Senior Associate Director of IT, Support (Tier 1 Manager)
- Full-time
- Hiring Start Time: Immediate Start (Home Office)
- HO Team: Information Technology and Data Management
Company Description
Uncommon Schools is a non-profit network of 53 outstanding public charter schools in grades K-12 across New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Our mission is to start and manage outstanding urban public charter schools that close the achievement gap and prepare students from low-income backgrounds for success in college and beyond. We are accomplishing that mission every day, with a college graduation rate that is well above the national average and thousands of stories of our students and alumni achieving their dreams.
Job Description
Team Overview
The Data & IT Team is a true partner with Uncommon’s schools and other Home Office teams to achieve Uncommon's mission and provide value through technology solutions and services. As the technology support function at Uncommon, the team strives to use clear communication, thorough planning, and consistent execution to build trust at every level (Chief Operating Officers to school staff) in order to accomplish crucial tech work. The team manages PowerSchool, Illuminate, and downstream apps, and owns Uncommon-wide processes for Report Cards, Data Audits, End-of-Year PowerSchool Rollover, and all day-to-day PowerSchool work (attendance, grades, etc).
Position Overview
As a member of Uncommon’s IT Support team, the Senior Associate Director will own workstreams that will help ensure the Team achieves its goals and objectives. Beyond technical knowledge, the Senior Associate Director must have strong change management, planning, and communication skills in order to manage technology and processes at Uncommon’s scale and high standard. Star team members are focused, self-driven, fast, and hold themselves and their work to a high standard. The Senior Associate Director of IT, Support will report to the Director of IT, Support.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
(1) Management of Support Desk
Day to day Management: Oversee management of tickets through issue tracking system (ZenDesk)
Trend-spotting: Use data driven approach to analyze tickets for trends by region, school, platform and issue, identify training opportunities, and share finding with other Data and IT Teams
Rollout: Work closely with Project Management teams to collaborate on the roll-out and support of any new technology platforms and any data integration work.
(2) Management of Tier 1 Support staff
Training: Work with Product Owners and Relationship Managers to create and facilitate robust, ongoing trainings for Tier 1 staff on all supported applications and support best practices
Culture of Service: Manage Tier 1 staff to provide speedy, solutions-oriented support to schools
Feedback: Respond to feedback and satisfaction surveys to build a culture of partnership and service
Coaching: Coach staff with the goal of developing pipeline of strong Associate Director and Senior Associate Directors for the Data & IT Team
(3) Training and documentation
Manage creation of support and troubleshooting Knowledge Base articles
Own semi-annual Knowledge Base maintenance process
Work with School Leaders to document existing processes related to supported applications (e.g. documentation of methods and procedures of PowerSchool)
ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Work closely with regionally-based Associate Chief Operating Officers, school-based Directors of Operations, and members of the Data and IT Team.
Qualifications
Required knowledge, skills, and abilities
Experience with a Student Information System (SIS); training in PowerSchool can be provided
Excellent customer service skills and ability to prioritize and communicate effectively with non-technical users
Demonstrated ability to diagnose issues, identify root causes, and implement effective solutions
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and experience developing communication plans
Proven ability to create and execute complex, detailed project plans affecting more than fifty stakeholders
Experience developing systems for the team that improve the team's work quality and/or efficiency
Growth mindset and interest in giving and receiving feedback with the goal of constantly improving
Demonstrated excellent personal effectiveness strategies (organization, time management, and follow-up skills)
Willingness to perform hands-on work as well as assisting in strategic projects
Results-oriented and committed to operational excellence
Self-sufficient with the ability to ask questions and request help when needed
Advanced skills in Excel and Google Applications (Sheets, Forms, etc.)
Passion for learning and teaching new applications and products
Demonstrated strong attention to detail
Preferred knowledge, skills, and abilities:
Experience managing student information systems such as PowerSchool and Illuminate
Experience managing policies and procedures to set best practices and deliver high quality support
Working knowledge of help desk ticketing software (e.g. Zendesk).
Experience managing one or two Direct Reports
Experience with Google Apps for Education
Additional Information
Uncommon Schools offers competitive salaries commensurate with experience and a comprehensive benefits package. Aside from extensive professional development, all our staff members are equipped with a laptop computer, email, and all necessary supplies.
Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. At the same time, we work to ensure an inclusive community through creating a space for important dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.