The mission of all of KIPP Massachusetts schools is to create an environment where students develop the academic skills, intellectual habits, and character traits necessary to maximize their potential in high school, college, and the world beyond. Our program is based on:

• A focus on high-quality instruction supported by rigorous professional development to ensure that our students develop the academic skills necessary to pursue the life they choose.
• High regard for character development to ensure that our students and staff celebrate and develop their character and identity strengths.
• An emphasis on family engagement, because we believe that our students are most likely to be able to maximize their potential when we work in partnership with our students and their families.
• A focus on college readiness for all students so that all students can make choices about their post-secondary education and future.

What We Do

We seek to provide a world-class education for students from educationally underserved communities in Lynn and Boston. Our student demographics mirror those of neighborhood schools in terms of race, socioeconomic status, English Language Learners, and students who receive special education services.

Our promise to families is that their children will enter college and the professional world able to thrive academically due to their literacy, numeracy, and core knowledge in science and social studies. We also promise that our students will develop the zest for learning and grit necessary to persevere as they climb the mountain to and through college and career. Our graduates will be prepared to return to their community as teachers, leaders, and architects of continued growth in Lynn and Boston.

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Vision

At KIPP Massachusetts, we believe that Knowledge is Power. Every day, our team and family have the opportunity to either perpetuate systems of oppression or disrupt them. We are compelled by the ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Therefore, we continuously commit to operating as an anti-racist organization.  Read more at Diversity Equity Inclusivity Vision.

Who We Are

KIPP Massachusetts began enrolling students in 2004. We currently hold two charters, operating two “districts.” Our first district, KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School, is based in Lynn, MA.  Our second district, KIPP Academy Boston Charter School, is based in Mattapan, MA. Each district is housed on one or more “campuses,” which we use to refer to different grade spans, for example, elementary grades, middle school grades, or high school grades.

In Lynn, KIPP Academy Lynn Elementary (serving grades K-4), KIPP Academy Lynn Middle (serving grades 5-8), and KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate (serving grades 9-12), are all under our Lynn charter.  Admission to any grade in the Lynn district is admission to all remaining grades in the Lynn district K-12. 66% of our students in Lynn are Hispanic, 23% are Black, and 11% are other races/ethnicities.

KIPP Academy Boston(serving grades K-8) operates under our Boston charter. Admission to any grade in the Boston district is admission to all remaining grades in the Boston district, K-8. 68% of our students in Boston are Black, 30% are Hispanic and 2% are other races/ethnicities.

Across both districts, in the school year, 2020-2021 KIPP Massachusetts will serve over 2,100 students.

KIPP National

KIPP Massachusetts is part of the nation-wide KIPP non-profit network of 255 college-preparatory, public charter schools educating more than 100,000 early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students.

KIPP Massachusetts is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for all of our students, families, teachers, staff, and community members.

Position Overview:

The Director of School Operations (DSO) is the operational leader of the school. The DSO 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 their 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 manage the school-based operations team, including outside vendors. They will also serve on the school leadership team. The ideal candidate would possess a strong set of leadership and character strengths including:

• Collaborative
• Highly organized and efficient
• Problem solver
• Detail-oriented
• Committed to diversity, equity and inclusion
• Visionary

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, develop the school-wide operation's 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 and holds them accountable to goals and outcomes
• Develops, prepares, and schedules courses for teachers and students each year

Finance & Purchasing

• Works closely with the School Leader to develop the school’s annual budget
• Actively manages the school budget throughout the year by participating in monthly budget meetings with the regional Finance team 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, testing, and other miscellaneous payments
• Approves school purchases under a specific financial threshold
• Serves as the first school-based point of contact regarding finance and works with the regional Finance team to ensure financial compliance and reporting

Facilities & Maintenance

• Works with the Facilities Manager to ensure facility issues are properly handled, including maintenance, managing staff/vendors, and campus safety
• Manages all aesthetics and staff room supplies throughout the facility
• Ensures that the main office is neat, organized, welcoming and has all important family-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 foodservice, including quality, managing staff/vendors, meal tracking, and compliance
• Manages the logistics of meal delivery (breakfast, lunch, snacks) including staff duty schedules and cafeteria schedules and routines
• Oversees all aspects of transportation including vendor management, arrival and dismissal procedures, and setting and managing staff duty schedules
• Owns logistics of communications and external relations through family letters, weekly staff notes, surveys, and visitors
• Owns all logistics (e.g. transportation, lodging, meals, staffing plan, etc.) of all off-site field trips and all on-site special events (Report Card Nights, Performances, Graduation, staff celebrations, etc.)
• Serves as the point person for hosting visitors on school tours

Technology & Equipment

• Ensures that students and staff have access to needed technology and works with regional Tech Team to plan technology-related enhancements
• Leads the school opening/startup process each year to ensure that doors are ready to open by ordering furniture, equipment, instructional supplies, and ensuring that student services (e.g. food service, transportation) are ready to go
• Manages the school’s supply and asset inventory (e.g. computers, textbooks)

Student Information, Testing, and Academic Operations Support

• Manages systems for and maintains accurate student data and information in compliance with federal, state, regional and school expectations
• Manages the coverage of classes/duties for staff that miss work and manages the process by which teachers seek coverage for absences
• Works with the School Leadership Team to manage the logistical elements of all major student assessments
• Manages logistics of report cards/progress reports/transcripts

Student Recruitment & Enrollment

• Develops and manages student recruitment strategy to ensure that the school begins the academic year with full classes
• Maintains enrollment at or above pre-determined enrollment numbers throughout the year
• Ensures that family info sessions, school tours, and the lottery and enrollment process are tightly planned and executed

Risk Management, Compliance, and Human Resources Administration

• Ensure that the school is prepared for emergencies by conducting all drills and training staff on emergency plans
• Partners with regional Human Resources/Talent on the new hire process (e.g. interviews, new hire offer letters, onboarding)
• Partners with regional Human Resources/Talent to ensure that school staff have complete, current, and accurate employee files and certifications; all personnel interacting with students have background checks on file; and schools comply with all areas of legal compliance (e.g. Human Resources, FERPA, etc.)
• Collects all items from terminating employees and partners with the regional human resources team on any action items surrounding the exit logistics
• Tracks time off data from school based staff and assess leave trends
• Communicates leave needs and critical dates to the human resources team and assists in the facilitation of employee leaves

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Prior leadership and management experience; successful team leadership and strong track record of results
• Experience working with underserved communities, families and/or students
• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• Friendly and able to work well with others in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to multi-task and work within an ambiguous, fast-moving, start-up environment, while driving toward clarity and solutions
• Extreme flexibility, with a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate high levels of responsibility and multiple priorities
• Computer and financial literacy, including Microsoft Word and Excel
• Commitment to the belief that outstanding school leaders, staff, and teachers can achieve excellent outcomes for all students

Compensation

Compensation is commensurate with experience and includes a comprehensive benefits package.

Application process

Internal candidates: If you are currently a member of the KIPP MA team, please apply by emailing your resume to the Recruitment Team at [email protected].  Be sure to indicate to which position you wish to apply.

External candidates:

1. Submit your resume and application through our online job board  at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/KIPP/massachusetts
2. The KIPP MA Recruitment Team will select candidates to move forward to the phone interview stage.
3. Following the phone interview, the KIPP MA team will invite qualified candidates to interview with KIPP MA School or Regional Office Teams. 

KIPP Massachusetts, KIPP Academy Lynn, and KIPP Academy Boston are equal opportunity employers. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, gender identity, religion, creed, ethnicity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age, ancestry, special need, proficiency in the English language, or a foreign language. We are committed to hiring a diverse and multicultural staff and encourage applications from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.