KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of free, open enrollment, college preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and life. There are 285 KIPP schools across the nation and the District of Columbia, serving more than 175,000 students and alumni with more than 15,000 educators. 

Founded in 2008 with 50 students in 5th grade, KIPP Columbus currently educates  2,000 students in grades Kindergarten through twelfth.  With a mission to, together with families and the community, create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose -- college, career, and beyond --  KIPP has maintained excellence in its growth, and will improve upon that standard – proving what is possible in public education.

KIPP Columbus continues to rank as one of the top schools for academic growth of any school in the state of Ohio, and is a top performing urban school in the state for academic growth. In our first three graduating classes (in spring 2020, 2021, and 2022) 100% of students were accepted to college and/or military service  with nearly $40 million in merit scholarships from colleges and universities awarded.

In addition to academic excellence, KIPP Columbus also partners with nearly 100 community organizations to provide extracurricular activities, programming, health and wellness services, meals, and more to KIPP students, families, and the broader community. KIPP is also a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, offering more than 10 varsity sports. 

The KIPP Columbus learning campus will continue to advance student learning, expand partnerships, enable superior programming, and serve as a teaching and leadership lab for schools nationwide, reimagining education through a deeper lens of antiracism, excellence, and joy as we expand to educate nearly 4,000 students on our learning campus in the coming years. 

Interested in learning more about our school?  Please check out our website: https://www.kippcolumbus.org/

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Director of School Operations, The Senior Operations Associate: Transportation is responsible for planning, managing, and executing transportation operations and ensures that all policies, procedures, and safety rules are followed.  

To be successful in this role, The Senior Operations Associate: Transportation should possess exceptional leadership skills and maintain the company's high standard of customer service. Ultimately, they should be able to display extensive knowledge of transportation management systems and have excellent analytical skills. In this role, you will create the system for student transportation for KIPP Columbus, ensure strong communication and partnership with our bus vendors and drivers.  This requires an exceptional attention to detail, excellent planning skills, and the ability to develop and implement systems from the ground up.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Policy Creation & Implementation

• Creating all transportation policies and procedures for busing, car riders, and walkers- including safety, customer service, and standard of excellence visions. This includes, but is not limited to:
• Safety expectations on bus and at bus stops
• Safety expectations for car riders and walkers
• Student behavior expectations on bus and remediation plans
• Requesting & receiving bus service, including initial service and changes thereafter
• Day to day management of bus fleet, car riders, and walkers when on campus
• Performance expectations of bus drivers & bus monitors
• Safety expectations for student drivers, car riders, and walkers

Route Management

• Serve as a liaison with the bus company to ensure strong dispatching, routing, and tracking of transportation fleet
• Ensure all students have accurate bus routes (corner stops & door to door stops) based on student addresses, which change multiple times a year. This will require:
  • Managing change requests from families and ensuring they are communicated to the company
  • Creating and sending out notifications for bus stops/times/changes at the beginning and during the school year in partnership with the bus company

Customer Service

• Upholding the standard of excellence in Operations with bus drivers & monitors, and following up on noticings with the bus company promptly
• Tracking day-to-day timing of incoming and outgoing buses, ensuring timely delivery of students to and from school
• Directing investigations to verify and resolve customer complaints in a timely manner. This includes but is not limited to:
  • Family complaints regarding bus service
  • Student behavior issues

Transportation Communication & Expectations

• Liasing with the KIPP Operations front office staff to ensure appropriate communication to staff & families regarding school transportation
• Collaborating with staff members to formulate and implement transportation-related procedures as well as company revenue goals and customer service objectives

Compliance

• Complying with transportation-related policies, as well as safety rules, vendor contracts and disputes, and government regulations. This includes:
  • Promoting safe work activities by conducting safety audits, and attending company safety meetings
  • Organizing bus safety drills, including yearly evacuation drills with the bus vendor

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 3 to 7 years of work experience, preferably in education and/or business or operations management 
• Demonstrated management and leadership skills (e.g. at least 2 years managing a team or multiple large projects)
• Strong project and time management skills; ability to effectively backwards plan, juggle multiple priorities with great attention to detail, and deliver consistent and timely results
• Sense of humility, customer service mindset, and shows urgency and the ability to proactively solve problems and make decisions quickly
• Team player with strong interpersonal and stakeholder management and relationship building skills
• Ability to lead, influence, and hold others accountable to upholding high standards of operational excellence
• Excellent organizational, verbal, and written communication skills
• Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Powerpoint and Microsoft Excel
• Desire to continuously learn and increase effectiveness as a professional
• Belief that outstanding school leaders, staff, and teachers can achieve excellent outcomes for all students
• Ability to persevere with a sense of optimism, strong problem solving skills, and desire to learn and grow in a collaborative professional learning community
• Willingness, and commitment, to go above and beyond to prove the possible with students.
• Ability to multi-task and work within an ambiguous, fast-moving, start-up environment, while driving toward clarity and solutions
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Extreme flexibility, with a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate high levels of responsibility and multiple priorities
• Model the values of KIPP Columbus (Imagine, Navigate, Seek, Persevere, Integrity, Responsibility, and Empathy)

Compensation and Benefits

KIPP Columbus offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefit plan including medical and dental insurance, as well as group term life insurance, retirement plan and paid time off.  

Statement of Non-Disclosure

KIPP Columbus is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying to the school for consideration of any position (admission, employment, etc.). KIPP Columbus does not discriminate on the basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 4112.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.