Director of Operations

Director of Operations

Location: St. Louis, MO 63118 Department: School Operations Reports To: Chief Operations Officer Supervises: Office Administrators, School Nurse

Position Summary

The Director of Operations owns the daily operating system of the Kairos campus — the conditions that make instruction possible. This includes arrival and dismissal, food service, facilities, safety and security, transportation, and campus events. This is not solely a logistics role. The Director of Operations owns performance goals with real analytical weight — enrollment verification, average daily attendance, and meal participation — and is accountable for moving those numbers, not just executing the processes underneath them. The right candidate is someone who can run a flawless dismissal and also build the analysis that explains why attendance dropped in Cycle 3. The Director of Operations supervises the campus operations team and serves as the primary operational point of contact for staff, families, and vendors.

Performance Goals

• Enrollment: 100% Enrolled by First Day of School
• Attendance: 90/90 Average Daily Attendance
• Meal Participation: 70% Meal Participation
• Staff Satisfaction: 85% on the Cyclical School Operations Staff Survey
• Safety Compliance: 100% of State (DESE) and Network (MCPSC) Requirements Met

Core Responsibilities

Daily Campus Operations

• Arrival and dismissal, including carline logistics and reporting
• Front desk operations (oversight; receptionist owns execution)
• Package delivery, parking passes, key management
• Walkie-talkie and radio logistics
• Teacher supply requests
• Furniture repair and relocation

Food Services

• Cafeteria POS and food service operations
• Lunch service and lunch logistics
• FRPL tracking and lunch application completion
• Meal participation monitoring and intervention

Safety, Security, and Risk

• Safety drills: fire, lockdown, severe weather
• Staff training on safety protocols
• Security cameras, security footage requests, and alarm systems
• Campus security operations
• Go-bag compliance
• Safety and risk management (with COO)

Facilities

• Facilities cleanliness and building appearance standards
• Janitorial requests and vendor management
• Pest control (CPH)
• CPH liaison
• Construction planning and monitoring (with COO)

Transportation

• Daily transportation operations and vendor relationships
• Route issues, delays, and family communication

Events and Calendar

• Campus event planning: logistics and support
• On-campus events and field trip planning
• School calendar management for approved events

Cyclical Operations

• Beginning-of-year operations
• Summer operations
• Scholar payments and money collection

Team Leadership

• Direct supervision of office administrators and the school nurse, including coaching, performance management, scheduling, and time-off approval
• Development of the operations team against role-specific growth goals
• Coverage planning for absences across the operations team

Qualifications Required

• 3+ years of operations experience, ideally in a school, nonprofit, or other mission-driven setting
• Demonstrated experience supervising staff, including coaching and performance management
• Comfort with data systems and the ability to build and interpret operational reporting
• Track record of managing competing daily demands without dropping recurring commitments
• Eligible to work for any employer in the United States

Preferred

• Experience managing external vendors and contracts
• Familiarity with PowerSchool or comparable SIS platforms

Competencies

• Systems thinking — builds repeatable processes rather than solving the same problem twice
• Analytical judgment — can look at attendance or participation data and form a defensible hypothesis about what's driving it
• Steadiness under pressure — operates well when the day goes sideways, which it will
• Direct communication — raises problems early, including with supervisors

Work Schedule & Environment

• Monday – Friday
• Availability to be on campus during arrival and dismissal windows
• Some weekends required
• On-site role at Kairos Academies in St. Louis, MO.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: starts at $70,000 per year
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off & wellness reimbursement
• Comprehensive Coaching and Growth Opportunities

About Kairos Academies

Kairos Academies is a forward-thinking public charter school network in St. Louis reimagining education for the 21st century. Our mission is to cultivate an integrated community of self-directed learners, leaders, and citizens. Recognized nationally for innovation and excellence, Kairos replaces traditional lectures with personalized, project-based learning and emphasizes executive-function coaching to help students take ownership of their education and lives.