High School: Director of School Operations - Greater Boston, MA

Our Mission

Together with our families and communities, we create joyful and identity-affirming schools where students achieve excellent and equitable academic outcomes. We believe doing this ensures that our students are prepared to pursue any path they choose — college, career, and beyond — so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. Our program is based on:

• A focus on high-quality instruction supported by rigorous professional development to ensure that our students develop the academic skills necessary to pursue the life they choose.
• A high regard for character development to ensure that our students and staff celebrate and develop their character and identity strengths.
• An emphasis on family engagement, because we believe that our students are most likely to be able to maximize their potential when we work in partnership with our students and their families.
• A focus on college readiness for all students so that all students can make choices about their post-secondary education and future.

What We Do

We seek to provide a world-class education for students from educationally underserved communities in Lynn and Boston. Our student demographics mirror those of neighborhood schools in terms of race, socioeconomic status, Multilingual Learners (MLL), and students who receive special education services.

Our promise to families is that their children will enter college and the professional world able to thrive academically due to their literacy, numeracy, and core knowledge in science and social studies. We also promise that our students will develop the zest for learning and grit necessary to persevere as they climb the mountain to and through college and career. Our graduates will be prepared to return to their community as teachers, leaders, and architects of continued growth in Lynn and Boston.

Who We Are

KIPP Massachusetts began enrolling students in 2004. We currently hold two charters, operating two “districts.” Our first district, KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School, is based in Lynn, MA. Our second district, KIPP Academy Boston Charter School, is based in Mattapan, MA. Each district is housed on one or more “campuses,” which we use to refer to different grade spans, for example, elementary grades, middle school grades, or high school grades.

In Lynn, KIPP Academy Lynn Elementary (serving grades K-4), KIPP Academy Lynn Middle (serving grades 5-8), and KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate (serving grades 9-12), are all under our Lynn charter. Admission to any grade in the Lynn district is admission to all remaining grades in the Lynn district K-12. 74% of our students in Lynn are Hispanic, 15% are Black, 3% are multiracial, 5% White, and 4% Asian. 

In Boston, KIPP Academy Boston (serving grades K-8) is under our Boston charter. Admission to any grade in the Boston district is admission to all remaining grades in the Boston district K-8. 36% of our students in Boston are Hispanic, 59% are Black, 3% are multiracial, 1% are White, and 1% are American Indian or Alaskan Native.

Across both districts, we serve over 2,200 students. KIPP MA has a Regional Office, with teams such as Teaching and Learning, Talent and Operations, which supports both districts.

KIPP Foundation

KIPP Massachusetts partners with the KIPP Foundation, which is a non-profit national network of college-preparatory public charter schools serving elementary, middle and high school students. The KIPP Network has a 30+ year track record of preparing our students in educationally underserved communities for success in college and life.

The KIPP Public Schools Network is made up of 278 K-12 schools, 28 regional support organizations, and the nonprofit KIPP Foundation. We are a national network with nearly 16,500 educators and 190,000 students and alumni. Together, we continually raise the bar for teaching and learning, then ensure success in one classroom travels across our network to hundreds more. We believe that excellent academic, safe and structured schools, empowered teachers, an emphasis on character development and support through college and career are the foundation for student success, and we strive to provide this for every student.

All KIPP schools, whether they are in Massachusetts or in other states, are part of the free public school system in their respective states and enrollment is open to all students. KIPP public charter schools are given more academic and budgetary flexibility than traditional public schools, and in exchange commit to deliver high-quality academic results for students.

Job Description

Director of School Operations at KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School

KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School is looking for a talented, committed, and culturally competent Director of School Operations (DSO) who will report to the Managing Director of Operations. As the operational leader of the school, the DSO is critical to the success and efficiency of running the campus. This position is central to the realization of our mission as it provides the School Leader, Assistant Principals (APs), and educators the opportunity to focus almost exclusively on teaching and learning within the schools. The Director of School Operations will, therefore, be an individual who embraces innovation and continuous improvement, is willing to get their hands dirty, and relishes the challenge of finding innovative ways to work smarter and more efficiently, all in support of helping cultivate a culture of joy of teaching and learning within our schools. As such, the DSO is also a part of the school’s culture by supporting students when needed, managing the school-based operations team, including outside vendors, and serving on the school leadership team. DSOs and school leaders maintain consistent school-wide systems and procedures - academic, behavioral, cultural, logistical - designed to permit teachers to do their best work. Ultimately, the DSO supports our school team in amplifying our children’s potential by creating a school experience that helps affirm, value, and challenge students each day.

This role requires consistent and reliable demonstration of the following essential job functions and key responsibilities:

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership and Management

• Manages the School Operations Leadership & Operations Team

• Develops the school-wide operation's vision that supports and operationalizes the academic and cultural vision of the school in partnership with the School Leader and the regional leadership teams

• Plays a leadership role in the school’s strategic and annual planning and budgeting processes

• Hires, manages, coaches, and develops school operations team members and holds them accountable to goals and outcomes

Finance & Purchasing

• Works closely with the School Leader to develop the school’s annual budget

• Actively manages the school budget throughout the year by participating in monthly budget meetings with the regional Finance team to review budget variances, actively monitoring school spending, and proactively seeking opportunities to ensure spending is always aligned to the school’s academic priorities

• Manages the school purchasing process by establishing clear systems for staff to request items, placing orders with vendors, tracking delivery, and coding and submitting purchases orders, invoices, and reimbursement requests

• Manages the school payment process for activity fees, testing, and other miscellaneous payments

• Approves school purchases under a specific financial threshold

• Serves as the first school-based point of contact regarding finance and works with the regional Finance team to ensure financial compliance and reporting

Facilities & Maintenance

• Works with the Facilities Manager to ensure facility issues are properly handled, including maintenance, managing staff/vendors, and campus safety

• Manages all aesthetics and staff room supplies throughout the facility

• Ensures that the main office is neat, organized, welcoming and has all important family-facing materials

Food Service, Transportation, and Special Events

• Serves as the eyes and ears of the school to ensure that all school operations run seamlessly each and every day, proactively problem solving and developing systems where needed

• Oversees all aspects of food service, including quality, managing staff/vendors, meal tracking, and compliance

• Manages the logistics of meal delivery (breakfast, lunch, snacks) including staff duty schedules and cafeteria schedules and routines

• Oversees all aspects of transportation including vendor management, arrival and dismissal procedures, and setting and managing staff duty schedules

• Owns logistics of communications and external relations through family letters, weekly staff notes, surveys, and visitors

• Owns all logistics (e.g. transportation, lodging, meals, staffing plan, etc.) of all off-site field trips and all on-site special events (Report Card Nights, Performances, Graduation, staff celebrations, etc.)

• Serves as the point person for hosting visitors on school tours

Technology & Equipment

• Ensures that students and staff have access to needed technology and works with regional Tech Team to plan technology-related enhancements

• Leads the school opening/startup process each year to ensure that doors are ready to open by ordering furniture, equipment, instructional supplies, and ensuring that student services (e.g. food service, transportation) are ready to go

• Manages the school’s supply and asset inventory (e.g. computers, textbooks)

Student Information, Testing, and Educator Operations Support

• Manages systems for and maintains accurate student data and information in compliance with federal, state, regional and school expectations

• Manages the coverage of classes/duties for staff that miss work and manages the process by which teachers seek coverage for absences

• Works with the School Leadership Team to manage the logistical elements of all major student assessments (i.e. ACT, MCAS, etc.)

• Manages logistics of report cards/progress reports/transcripts

• Develops, prepares, and schedules courses for teachers and students each year

• Builds relationships with both educators, students, and families

Student Recruitment & Enrollment

• Develops and manages student recruitment strategy to ensure that the school begins the academic year with full classes

• Maintains enrollment at or above pre-determined enrollment numbers throughout the year

• Ensures that family info sessions, school tours, and the lottery and enrollment process are tightly planned and executed

Risk Management, Compliance, and Human Resources Administration

• Ensure that the school is prepared for emergencies by conducting all drills and training staff on emergency plans

• Partners with regional Human Resources/Talent on the new hire process (e.g. interviews, new hire offer letters, onboarding)

• Partners with regional Human Resources/Talent to ensure that school staff have complete, current, and accurate employee files and certifications; all personnel interacting with students have background checks on file; and schools comply with all areas of legal compliance (e.g. Human Resources, FERPA, etc.)

• Collects all items from terminating employees and partners with the regional human resources team on any action items surrounding the exit logistics

• Tracks time off data from school based staff and assess leave trends

• Communicates leave needs and critical dates to the Human Resources team and assists in the facilitation of employee leaves

General Requirements and Responsibilities

• Embody KIPP MA’s Code of Conduct by acting with integrity, leading with humanity, centering self-awareness and critical consciousness, taking personal responsibility, and engaging productively

• Participate and engage in regional professional development and community events as required

KIPP MA staff are supported in their demanding work by experienced and dedicated leadership and staff who have themselves proven successful in education. DSOs are supported by the Managing Director of School Operations in order to provide that consistent foundation for educators and leaders within our schools.

In addition to the responsibilities listed above, there will occasionally be other duties as assigned that staff will engage in to help promote a positive and safe learning environment and culture.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

• Deep alignment with KIPP MA’s mission and values, including the unwavering belief in the high potential of all students

• Prior leadership and management experience

• Successful team leadership and strong record of results

• Experience working with underserved communities, families, and/or students

• Excellent organizational and communication skills

• Friendly and able to work well with others in a fast-paced environment

• Ability to multitask and work within an ambiguous, fast-moving environment while driving toward clarity and solutions

• Extreme flexibility with a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate high levels of responsibility and multiple priorities

• Computer and financial literacy, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Google platforms

• Bachelor’s degree required

• Pass Criminal Background Checks

KIPP MA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe in building a vibrant and welcoming school community that advances our mission of ensuring that all KIPP students graduate with the skills and confidence to lead fulfilling lives. This includes a commitment to attracting and developing individuals who understand the experiences of the students and communities we serve. We hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.

Additional Information

What We Offer

The minimum base salary range for this exempt position is $75,000 to $90,000 (per 1.0 FTE/45 hours per week) with a $1,000 signing bonus—and an annual $2,000 retention bonus in subsequent years, as well as other bonuses, when eligible. This role follows our 12 Month calendar. For more about what we offer, how to apply and more about KIPP MA, please visit this link HERE.

KIPP MA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe in building a vibrant and welcoming school community that advances our mission of ensuring that all KIPP students graduate with the skills and confidence to lead fulfilling lives. This includes a commitment to attracting and developing individuals who understand the experiences of the students and communities we serve. We hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.