Director of School Operations

Reporting to the Regional Director of School Operations (shared PreK-8 campus) or the School Leader (single-site campus), the Director of School Operations (DSO)/School Operations Leader (SOL) is a senior, school-based leadership role that oversees all finance and operations functions necessary to run a high-performing school. The DSO/SOL ensures that the school’s operations meet high standards of operational excellence, and enables instructional leaders and staff to focus on driving strong student achievement outcomes. The DSO/SOL works closely with the Managing Director of School Operations and the School Support Center (SSC), who provides support to schools across the entire KIPP network, to reach outcomes on region-wide initiatives and goals.

Key Responsibilities of the role:

School Operations Leadership & Operations Team Management

• In partnership with the MDSO, Regional Director of Schools, School Leaders and the SSC, develops the school-wide operations vision that supports and operationalizes the academic and cultural vision of the school
• Plays a leadership role in the school’s strategic and annual planning and budgeting process
• Hires, manages, coaches, and develops school operations team members (including front office staff and vendors) and holds them accountable to goals and outcomes
• Serves as the primary point of contact for the SSC team, responding to requests and collaborating with teammates across the SSC to build scalable, region-wide systems, policies, and procedures
• Oversees big picture facilities issues, including maintenance, managing staff/vendors, aesthetics, shared space agreements, and campus safety With the Facilities Director, plans for maintaining capital-intensive building systems, meeting compliance requirements, enhancing facilities, and fulfilling lease obligations.
• Oversees all aspects of food service, including quality, managing staff/vendors, meal tracking, compliance, and meal delivery
• Oversees all aspects of transportation including vendor management, arrival and dismissal procedures, and setting and managing staff duty schedules
• Owns ultimate responsibility for each and every student's safe transport to and from school
• Leads the school opening/start up process each year to ensure that doors are ready to open by coordinating furniture, equipment, and instructional supply orders.

Budgeting, Finances & Purchasing

• Creates and manages the school’s annual budget, ensuring financial sustainability throughout the year.
• Leads Fiscal Management & Compliance, guaranteeing adherence to financial laws and standards.
• Oversees procurement, securing quality, cost-effective goods and services in a transparent manner.
• Streamlines the purchasing process, setting clear systems and approving expenditures within set limits.
• Facilitates finance communication and compliance,** acting as the primary school contact and liaising with the SSC Finance team for accurate financial reporting.
• Manages Student Activity Funds, ensuring responsible use of funds for enhancing student experiences.

Facilities and Asset Management

• Acts as the primary point for facilities at their school site, ensuring spaces comply with health, safety, and environmental standards, and collaborates with the facilities team to maintain and improve the school environment.
• Manages school assets, especially technology like Chromebooks, ensuring proper inventory, maintenance, and timely updates or replacements.
• Manages the scheduling and upkeep of school facilities for daily operations and special events, ensuring a safe and effective learning environment.
• Promotes sustainable practices within school operations, aiming to enhance a facility’s quality & environmental impact and foster a culture of resourcefulness and responsibility.

Student Recruitment, Enrollment & Data

• Develops and manages student recruitment strategy to ensure that the school begins the academic year with full classes and actively recruits to fill open seats
• Leverages the entire school team to reach outcome of filling 100% available seats by 10/1
• Ensures that parent info sessions, school tours, and application and enrollment process are tightly planned and executed; manages team to meet goals
• Ensures the School Leads, teachers, and staff have complete and accurate student information they need to be successful.

Risk Management, Compliance, and Human Resources

• Ensure that the school is prepared for emergencies by conducting all drills and training staff on emergency plans
• Partners with SSC human capital team on the new hire process (e.g. interviews, new hire offer letters, onboarding)
• Reviews and approves bi-weekly payroll and time-off requests for the operations team
• Communicates leave needs and critical dates to the human capital team and assists in the facilitation of employee leaves
• Manage human resource operations for the school and serve as a liaison with KIPP New Orleans Human Resources Team
• Manage teacher and staff onboarding and off-boarding in conjunction with SSC human resources, finance, and IT teams.
• Lead Performance Management process for all operations staff at the school level.
• Collaborate with the KIPP New Orleans Human Resources Team to ensure school-level HR compliance with various employment-related government agencies, maintain personnel files, and administer benefits.

Safety and Security

• Leads as the primary decision-maker during campus crises, coordinating response efforts and ensuring effective crisis management in partnership with the school principal.
• Collaborates with school principals to maintain daily safety by implementing and adhering to safety best practices and protocols.
• Ensures the school’s security personnel are effectively managed and that security practices meet the needs of the school environment.
• Serves as the primary liaison for the school’s security service providers, ensuring services are aligned with the school's safety objectives.
• Initiates and oversees regular safety audits and drills, provides training for staff and students to enhance preparedness for various emergency scenarios.

Student Athletics & Activities

• Manages all operational facets to ensure the successful execution of both in-school and after-school programming, enriching student experiences with diverse opportunities.
• Directs the operational components of middle and high school athletics, including purchasing equipment, arranging transportation, hiring referees, and coordinating additional security, to support and enhance athletic programs.
• Oversees the procurement process for necessary goods and services for student activities and athletic events, prioritizing cost-effectiveness and timely acquisition.
• Collaborates effectively with Athletic Directors, aligning on program objectives, resources, and the orchestration of events.

Requirements

The position requires:

• A minimum of 3-4 years of experience in operations, business, finance/accounting, and/or administration
• High proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook
• Successful completion of State and Federal Criminal Background Check - All offers are considered pending until the successful completion of a professional reference check and a state/federal background check.
• A sense of humility, customer service mindset, and a personal affinity to our mission and vision, as well as demonstrated commitment to our 5 core beliefs - Relentlessness, Equity, Achievement, Community, and Hope
• Ability to relentlessly plan and prioritize to drive results
• Skill in building relationships and communicating effectively
• Management and development of self and others
• Managing complexity and thinking strategically

The following are strongly preferred for the role:

• Post-Secondary degree in operations, business, finance/accounting, and/or administration

The physical demands and environmental conditions described below are representative, but not exhaustive, of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the role. All of these physical requirements should be able to be performed with clarity, coherence and connectedness of the KNOS vision, and reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Must be able to sit and work at a desk/computer for extended periods of time
• Must be able to spend the majority of the day standing or mobile throughout the classroom, as well as talk, hear, grasp, reach and lift up to 30lbs with or without accommodations
• Ability to concentrate in active and noisy environments such as cafeterias and playgrounds, to more moderate situations such as classrooms or large group professional settings
• Must be able to have repetitive wrist/hand/finger movement to work on computer and/or related office equipment
• Ability to handle potential high stress conditions