Chief Operations Officer/Chief School Business Official

Township High School District 113 • Highland Park, IL

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Chief Operations Officer/Chief School Business Official (COO/CSBO) serves as a member of the Superintendent's cabinet leadership team and provides strategic leadership for Township High School District 113's financial and operational functions. The COO/CSBO is responsible for ensuring that the District's financial resources, facilities, transportation systems, security operations, food services, capital assets, and related operational services are managed effectively, efficiently, responsibly, safely, and in support of student learning and the District's strategic priorities. The COO/CSBO serves as the District's senior financial and operations executive and provides the Superintendent and Board of Education with accurate financial information, thoughtful analysis, sound operational advice, and long-range planning recommendations. The COO/CSBO leads through and develops the administrators responsible for the District's major business and operating departments, establishing clear expectations for performance, accountability, service, collaboration, safety, fiscal stewardship, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Master’s or advanced degree in school business management, business administration, finance, public administration, educational leadership, or a related field.
• Valid Illinois Professional Educator License with a Chief School Business Official endorsement.
• Significant progressively responsible leadership experience in school business and operations management, including prior experience as a Chief School Business Official, Chief Operations Officer, Assistant Superintendent for Business/Finance, or comparable executive administrator.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and manage complex budgets, projects, contracts, and organizational systems.
• Experience overseeing finance, employee benefits, facilities, transportation, security, food service, procurement, insurance, risk management, and significant capital projects.
• Experience with collective bargaining financial analysis, debt issuance, long-range capital planning, major construction programs, emergency operations, and Board governance.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Illinois school finance, governmental accounting, budgeting, financial forecasting, internal controls, facilities management, school safety, food service, transportation, and related operational areas.
• Demonstrated experience supervising professional and administrative personnel and leading multiple organizational functions.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex issues, develop alternatives, make sound recommendations, and communicate recommendations effectively to executive leadership and governing boards.
• Demonstrated record of integrity, sound professional judgment, collaboration, and responsible stewardship of organizational resources.
• Knowledge of applicable federal and Illinois laws, regulations, and reporting requirements.
• Strong written, verbal, analytical, presentation, organizational, interpersonal, and leadership skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound professional judgment.
• Communicates clearly both in oral and written format with all constituents of the District 113 community.
• Effectively present information and respond to questions from constituency groups.
• Apply knowledge of current research and theory in a specific field.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, staff and the school community.
• Perform duties with awareness of all district requirements and Board of Education policies.
• Calculate figures, estimates, proportions, percentages, and cost projections.
• Apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
• Strong technology skills, including standard Microsoft Office suite / Google Workspace, financial management, and data analysis.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of verbal and written instructions and deal with multiple abstract and concrete variables.
• Regularly required to sit, stand, walk, bend, write, type, speak, listen, and taste or smell.
• Regularly required to communicate with staff and others.
• Frequently required to use hands and/or fingers, handle, feel or operate objects, tools or controls.
• Occasionally required to climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, twist, reach or crawl.
• Frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• Ability to remain calm under stress levels associated with job demands, along with constant contact with students, colleagues and the public.
• Regularly exposed to office environmental conditions.
• Meet deadlines with severe time constraints and interact with the public and staff in addition to meeting multiple demands from several people.
• Frequently required to work irregular or extended work hours, which may include evenings or weekends.
• Responsible for being aware of, modeling and contributing to the maintenance and implementation of all District safety policies and procedures.
• Directly responsible for the safety, well-being, and work output of students.
• Use good safety awareness and judgment.
• Follow policies.
• Report potentially unsafe conditions.
• Follow manufacturer safety instructions when using equipment.
• Follow agency ergonomic policies and procedures.

Nice To Haves

• Regular communication and computer use.
• Attendance at daytime and evening meetings.
• Travel among Deerfield High School, Highland Park High School, District administrative and operational facilities, and other locations.
• Response, when necessary, to significant financial, facilities, transportation, security, weather-related, or operational matters outside normal business hours.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Superintendent and as an active member of the District's cabinet leadership team.
• Provide leadership, direction, coordination, and executive oversight across the District's financial and operational departments.
• Translate Board of Education, Superintendent, and District strategic priorities into effective financial and operational plans.
• Provide the Superintendent with clear analysis, alternatives, recommendations, and an understanding of the financial and operational implications of major District decisions.
• Recognize and incorporate instructional, personnel, legal, safety, community, and student-service considerations into financial and operational decision-making.
• Develop and maintain integrated long-range financial, capital, facilities, safety, and operational plans.
• Identify opportunities to improve organizational systems, service quality, efficiency, consistency, internal controls, technology utilization, safety, and coordination among departments.
• Establish performance measures and service expectations for functions supervised by the COO/CSBO and use appropriate data to evaluate results and drive continuous improvement.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives requiring coordination among District administration, both high schools, and multiple support departments.
• Attend Board of Education and Board committee meetings and present financial, facilities, security, operational, and policy recommendations as appropriate.
• Build effective working relationships with administrators, employees, bargaining units, families, municipalities, law-enforcement and emergency-response agencies, community organizations, governmental entities, professional organizations, contractors, vendors, and other District partners.
• Promote an organizational culture within the COO/CSBO's areas of responsibility that emphasizes service, responsiveness, accountability, collaboration, professionalism, safety, and support for schools.
• Serve as the District's Chief School Business Official, Treasurer, and senior financial administrator and provide executive leadership for all District financial operations.
• Oversee/develop, administer, monitor, and communicate as appropriate processes and the execution of the District's annual budget, levy, cash-flow planning, long-range financial and capital projections, investments, debt issuance, and bond administration.
• Monitor revenues, expenditures, fund balances, staffing assumptions, economic conditions, enrollment trends, state and federal funding, and other factors affecting the District's financial position.
• Ensure compliance with Illinois School Code requirements, Illinois State Board of Education requirements, governmental accounting standards, Board policies, and applicable federal and state financial regulations.
• Oversee preparation and filing of required financial reports, including the annual budget, Annual Financial Report, grant reports, financial projections, audit, and other required submissions.
• Advise the Superintendent regarding the financial implications of collective bargaining proposals, compensation initiatives, staffing decisions, employee benefits, program changes, and other significant District initiatives.
• Provide executive leadership and oversight for District facilities, buildings and grounds, maintenance, custodial services, utilities, capital improvements, and related operational systems.
• Develop, maintain, and regularly update a comprehensive long-range facilities and asset-management plan aligned with instructional needs, enrollment, safety, accessibility, facility condition, sustainability, and the District's financial capacity.
• Develop annual and multiyear capital improvement plans and integrate capital needs into the District's overall financial planning.
• Provide executive oversight of major construction, renovation, infrastructure, life-safety, and deferred-maintenance projects.
• Promote energy conservation, sustainability, environmental responsibility, and responsible lifecycle management of District assets.
• Provide executive leadership and oversight of the District's comprehensive security and safety program.
• Support effective partnerships with local police departments, School Resource Officers, fire departments, emergency-management agencies, municipal officials, and other public-safety partners.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state school-safety requirements, Board policies, emergency-planning requirements, safety-drill requirements, and other applicable regulations.
• Advise the Superintendent regarding significant security risks, incidents, emergency conditions, operational responses, and recommended improvements.
• Provide executive oversight of the District's student transportation operation.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal and Illinois transportation laws, regulations, licensing requirements, inspection requirements, and Board policies.
• Maintain appropriate operational and emergency plans to ensure continuity of transportation services.
• Provide executive oversight of the District's food service program and contracted food service provider.
• Establish performance standards and monitor contractor performance relating to food quality, nutrition, student experience, customer service, sanitation, staffing, financial results, participation, regulatory compliance, and contractual requirements.
• Work collaboratively with the food service provider, principals, school administrators, students, and families to continually improve food service quality and the student dining experience.
• Monitor program revenues, expenditures, meal participation, pricing, reimbursements, and other measures of financial and operational performance.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state school nutrition requirements and Board policies.
• Provide executive oversight of District purchasing, bidding, procurement, contracting, inventory control, and disposal processes.
• Ensure purchasing and contracting practices comply with Illinois law, Board policy, budget authority, internal controls, and ethical procurement practices.
• Review significant contracts and advise the Superintendent regarding pricing, performance expectations, financial exposure, insurance, indemnification, termination provisions, and other business risks.
• Provide executive oversight of the District's property, casualty, liability, student accident, employee benefit, and other insurance programs assigned to the COO/CSBO.
• Coordinate with Human Resources regarding workers' compensation, employee relations, leaves, and other matters requiring shared financial and personnel expertise.
• Identify significant financial, safety, and operational risks and develop appropriate internal controls, contingency plans, and mitigation strategies.
• Lead or oversee benefit renewals, financial analysis, vendor selection, insurance cooperative participation, plan design analysis, and recommendations concerning benefit programs.
• Select, supervise, develop, support, and evaluate administrators and department leaders assigned to the COO/CSBO.
• Develop leadership capacity and succession planning within the District's financial and operational departments.
• Participate in collective bargaining, labor-management discussions, employee relations matters, and compensation analysis as requested by the Superintendent and in collaboration with Human Resources.
• Provide the Board of Education with accurate, understandable, timely, and appropriately contextualized information concerning the District's finances and operations.
• Prepare and present budgets, financial forecasts, capital plans, contracts, bids, facilities reports, security updates, operational analyses, recommendations, and other matters requiring Board consideration.
• Represent the District in relationships with municipalities, law-enforcement and emergency-response agencies, governmental agencies, financial institutions, auditors, financial advisors, bond counsel, architects, contractors, vendors, insurance organizations, professional associations, and community organizations related to the COO/CSBO's responsibilities.
• Assist the Superintendent with Districtwide strategic planning, organizational development, and administrative decision-making.
• Participate in and provide executive operational leadership during emergencies and crisis-management situations.
• Maintain current knowledge of laws, regulations, professional standards, economic developments, school-safety practices, and emerging practices affecting public school finance and operations.
• Participate in appropriate professional organizations and continuing professional development.
• Perform other duties and assume other responsibilities as assigned by the Superintendent consistent with applicable law, licensure, and the responsibilities of the position.

Benefits

• Salary, benefits, work year, and other conditions of employment will be established by the Board of Education and reflected in the individual employment agreement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager