Regional Director of Operations

Start date: July, 2024

Location: Brooklyn/Queens, NY 

About Achievement First 

Achievement First (AF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that currently supports 41 public charter schools in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Consistently rated as one of the top charter school networks in the country for almost 25 years, AF is committed to continuous improvement, programmatic evolution for enhanced student outcomes, and sustainable growth. The majority of AF students are Black and Latinx children from low-income families who will be the first in their families to graduate from college. AF currently employs more than 2,200 staff — 61% of whom identify as Black, Indigenous, and Multi-racial — who collectively educate nearly 15,000 students in Brooklyn and Queens, NY; New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford, CT; and Providence, RI.

The mission of Achievement First is to deliver on the promise of equal educational opportunity for all of America’s children. AF knows that every child—regardless of race, zip code, or economic status—deserves access to great schools. At AF, students realize their potential and develop the skills they need to graduate from high school, succeed in college, thrive in a competitive world, and serve as the next generation of leaders in their communities. At AF, students and staff embark on a shared journey to fulfill their incredible potential.

Achievement First is currently seeking a strategic and dynamic Regional Director of Operations (RDO) to coach, support, and develop operational school leaders to meet their ambitious school performance goals.

Your Impact

The RDO will oversee the school and regional operational program in a portfolio of 5-8 schools, in conjunction with your manager, the Associate Chief of School Operations. They will pursue racial equity for all stakeholders in their portfolio, through strong relationship building, strong talent practices, data analysis and professional development. This is an extraordinary opportunity for an educator with school-based operations management experience to work closely with high performing, results-oriented directors of school operations and serve as a thought partner with regional superintendents, principals, multiple teams throughout the network and the organization’s senior leaders. 

The Regional Director of Operations reports directly to a co-Associate Chief of Team School Operations and the team works together to ensure that all AF schools succeed. The RDO is a key member of the senior operational  leadership team and will work most closely with other RDOs supporting our schools as our network continues to expand. 

Responsibilities of the Regional Director of Operations will include but not limited to: 

• Ensure that all schools meet core performance outcomes and achieve key operational performance metrics in all areas. Examples of this work include the following, all with a racial equity lens: 
• Plan frequent operational observation days; highlight areas of strength and improvement during the day; work hand-in-hand with directors of school operations to address areas of school operations improvement. 
• Regularly review key  operational performance data to spot strengths and growth areas; work with directors of school operations to develop clear plans to address growth areas. 
• Work with directors of school operations to set ops team members performance and learning/development goals for the year. 
• Problem-solve solutions to challenges common to all schools in network-wide forums (meetings, conference calls, etc.) 

• Drive strong talent practices at schools to build a diverse and inclusive community, and support, coach, train and supervise directors of school operations and other operations team members to help develop leadership power skills: 
• Hold regular meetings with each director of school operations (reflection/data review, problem-solve around pressing issues, learning and development planning) 
• Work with other members of the school support and talent development teams to design school-based ops training; coordinate director of school operations training and group meetings. 
• Partner with directors of operations to ensure strong operations team hiring, training, retention, and off-boarding processes. 
• Strengthen the pipeline for directors of school operations through direct support and coaching of directors-in-residence. 

• Responsible for ensuring schools meeting key operational performance metrics, including but not limited to: 
• Finance: Managing up to $45m in school budgets through supporting schools in meeting student enrollment targets; managing expenses and ensuring schools are operating within fiduciary boundaries.
• Student Attendance: Ensuring schools meet ambitious student attendance goals and developing and implementing intervention plans for students at risk of chronic absenteeism. 
• Safety: Ensuring schools are consistently maintain safe communities of learning for our staff, students, and families by proactively addressing safety concerns and prioritizing mitigation strategies. 
• Teacher Certification: Manage directors of school operations to make sure that all schools are in compliance with staff certification requirements. 
• Operational Excellence: Ensuring directors of school operations excel at establishing  strong systems for school-wide systems, readiness planning and execution, food and transportation execution, facilities management and events. 
• Employee Relations: Work collaboratively with our talent operations team to streamline strong implementation of all employee-facing issues for up to 500 employees. 
• Compliance: ensuring schools are meeting all compliance requirements.

• Provide organizational development support to AF’s Network Support Staff and schools: 
• Understand the concerns and constraints of both AF schools and the AF Network 
• Support teams in order to facilitate good working relationships  in partnership to streamline processes and create strong school environments for students and staff. 
• Partner with RDOs across all regions to foster consistent implementation of school operations priorities
• Work seamlessly with Regional Superintendents to support Principal/DSO partnerships
• Partner with Network Support School Operations Program Team on regional initiatives and systems (e.g. enrollment, child nutrition, government reporting, etc.)
• Serve as consult/input to Network Support teams to strategically identify issues and implement sustainable solutions impacting schools.

Skills and Characteristics 

• A commitment to Achievement First’s mission, deep love of operations, and an unwavering belief that all students can and will succeed 
• A multi-year track record of leading an exemplary operations at a school or portfolio of schools, preferably schools that serve similar populations to Achievement First 
• Demonstrated success in coaching and developing other operational leaders 
• High bar of excellence for operational functions and a desire to urgently close gaps between current reality and expectations 
• Results oriented, with strong data analysis and action planning skills 
• Ability to inspire, influence and negotiate with a large number of diverse stakeholders
• Team player: maturity, humility, strong work ethic, follow-through, sense of humor, willingness to respond positively to feedback and a “roll-up-my-sleeves” attitude. 

Educational Background and Work Experience: 

• A bachelor’s degree; advanced degree a plus 
• Successful formal school leadership experience as a director of school operations, principal or assistant principal of a school with a proven, multi-year track record of operational outcomes 
• Occasional weekend or evening work and willingness to travel to our schools and offices across our three states as needed in required

Compensation

Achievement First sets salaries through a lens of equity, and based on the requisite skills, education, and experience relevant to the role. Salary for this role is $150,331.20. In order to uphold our commitment to equity, Achievement First does not negotiate pay. Achievement First offers to all regular, full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid time off, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, a 403(b) retirement benefit package with match, and paid Family Leave.  

Achievement First is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. People from all diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. Spanish language proficiency is a plus. You can learn more about diversity at Achievement First here: http://achievementfirst.org/about-us/diversity/