Director of Regional Operations

Company Description

About KIPP New Jersey

KIPP New Jersey is part of the nationally recognized “Knowledge Is Power Program” network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students for success in college and in life. In 2002, 80 fifth graders walked through the doors of our first middle school in Newark, New Jersey and KIPP New Jersey has since grown to educate 8,135 students in grades K-12 across 17 schools in Newark and Camden. More than 90% of KIPP New Jersey students currently qualify for free or reduced meals. 

By 2025, KIPP New Jersey will provide a world-class education to over 10,300 students across fifteen schools in Newark and five in Camden. To learn more, visit www.kippnj.org.

Job Description

Here's what you need to know:

The Director of Regional Operations leads and owns operational functions that directly impact schools in each region, including but not limited to, transportation, nutrition, health and nursing, after school programs, budget and enrollment support to the MDO. The RDO also leads special projects and initiatives that improve the region’s operations and create better delivery of services and create operational efficiencies across the region.

Here's what you'll be doing:

Stakeholder Communication

• Draft communication to DSOs, SLs (when ops/budget related)
• Draft staff communication when ops-related (facilities/growth, reopening/COVID, pension)
• Support Regular board communication and updates.

Budget

• Support regional budget management (i.e. complete budget to actuals analysis, monitor contingency and LITs, review budget discrepancies and find solutions).
• Develop regional sub-budget tools
• Manage/share with MDO regional sub-budget health/status (i.e. enrollment).
• Create scenarios and tools for input for budget revision
• Communicate, monitor, and execute on budget changes/swaps during budget process
• Analyze, get input, develop, and share self-contained funding.
• Track contingency and LIT transfers, update MDO
• Coordinate across all budget managers to ensure health of regional budget 
• Support self-contained modeling, self-contained budgeting, LS allocations
• Build an aligned resource allocation approach in Camden and Newark
• Help build a staffing model that is financially sustainable 
• Communicate high level budget approach and strategy to stakeholders

Lead Functional Areas

• Support KIPP [insert region] departments in defining and implementing regional level work streams (e.g. the areas of technology, facilities, safety, nutrition, compliance, nursing, transportation, recruitment, enrollment, etc.).
• Own and manage specific regional operational workstreams (such as nutrition or after school programs) as delegated by the MDO. 
• Develop network-wide efficiencies to better support school operations leads
• Facilitate communication and build structures to ensure both DSOs and department leads can do their best work.

Special Projects

• Lead/project management charter renewals, UHA renewals or any other large, multi-department project.
• Lead efforts on codifying handbooks and playbooks for school and region. 
• Support staff + financial modeling analysis. 
• Take on special regional operations projects as they arise.

Strategic Initiatives

• Identify opportunities for cross team collaboration, systemization and efficiencies to support effective, efficient and sustainable  cross regional systems implementation  and communication.  
• Develop regional systems and structures across regional teams to streamline processes, communicate effectively with key stakeholders, and hold teams accountable for executing the systems with fidelity.
• Prepare for key regional meetings, including data prep (exact meetings TBD).
• Prepare presentations to guide regularly occurring and one-off meetings including budget communication, initiative launches, etc.
• Create and maintain a document management system for high priority areas within regional operations (build institutional knowledge).
• In conjunction with MDO, co-plan materials for retreats, PD’s, strategics and goal-step backs, etc.

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above essential duties and responsibilities.

Skills and Abilities

• Maintains an unrelenting commitment to continuous improvement,  results-orientation and unwavering determination to ensure students and teachers succee