Lead, Service Delivery Management (Virtual Schools)

Pearson

32d•$140,000 - $150,000

About The Position

The Lead, School Operations Manager aka: Director of School Operations (DSO) is a senior, enterprise‑level leader responsible for driving operational excellence across a portfolio of Connections Academy schools. This role partners closely with school leaders to ensure schools are compliant, sustainable, and positioned to deliver strong student outcomes—at scale. The DSO is a leader of leaders, directly managing school principals and working alongside leadership teams to strengthen execution, build leadership capacity, and ensure the Connections Academy model is implemented with fidelity. This is a highly visible, high‑impact role requiring strong judgment, the ability to operate across multiple schools simultaneously, and comfort navigating complexity in a fast‑moving environment. The DSO works in close partnership with cross‑functional teams—including School Success, Academic Outcomes, Finance, HR, and Operations—to translate strategy into disciplined, scalable execution while maintaining a strong focus on student experience and long‑term sustainability.

Requirements

3–5 years of proven leadership experience as a Principal or equivalent senior school leadership role
Advanced degree in Education, Educational Leadership, or Management
Demonstrated ability to lead leaders and operate effectively across multiple organizations
Strong operational judgment and experience managing complexity at scale
Excellent communication, executive presence, and relationship‑building skills
Data‑driven mindset with a focus on results and accountability
Comfort working in a technology‑enabled, virtual environment
Ability and willingness to travel frequently

Nice To Haves

Experience leading or supporting virtual or blended schools
Experience working with charter schools, authorizers, or boards
Background in large‑scale or multi‑site educational operations

Responsibilities

LEAD PORTFOLIO‑LEVEL SCHOOL OPERATIONS
Directly manage and coach multiple school principals across a portfolio of virtual schools
Establish clear operational expectations and accountability across schools while honoring local nuances
Monitor operational health, compliance indicators, and engagement trends to proactively identify risks
Hold school leaders accountable for execution of:
Academic improvement initiatives
Compliance, charter, and contract requirements
School‑year milestones and operational deliverables
Provide structured, data‑informed coaching to strengthen leadership effectiveness and execution discipline
ENABLE OPERATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY & ENROLLMENT GROWTH
Partner with schools to ensure operational readiness to support enrollment growth
Assess leadership capacity, staffing models, onboarding processes, scheduling, and systems readiness
Identify operational constraints that could impact growth, persistence, or staff sustainability
Strengthen retention‑supporting practices that improve student and staff experience
Proactively identify and mitigate risks related to charter stability and renewal readiness
DRIVE SCHOOL‑YEAR READINESS AT SCALE
Ensure consistent execution of school‑year cycle activities across multiple schools, including:
School calendars and handbooks
Annual policy and process reviews
Summer school planning
Identify pressure points impacting leaders and staff and coordinate mitigations across the portfolio
BUILD LEADERSHIP CAPACITY & SUCCESSION
Serve as a leader of leaders, managing principals responsible for large, complex organizations
Set clear performance expectations tied to operational excellence and strategic initiatives
Conduct performance evaluations and support ongoing leader development
Lead hiring, onboarding, and succession planning for school leaders
Facilitate leadership development that cascades through leadership teams and staff
SUPPORT BOARDS, AUTHORIZERS & EXTERNAL PARTNERS
Support school leaders in engaging effectively with boards, authorizers, districts, and partners
Prepare leaders for meetings by supporting agenda development, data review, and performance narratives
Contribute to formal school leader performance reviews presented to boards, ensuring clarity and evidence‑based evaluation
LEAD CHANGE & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Support schools through operational change as new products, services, and systems are introduced
Drive adoption of enterprise processes while minimizing disruption to schools
Contribute to continuous refinement of the School Operations operating model