Director of Operations

Company Description

At KIPP Detroit, we are guided by a simple, yet powerful mission: Together with families and communities we create joyful academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose--college, career, and beyond--so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.  We believe the destiny of students from Detroit are limitless and students should not be bound by their circumstances. Unfortunately, in 2021 America, there is still a link between socioeconomic status and educational attainment.  KIPP Detroit seeks to eradicate this injustice.  KIPP Detroit Imani Academy will become the highest performing school in the city of Detroit; and, to do so, we attract, develop and retain a diverse and talented staff of educators.  Our students and families will choose our schools because our teachers are exceptional educators who work together as a collective to ensure students achieve and thrive.  For more data and information about our successes and vision for the future, visit www.kippdetroit.org

Job Description

The Director of Operations (DOO) leads the creation, implementation, and maintenance of KIPP Detroit Imani Academy’s operational systems, allowing the Principal and Teachers to focus on teaching and learning and enabling a supportive school environment. The DOO therefore will be an individual who embraces structure, innovation, and continuous improvement, and relishes the challenge of finding ways to work smarter and in a cost-efficient manner. The DOO reports to the Principal and is accountable to the Regional Shared Service Team. The DOO manages any office or part-time enrollment staff. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

School Operations Leadership & Operations Team Management

• In partnership with the School Leader and the region, develops the school-wide operations vision that supports and operationalizes the academic and cultural vision of the school
• Plays a leadership role in the school’s strategic and annual planning and budgeting process
• Hires, manages, coaches, and develops school operations team members (including front office staff and vendors) and holds them accountable to goals and outcomes
• Serves as the primary point of contact for the regional team, responding to requests and collaborating with teammates across the region to build scalable, region-wide systems, policies, and procedures

Student Recruitment, Enrollment, and Attendance

• Develops and manages student recruitment strategy to ensure that the school begins the academic year with full classes and actively recruits to fill open seats
• Ensures that parent info sessions, school tours, and the lottery and enrollment process are tightly planned and executed
• Leads school’s effort to reach and maintain 96% average daily attendance for the year, which includes creating a plan for daily attendance calls and data entry; analyzing data; and implementing incentives for students, families, and staff members for hitting daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals

Finance & Purchasing

• Actively manages the school budget throughout the year 
• 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; approves school purchases under a specific financial threshold
• Serves as the first school-based point of contact regarding finance and works with regional Finance team to ensure financial compliance and reporting

Facilities & Maintenance

• Oversees most facilities issues, including maintenance, managing staff/vendors, aesthetics, shared space agreements, and campus safety
• Regularly conducts facilities walkthroughs and liaises with custodial staff/vendors to ensure that the facility looks the best it can
• Ensures that the main office is neat, organized, welcoming and has all important parent facing materials

Student & Family Services (School Ops; Communications; Field Trips/Events)

• Serves as the eyes and ears of the school to ensure that all school operations run seamlessly each day, proactively problem solving and developing systems where needed 
• Oversees all aspects of food service, including quality, managing staff/vendors, meal tracking, compliance, and meal delivery
• Oversees arrival and dismissal procedures, and setting and managing staff duty schedules
• Owns logistics of communications and external relations through parent letters, weekly staff notes, surveys, and visitors
• Owns all logistics (e.g., transportati