Director of Operations

Originally founded in 1991 as Harlem RBI, DREAM has grown to annually serve more than 2,500 youth across East Harlem and the South Bronx through a network of seven PreK-12, extended-day, extended-year DREAM Charter Schools and community sports-based youth development programs. Through our commitment to rigorous academics, social-emotional learning, deep family and community engagement, and health and wellness, we create lifelong learners who are equipped to fulfill their vision of success in and out of the classroom. We dream big, as well, with an aggressive five-year plan to expand to serve 3,500 students across seven schools—growing our organization’s impact and leveling the playing field for all children. To learn more, visit wearedream.org . Reporting to the Principal, the Director of Operations will serve as a building leader, supporting the Principal with all non-instructional school needs. They will lead all aspects of school operations, including safety, talent management and development, administration, building readiness, events and trip management, compliance, procurement, food and transportation services, student recruitment, school schedules, and the student information database. This is an exciting opportunity for a team player who enjoys thinking strategically and systematically to lead and continuously improve school operations in a fast-paced environment dedicated to driving excellent student outcomes. Responsibilities Leadership and Partnership: Serve as the Principal’s chief partner in school leadership, acting as second-in-command for all non-instructional functions; provide thought partnership on school-wide strategy, proactively anticipate challenges, and ensure alignment between academic and operational priorities; Manage a team of school operations professionals overseeing all logistics areas of operations; Serve as a core member of the DREAM School Leadership Team, responsible for ensuring high levels of operational excellence every day; Partner with the Principal to anticipate challenges, proactively resolve barriers, and ensure strong alignment between instructional and operational priorities. Responsible for identifying, communicating, and planning operational priorities for the school; Responsible for creating and executing training, onboarding, and development plans. Provide coaching and feedback to instructional and non-instructional staff including the operations team. Student Recruitment: Collaborate with the Network Director of Student Recruitment to oversee student recruitment, enrollment and lottery processes to meet annual student recruitment and enrollment goals; Oversee the outreach and communication to prospective and accepted families; Plan and execute logistics for student recruitment events including but not limited weekend and after-hours events. Inventory Management: Manage procurement, including developing inventory systems, setting expectations with staff for orders, and ensuring that staff has necessary materials at all times; Manage inventory to ensure that supplies at the schools are inventoried on a regular basis; Oversee inventory management for extended learning and enrichment programs, ensuring materials, equipment, and supplies for all extended learning and enrichment and summer program activities are well maintained and consistently available. Facilities Management: Collaborate with the Network Facilities Team to raise and address facilities issues in a timely fashion; Conduct regularly scheduled walkthroughs to ensure facilities and operational systems are in good working order; Develop and manage systems to uphold visual culture standards with staff. Ensure facilities, classrooms, and shared spaces used for extended learning and enrichment and summer programs are safe, welcoming, and fully prepared to support programming; Coordinate with facilities teams to meet the unique scheduling and space needs of extended-day and extended-year programs; Secure and coordinate shared space schedules in collaboration with building councils, ensuring equitable and efficient use of all facilities; Coordinate and secure space for summer programs and summer institutes, ensuring readiness and alignment with program needs . Systems & Processes: Develop and implement school-wide systems and procedures that ensure operational excellence within the school, including transportation, safety, food services, procurement, compliance tracking, arrival, late pickup, and recess; Oversee execution of critical school-wide systems including arrival, dismissal, attendance, and daily operations; Design and manage operational systems that specifically support extended learning and enrichment and summer programs, including arrival/dismissal, program registration, transportation logistics, supervision, school food and nutrition, and safety protocols; Identify areas for improvement and continually improve school operations systems and procedures, leading or supporting special projects as needed. Extended Learning and Enrichment Leadership: Lead all operational aspects of DREAM’s extended-day and extended-year model, including enrichment, athletics, extended learning and enrichment programming, Saturday academies, and summer programs, in collaboration with other school and network leaders; Oversee staffing, logistics, scheduling, and health and safety for extended learning and enrichment programs; In partnership with the Dean of Student Life and network partners, manage relationships with vendors and community partners supporting enrichment, athletics, and student development; Track student recruitment and enrollment, program quality, and safety metrics, using data to ensure continuous improvement and partner with the Dean of Student Life to ensure attendance and enrollment goals are met; Develop and manage budgets and resources dedicated to extended learning and enrichment, in collaboration with other school and network leaders. Fiscal Management: Partner with the Principal to manage the school budget, including overseeing procurement and tracking expenses; Create and implement systems to track expenses and manage budget to ensure the school meets budgetary goals; Monitor and manage financial planning for extended learning and enrichment and summer programs, ensuring efficient allocation of resources to support high-quality programming. Administration: Liaise with network office staff to effectively oversee assessment, attendance, and school compliance; Manage/liaise with food services, IT, facilities, maintenance, nursing & emergency procedures, and security; Oversee the logistics, planning, and implementation of team-wide events, including professional development sessions, team-building events, and organization-wide occasions; Manage the cleanliness and organization of the operations office; Ensure that there is a welcoming and customer service environment; Provide support, resources, and answer questions to families as needed. Assessment Administration: Oversee Operations manager in receiving, inventorying, securing, distributing all paper assessments; Oversee Operations Manager in preparing assessment materials for distribution (i.e. testing bins, teacher packets, etc); Manage Operations Manager in coordinating pickup and drop off of state exams, Regents, and/or AP exams and electronic set-up verification for any electronic assessments such as MAP; Support with monitoring the testing environment and students. Ensure testing procedures and regulations are followed; Oversee Operations Manager in accounting for all testing materials, test scoring, and data roll up for school instructional team team; Create alternative schedules for the school during testing, including room changes, proctor rotation changes, lunch schedules; Oversee Operations Manager in managing the set-up request for facilities, student meal request, and outsourced staff meals orders; Liaison between NEST and schools. Attend training led by the Data team to ensure proper implementation of assessment guidelines and criteria. Additional duties related to the running of the school as assigned. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s Degree in Education, School Administration, Business Administration, or a related field strongly preferred; Minimum 5 years of school operations experience with a record of strong achievement, highly preferred; At least 2 years of direct school leadership experience, highly preferred. Demonstrated success in coaching, managing, and developing high-performing teams through both professional developments and 1:1 coaching, highly preferred; Demonstrated project management experience with ability to lead large-scale initiatives, manage competing priorities, and deliver results on time; Strong knowledge of operational best practices in areas such as compliance, facilities, budgeting, safety, transportation, and extended learning program management; Exemplary interpersonal skills and an understanding of adult learning strategies to support staff growth and accountability; Ability to analyze and use a variety of data sources to inform decisions and drive operational excellence; Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy; proven ability to establish efficient systems and processes; Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences (colleagues, students, families, community partners, and network leadership); Demonstrated ability to operate with a do-what-it-takes, flexible, and solutions-oriented mindset; ability to persevere through challenges and lead through ambiguity; A strong belief in the mission and values of DREAM, including the desire to make a difference in the lives of our students, families, and community. Benefits and Paid Time Off We offer comprehensive benefits including: Flexible Medical Health Plans, subsidizing the majority of costs for the employee, their spouse/domestic partner and children; The ability to select between a variety of medical plans according to what best suits the employee’s needs; Dental and vision plans; Disability benefits; Life insurance; Up to 12 weeks fully paid of Parental Leave; Flexible spending account options; Pre-tax commuter benefits (parking and transit); Fitness and entertainment discounts; A variety of support through our employee assistance program (EAP); 403(b) retirement plan with employer match starting at 4% after one year, with increases tied to DREAM tenure; Referral, performance, and tenure milestones bonuses; Discounted school meals through our in-house Scratch Food Program; Tuition reimbursement support; Access to a professional development fund; School-based 12-month employees have approximately 48 days off throughout the school year including holidays, school breaks, personal days, and wellness days. Benefits are subject to change. Compensation DREAM offers a competitive salary commensurate with relevant experience. The incoming annual salary range for this position is $110,000 to $126,000 per year. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary closer to the start of the range depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. All regular employees receive annual compensation increases and have the opportunity to earn both performance- and tenure-based bonuses. Because we value tenure in each role, our salary ranges are not capped. Commitment Ideal Start Date: Immediate Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion At DREAM, diversity, equity, and inclusion are a matter of mission. From our schools to our playing fields, DREAM is committed to building a team where each individual can bring their full identity and experience to work because representation matters—it enriches our team culture, enhances our ability to innovate, and strengthens our impact in and out of the classroom. DREAM engages staff that represent and appreciate the diversity of our majority Black and Hispanic student body, while working to ensure that our practices are equitable, welcoming, and productive. We are dedicated to creating a world where youth, especially youth of color, have permission to dream—along with the tools and opportunities to make their dreams reality. Come dream with us . Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion All Kids Can. This Kid Can. DREAM is Family. Fun is a Serious Value. Teamwork Makes the DREAM Work. Fail. Persist. Exceed. DREAM Big. Applying to DREAM We know applying for a new job can be a daunting process. In addition, studies have shown that historically underrepresented individuals often only apply to roles if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage all applications! You may be just the person we need. If you have any questions about your application or interview process, do not hesitate to ask your recruiter; we are here to help! DREAM provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local laws. If accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact your recruiter. If you are a current DREAM employee, please click here to review our Internal Selection Process before applying. #J-18808-Ljbffr