Senior Director of Operations, Mastery Charter Schools

Posted by Mastery Charter School on August 18, 2020

Mastery Charter Schools seeks a highly skilled leader and manager to serve as the network’s Senior Director of Operations (SDO). The Senior Director is responsible for building operational systems that enable our school-based leaders to effectively support teachers and students in the pursuit of student achievement. The SDO reports to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and is a senior member of Mastery’s Network Support team. The SDO manages a small, nimble central team of Network Directors of Operations (NDOs) and supports school-based Assistant Principals of Operations (APOs) across all schools. In addition, the SDO works with other Mastery central office departments such as School Management, Finance, and Compliance to design and implement operational systems and tools.

This position is an amazing opportunity for a strategic thinker and operational ‘tinkerer’ – the opportunity to create a best-in-class District-wide operational strategy that will transform the lives of 1000’s of young people. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a relentless commitment to excellence and will share a deep belief in Mastery’s mission. The right candidate will have a track record of managing change in a matrixed organization. The ideal candidate will confidently navigate the potential opportunities and challenges stemming from the need to balance school level autonomy and the benefits of network-wide scale. Lastly, the ideal candidate must be a high-capacity, high quality executer – willing to manage multiple projects simultaneously and with an eye on the details.

Duties And Responsibilities

Operational Program Design and Implementation
In partnership with the Chief Operating Officer and Network Directors of Operations, the SDO will develop the school operations strategy for all Mastery sites. To drive this work, the SDO will be responsible for reviewing the current operational performance of schools and developing an operations strategic plan to build on successes and address any deficiencies. In order to develop the plan, critical decisions such as what is centrally managed versus school-based, as well as staffing and service levels, will need to be reviewed and adapted to meet the strategy. A successful plan will also include the adoption of performance measurement in areas such as finance, facilities, enrollment and compliance. Responsibilities include collaborating with stakeholders to:

• Design and continuously improve on a school operations plan for all Mastery sites.
• Develop yearly operational success metrics to track performance against goals and periodic protocols for reviewing progress.
• Manage NDOs and ensure quality of all central operations services including APO coaching and centralized services like enrollment, purchasing, safety, food service, and transportation.
• Partner with cross-functional central office team to develop Student recruitment/Enrollment strategies and facilitate central office supports for schools via (Technology, Talent/HR, Finance, Facilities, Academic and etc.)

School Operations Support and Coaching
A major component of the role is to ensure that school operations leaders are receiving effective support and coaching on their individual and school operational performance. This support may be delivered through direct feedback, whole group or individualized professional development, and the creation and adoption of tools for school use. This support must also be differentiated – based on school region, school grade configuration, and experience level of the school leader involved. Responsibilities include:
Coach APOs on best practices to managing annual school budgets, maintaining clean and safe buildings, and maintaining enrollment targets

• Provide coaching and support to NDOs on key components of school operations including enrollment/student recruiting, budget management, data accuracy, and major vendor management such as food service, transportation, compliance, and nursing (among others)
• Evaluate the performance of NDOs on job performance and customer service
• Support principals in evaluating the performance of APOs on job performance and customer service
• Identify school operations teams requiring additional support
• Establish intervention plans and provide intensive coaching and hands-on support for targeted APOs
• Design and modify a school operations program handbook & documentation structure
• Review monthly school financial reports and provide coaching to ensure schools stay within budget
• Oversee development of school operations handbook and new APO training modules
• Lead hiring of new APOs at school sites
• Oversee onboarding for new APOs

Centralized Services Management
In order to take advantage of network scale, Mastery centralizes certain procurement decisions (e.g., books, furniture, supplies) and provides technical assistance on major vendor work such as Request for Proposals (RFPs) coordination. In addition, Mastery has transitioned out of its previously-Philadelphia District managed food services function and now manages the service internally.

• Oversee delivery of high quality central services to school operations teams including centralized purchasing (books, furniture, supplies), food service consortium, performance metric gathering, RFP coordination, and vendor/contract management
• Provide support to central office Food Service team to ensure a quality food service program is delivered, vendor management, and data support services for schools.

Facilities Infrastructure
In support of the central office facilities team, the SDO serves as a thought partner on decisions related to school classroom design and school start up. Responsibilities include:

• Work with the facilities team to ensure that major facilities projects (new school or significant renovation) are effectively managed
• Design and implement model classrooms in all new schools
• Work with school leadership to support their planning of the layout and space usage for each facility

Learn more and apply: https://jobs.lever.co/masterycharter/7d606b06-f002-40c2-a227-a4daccfbf65d