Chief Operating and Strategy Officer

Job Title: Chief Operating & Strategy Officer (COSO)Reports To: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)Location: East Boston and Chelsea, MA and Providence, RI

Organization OverviewExcel Academy is a network of 5 schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island that prepares students in grades 5-12 to succeed in high school and college and engage productively in their communities. The majority of our 1,700 students identify as Latinx or Hispanic and will be the first in their families to graduate from college. Families choose Excel because our students consistently outperform their peers in growth and achievement and are 5x more likely to graduate from college.  At Excel, we believe that every student—regardless of race, zip code, or economic status—deserves access to a free, high quality holistic education. During their middle school journey with us, students grow at a pace faster than most peers in their state. This is possible through a combination of high expectations, rigorous instruction, and individualized support. At our nationally ranked high school, students achieve at the highest level and are poised for success in their chosen college or career path.  About our Team Everyday, our team members choose to be positive, drive their own growth, uplift one another, and hold the highest possible beliefs for what students can achieve. 

 

About the RoleThe Chief Operating and Strategy Officer (COSO) will play a pivotal role in driving the strategic leadership and organizational effectiveness of Excel Academy Charter Schools, a network of high-performing charter schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Excel Academy is entering a period of exciting growth and change, as it more than doubles its reach in the next 10 years across two states, 8+ schools, and 3,000+ students in grades K-12. In this period of growth, the COSO will be critical to building the systems and practices necessary to achieve a successful and sustainable expansion and functioning of the organization. Reporting to the CEO, this leader will be a senior executive leader responsible for setting and managing Excel’s strategy and priority projects, building management systems and practices for the effective functioning of the Network Team (NT), and driving organizational excellence at both the school and network levels. This is a new position and will oversee leaders across the following functional areas: Finance, Talent & HR, Data, and Real Estate.

Your ImpactNetwork Team (NT) Management and Leadership

• Provide leadership, management, and support to the NT, fostering a strategic, coordinated, and high-performing team culture.
• Cultivate an efficient and effective organization of the NT, ensuring the staffing model, capabilities, and role definitions reflect the NT’s priorities and needs.
• Establish and manage goal-setting, evaluation, and accountability frameworks for the various teams and members of the NT.
• Develop and maintain systems and routines across NT and with schools that promote collaboration, transparency, communication, and overall team effectiveness.
• Build and utilize data systems and analytics to inform organizational and cross-functional decision-making processes.
• Enhance the effectiveness of executive leadership and cross-functional team meetings by supporting thorough pre-meeting preparation, agenda creation, meeting facilitation, decision-making, and follow-up.

Strategic Planning and Priority Project Implementation

• Lead the development of an organization-wide strategic plan and annual priorities that align with the organization's mission, vision, and goals.
• Lead our growth strategy work as we expand in Rhode Island and double our impact. 
• Develop accompanying systems and processes to ensure strong implementation of the strategic plan, including measurable goals and systems/routines for tracking progress. 
• Spearhead highly strategic, high-priority cross-functional projects, ensuring strong project management, coordination of various stakeholders, and high-quality implementation.
• Ensure clear and proactive communication across the organization that allows all stakeholders to be on board and act in alignment with the Excel’s vision and strategy.

People & Systems Leadership and Excellence

• Set the vision, strategy, and systems for upholding a high bar for excellence at both the Network and the school levels.
• Have primary responsibility for Finance, Talent & HR, Data, Real Estate; each functional area is led by a Director or Managing Director who will report to this position, to ensure alignment with organizational priorities and excellence in execution.
• Finance (led by the Managing Director of Finance): Ensure financial strength a