash removal. etc) so that facilities are maintained to the highest standard.
• Hold staff accountable for maintaining classroom and common spaces in accordance with school and network standards.
• General School Administration
• Oversees daily operations of the school- including but not limited to custodial, food, health and transportation services.
• Ensures the timely implementation/completion of all recurring and one-off requests from network support teams.
• Troubleshot tech equipment and infrastructure in partnership with the technology team to maintain full functioning.
• Executes and manages the cross-functional readiness process throughout each spring and summer to ensure a smooth start to each school year.
• Family and External Engagement and Communication
• In partnership with the leadership team, develops strategy for family engagement.
• Serves as the first point of contact for many family concerns; often mediates tricky conflicts and situations with families.
• Communicates regularly with families about academic performance, school policies, trips, and special events.
• Oversees the planning and execution of school and family events, including field trips, celebrations, family tours and orientations, report card nights, town halls, award ceremonies, and graduations.

Requirements

• Belief in the Achievement First mission and educational model
• Comfort level with financial oversight and budgetary tracking to support strategic growth
• 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 multitask; 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
• Maturity, humility, strong work ethic, sense of humor, and a “whatever it takes” disposition
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited 4-year institution; Master's Degree preferred
• Minimum 3 years of operations management experience in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
• Experience managing cross-functional teams to develop and implement systems and processes to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of a growing organization

Skills

Required

• Strategic thinking and action
• Attention to detail
• Flexibility and multitasking
• Resourcefulness in setting priorities

Preferred

• Spanish language proficiency

Benefits

• Employees at Achievement First are provided with a competitive salary. Our salaries are set through a lens of equity, and based on an individual’s skills, education, and years of experience relevant to the role. Director of School Operations’ salaries range from $101,939-$133,007.
• As a regular full time employee of Achievement First, you will be eligible for benefits that include medical, dental, vision, and life insurance as well as a 403(b) retirement benefit package with match and paid Family Leave.