Director of Network Operations - Prospect Schools

About the Position:
This is a Central Office operations position. Under the direction of the COO, the Director of Network Operations is responsible for providing and managing centralized support for school operations, accountability and reporting structures, and operational training and development for staff.

The ideal candidate possesses an interest in education, is knowledgeable about charter schools, and has professional experience in operations, project management, or other related functions. They are fully dedicated to the mission of Prospect Schools, and committed to keeping the academic and personal success of our students as a core focus while striving to grow professionally and support the operational excellence of the organization of schools. 

About Us:
Prospect Schools is a K-12 college preparatory community where excellent teachers prepare a diverse student body to have a positive impact on society and a lifelong passion for learning. Find more about who we are and what we believe by checking out our Prospector Principles.

Our Core Values are:

• Curiosity: Develop sound judgment and intellect by asking questions confidently and thinking critically

• Care: Support others by grounding every action in empathy while championing equity and inclusion in our work

• Persistence: Grow and learn by solving problems with determination, creativity and tenacity

• Passion: Succeed by approaching challenges with excitement, enthusiasm and self-assurance

Job Responsibilities:

Accountability & Reporting

• Manage external accountability reporting with various agencies, including NYC DOE, SUNY, NYSED, NYC Charter Center, etc. Reporting to agencies occurs throughout the year and includes significant collaboration with multi-functional partners internally and externally to complete critical submissions, e.g. SUNY Annual Report, BEDS, CRDC, etc.

• Oversee BPCS’s critical information platforms including the student information system, intranet, and various platforms including the DOE galaxy system and ATS account maintenance. 

• Maintain clean and accurate organizational data by implementing training for data input operators, working closely with our Data Team to implement regular data audit cycles, and holding school operations teams and others accountable to data systems.

Network Operations

• Lead the planning and execution of our twice-annual all-network events (e.g., Start of Year Event, Holiday Event), including gathering input from key stakeholders to draft the vision for the event, creating and managing the project plan for the event, and engaging and managing vendors for the event (e.g., event planners, DJ, photographer, etc.)

• Work collaboratively with cross-functional network teams to streamline operational practices in service of schools.  This will especially include close collaboration with the Finance team and the Real Estate & Facilities teams.

• Own and manage the relationship with our facilities management vendors.

• Act as the network point of contact for urgent operational issues and the school level.

• Develop and establish organization-wide standards for school safety and emergency readiness, and hold school-based operations teams accountable for maintaining proper documentation, updating procedures annually, and holding regular drills as required. 

School Operations Support

• Compile, curate, and send our weekly operations newsletter:  Network Ops Weekly (NOW)

• Maximize the benefits of being a network of schools by driving excellent, consistent operational practices across all schools that are aligned with the values of Prospect Schools. Where possible and appropriate, develop and lead centralized operational processes that impact multiple campuses and that the Treehouse is uniquely positioned to execute with greater efficiency and fidelity than school-based teams.

• Liaise with school Principals and Directors of School Operations to align on school-based operational priorities through recurring monthly check-ins and other communication channels. 

• Lead the annual review and approval of our schools’ Family Handbooks.

• Partner with school Principals and HR & Talent teams in hiring new Directors of School Operations; including the development of central resources for onboarding, 30/60/90 day check-ins, and facilitating coaching amongst the larger DSO community. 

• Lead a semi-annual School Review process where each school receives a comprehensive review of all school functions from a multi-functional team. The process includes managing and updating the School Review rubric.

• Lead processes for identifying school operational needs and providing strong central office operational support to school-based teams. As needed, assist with the execution of school-based operations. Examples of when this level of support may be required are during critical points in the year (e.g. start of year and testing periods) and significant school-based role transitions.

• Develop and manage our Prospect Schools Operations Drive, including all resources for school-based Operations teams. Ensure that all resources are widely available digitally via Prospect Schools’s internal site. Lead school-based operations training and development across the network by collaborating with the Senior Director of HR & Talent to identify the needs of the organization and staff, then developing progressive training and development programming that promotes the missions and values of BPCS and operational excellence. Create the infrastructure and plan to support the career development and progression of operational staff and build a pipeline of operational leaders across schools. 

• Manage accounts with vendors that serve multiple school campuses to ensure high and consistent quality. This process includes owning any relevant bidding processes. 

• Ensure that information critical to operations is shared across the network effectively, e.g. notifications from regulatory entities such as NYC DOE, NYSED, SUNY, Department of Health, etc. 

About You:

• Bachelor’s degree required

• 5-7 years of experience in school or education non-profit operations experience, with at least 3-5 years people management experience

• Deeply strategic thinker  and skilled project manager with a record of setting and achieving ambitious goals

• Significant experience with data and analytics, with an ability to work through large sets of information to derive and communicate meaningful insights

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to assess, motivate, and drive performance through individuals’ strengths with an emphasis on inclusivity

• Highly collaborative with the ability to balance goals with diplomacy and relationship-maintenance

• Experienced systems-thinker who can mediate our need to scale our operations effectively while also preserving the agency we believe is necessary for schools and teams to thrive.

*The critical features of this role are described above but not all-encompassing.

Salary:

Employees at Prospect Schools are provided with a competitive salary. Our salaries are set through a lens of equity, and based on an individual’s years of direct experience relevant to the role. The salary range for this role is $116,000-156,941.

If you are a current employee, please submit a Talent Ticket confirming you have applied for this role.