KMCE Director of School Operations 23-24

Company Description

KIPP Memphis Public Schools is part of KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program), a national network of tuition-free, open-enrollment, public schools that are successful in helping students from educationally underserved communities develop the knowledge, skills, character, and habits needed to succeed in college and the competitive world beyond.    There are currently 280 KIPP schools across the nation serving nearly 120,000 students.   Founded in 2002, KIPP Memphis serves over 1,200 K-12 students in our four North Memphis schools and almost 900 alumni on their journeys to-and-through college with our KIPP Forward Program.

As a leader in providing high quality education for students who need us most, the KIPP Memphis team and family serves as a model of excellence and collaborates with other community organizations to raise the overall quality of education in Memphis. The mission of KIPP Memphis is to 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.

Job Description

The Director of School Operations is the operational leader of the school.  S/he is critical to the successful and efficient running of the campus. This position is central to the realization of our mission as it provides the School Leader and Assistant Principals (APs) the opportunity to focus almost exclusively on teaching and learning within the schools. The Director of School Operations will therefore be an individual who embraces innovation and continuous improvement, is willing to get his/her hands dirty, and relishes the challenge of finding ways to work smarter and more efficiently, all in support of ensuring the instructional staff and leaders can stay focused on teaching and learning.

The Director of School Operations will report to the Managing Director of Operations and the campus Principal and manage the school front office team as well as outside vendors/service providers. They will also serve on the school leadership team.

Duties and Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Director of School Operations are, but not limited to, the following:

School Operations Leadership & Operations Team Management

• In partnership with the School Leader and the regional leadership, 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 processes
• 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 Shared Service Team, responding to requests and collaborating with teammates across the region to build scalable, region-wide systems, policies, and procedures

 Finance & Purchasing

• Works closely with the principal to develop the school’s annual budget
• Actively manages the school budget throughout the year by participating in monthly budget meetings to review budget variances, actively monitoring school spending, and proactively seeking opportunities to ensure spending is always aligned to the school’s academic priorities
• 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
• Manages the school payment process for activity fees and uniforms
• 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 aspects 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

Food Service, Transportation, and Special Events

• Serves as the eyes and ears of the school to ensure that all school operations run seamlessly each and every day, proactively problem solving and developing systems where needed
• Oversees all aspects of food service, including quality, managing staff/vendors, meal tracking, and compliance
• Manages the logistics of meal delivery (breakfast, lunc