Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing, public charter schools providing an outstanding K-12 education in historically under-resourced communities. We have proudly built schools that reflect our student population, with more than 60% of our teachers and staff across our network identifying as a person of color. Uncommon currently manages 53 schools serving 20,000 students in five cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark, and Rochester. We are proud that Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at five times the rate of their peers nationally. We achieve this by offering strong academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional learning that prepares students for success in college and beyond.

Across the Uncommon network we house schools in close to 50 facilities, comprising over 2.2M square feet of educational space. Our facilities range from ground-up new construction to gut renovations of historic, century old industrial and parochial school buildings, to moderate renovations of district school buildings. We strive to have all our buildings – both in their design and in their upkeep – reflect our high aspirations for our students’ academic and social lives. Over the next five years Uncommon Schools intends to expand its portfolio to include permanent school facilities for all its existing schools as they mature and for new schools to meet its growth plan.

We are seeking an experienced individual for the new role of Director, Design and Construction, helping implement a unified vision for ongoing and future construction and capital upgrade projects.

This is an ideal opportunity for a qualified, team-spirited individual to join our Real Estate and Facilities team and play an instrumental role in driving successful execution of numerous Uncommon expansion and improvement projects across our regions.

The successful candidate is responsible, self-motivated architect/designer with experience in design and project and construction management, and a desire to contribute creatively to all design decisions. We seek someone who will be a strong advocate for our schools and our students, consistently aiming for excellence and innovation in our facilities, and supporting our growing facilities operations teams to do the same.

The Director will report to the Senior Director of Design and Construction and work closely with Uncommon’s Senior Director of Facilities, regional school leadership teams, vendors, and internal and external building operations and design professionals.

The role is based in NYC. Some travel to other regions required, particularly early in the successful candidate’s tenure, to gain familiarity with the regions’ portfolios, staff, and vendors.

Responsibilities

• Conduct space needs assessment including detailed development of plans, test fits, and budget analysis
• Develop master plans for and lead all phases of project design and construction within an active construction environment
• Coordinate design review with appropriate input from collaborators such as school leaders and the facilities team
• Conduct due diligence on all design and project consultants
• Review and level bids; assess procurement processes
• Build and supervise project schedules, budgets, costs, and quality; report on and provide regular updates to senior management
• Coordinate and handle relationships with owner’s reps, vendors, and consultants
• Conduct site visits to survey work progress and quality on all construction and renovation projects
• Lead consultants, and contractors to strong performances; review and recommend construction requisitions and payments for services rendered; review letters of approval, invoices, change orders, support documentation, and the like
• Ensure all federal, state, and local codes and standards are implemented
• Complete projects on time and on budget

• Degree in architecture; seven to 10 years professional experience, preferably in the educational field
• Technically skilled, accurate, diligent, and collaborative
• Proficiency in Auto-CAD, and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Ability to multi-task, work within short time frames, and adhere to schedules
• Ability to take direction, as well as work independently
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to effectively connect with a broad collaborator group with varying degrees of functional expertise
• Ability to manage multiple renovation and construction projects simultaneously
• Knowledge of code requirements and permitting process
• Ability to manage and lead project and design meetings with partners
• Experience in contract negotiations; strong understanding of construction process in local practice
• Dedication to the Uncommon educational mission
• Commitment to a culture of collegiality, and personal traits including unwavering honesty, maturity, transparency, intelligence, warmth, optimism, and a sense of humor
• Commitment to transparency in all dealings, exacting ethical standards at all times, and a sensitivity to the level of scrutiny to which Uncommon and its schools are subject, as recipients of public funds

Our people are what make us uncommon. It’s important to us that our compensation practices align with our values and enhance our ability to attract and retain talent.  Our compensation philosophy is focused on equity and fairness, retaining our talented staff and valuing their expertise, and transparency and clarity.

Compensation for this position: The starting compensation for this role based in New York is between $115,920-$144,900 and generally, we expect that qualified candidates in this location will be made an offer between $116,000 and $130,400. The starting pay will depend on a variety of factors that may include but are not limited to experience, education, training, certification, and location. Because we value staff staying in their roles over time, we do not currently cap salary ranges.

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.