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.

Internal title: Associate Director, Regional Operations Strategy

Location(s): New York City or Newark preferred. Rochester, Troy, and Boston considered – would require travel to New York City area 1-2 times per month.

The Associate Director, Regional Operations Strategy drives the development and implementation of operational best practices for regions and schools across Uncommon, ensuring they receive high quality support. The Associate Director (AD) will also play a key role in building collaboration and communication systems between and across regional operations teams, and with the Home Office operations teams! The AD reports to the Senior Associate Director, Operations Strategy and will work closely with the Senior Project Manager, Associate Chief Operating Officers, and members of regional operations teams.

Responsibilities:

• Identify best practices to develop tool kits of effective systems, processes, and policies to support schools and regions in implementing high priority regional work streams, including but not limited to:
• Emergency preparedness planning
• New school planning and start-up
• Internal and external policy revisions
• Federal reporting and compliance
• Teacher certification
• Build and maintain structures for operations teams to collaborate across cities, including determining the structures for implementing a new “state hub” model for them to leverage the scale of our largest regions.
• Collaborate with other Home Office Teams to develop processes driven by central operations team, and implemented at various levels of operations (schools, regions, and central)
• Budget development
• Strategic planning
• Performance management
• Provide support for and coordination of regional team capacity, including how regional operations teams address and green light new special projects.
• Develop best practices and guidelines for sharing, implementing, monitoring, documenting, and updating operational systems and processes across the organization
• Partner with Home Office, regional and school-based leaders to determine the best ways to communicate, update and maintain systems and processes
• Build annual protocol for updating and maintaining processes
• Work with central ops team to ensure process managers across the Uncommon Home Office are using protocols and guidelines
• Drive additional projects and initiatives in service of regional and central operations initiatives.

• Bachelor’s degree
• Strong process thinker, with experience developing and implementing operational systems and/or leading operational projects
• Excellent relationship-building skills and successful track record of up, down, and sideways people management, particularly on cross-functional projects without a team of direct reports.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; demonstrated ability to tailor communications to different audiences
• Ability to take initiative, balance opposing priorities, and work independently
• Enjoys working in a fast paced environment
• K-12 education, or related experience preferred

Uncommon Schools offers salaries commensurate with experience and a very generous benefits and vacation package. All staff members receive extensive professional development, and are equipped with a laptop computer 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 meaningful 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.