Managing Director of School Operations, High Schools

KIPP New Jersey • Newark, NJ

11h • Onsite

About The Position

The Managing Director of School Operations for High Schools (HS MDSO) owns operational excellence at our two Newark high schools. This role is responsible for improving and supporting the schools we have, including attendance, enrollment and 8th-to-9th persistence, safe and beautiful buildings, and systems that protect every instructional minute. The role also involves building the operational standard that defines a KIPP Newark high school. The HS MDSO reports to the Managing Director of Operations (MDO) and works in close partnership with the Managing Director of High Schools, who leads academic outcomes for the same schools. Academics and operations work toward one shared set of goals for the same students.

Requirements

• Experience and results in a school-based operations leadership role
• Direct management experience, with a record of developing leaders and holding a high bar
• 5–10 years of work experience, preferably in business or operations management
• K-12 education experience preferred
• Bachelor's degree required
• Master's degree preferred

Nice To Haves

• Hold an extremely high bar, models it personally, and is comfortable demanding it from others
• Give direct, specific feedback and seeks it for their own leadership
• Own your outcomes and wants to be held accountable for them
• Work with urgency, closes loops, and names risks before they become crises
• Build trusting relationships and works across teams to get results for kids
• Stay calm and steady on high-stakes days and brings that energy to the people around them
• Have a passion for the mission, vision, and values of KIPP Team & Family

Responsibilities

• Direct management of the Directors of Campus Operations (DCOs) at our two Newark high schools; be accountable, jointly with each School Leader, for their success and the performance of their ops teams.
• Operations partner to the Managing Director of High Schools and the high school School Leaders.
• Works with Newark regional and network operations teams to set, standardize, and improve high school operational systems.
• Raise the bar on high school operations now by ensuring every system in both buildings is joyful, safe, and efficient, and protects instructional time.
• Name the non-negotiables for high school operations, set clear expectations and owners for every system and project, and hold the line.
• Inspect what we expect by walking systems (such as arrival, dismissal, meals, attendance, and transitions) with each DCO before the year begins and throughout it, confirming that execution matches design, and coach in real time.
• Run monthly audits of materials and systems and quarterly reviews to find what broke down, what can be streamlined, and where instructional minutes are being lost.
• Set and hold the expectation of a beautiful school: clean, orderly, bright spaces that tell students and staff they are valued here.
• Close every loop by following problems through to real resolution, naming whether they are school, regional, or network problems, and bringing in the right people.
• Coach and develop DCOs to an excellent bar through weekly one-on-ones and observations of each school's operational systems, processes, and meetings.
• Coach the coach: observe how DCOs lead their teams, give feedback on the questions they ask, and push them to see around corners.
• Address underperformance directly and constructively, as soon as it appears.
• Review DCO project plans (state testing, events, safety) against a clear bar before execution, and lead debriefs and after-action reviews that lead to fast iteration.
• Lead tabletop exercises on emergencies and high-stakes days so every ops leader has answered "what happens if ___" before it happens.
• Design professional development pathways for every school ops role so that high-performing ops teams exist in both schools, and step in to serve in a school operations capacity when coverage is needed.
• Drive the operational outcomes that matter for high school students, measured by student and family outcomes.
• Own a high school attendance plan with regional partners, give feedback on, hold a high bar for, and internalize each school's plan; hold DCOs accountable to it and coach pivots when it isn't working.
• Sit side by side with DCOs to remove barriers when a school is off track.
• Lead weekly DKI spaces so DCOs internalize the data, share topline goals and progress to goal, and leave with a plan.
• Progress monitor every action item to completion.
• Coach DCOs to 100% completion on all enrollment metrics.
• Analyze persistence trends across both schools, bring a K-12 pipeline perspective, and hold DCOs accountable to executing 8th-to-9th transition plans.
• Make sure drill tracking is in place and drills happen on cadence, safety plans are current, and every adult knows their role before an emergency.
• Ensure every family interaction and onboarding experience is warm, clear, and easy to navigate, especially for families with the least bandwidth.
• Ensure highest possible academic outcomes for our students through maximized academic operations aligned to our priorities, including workstreams such as testing, transcripts, report cards, and office hours.
• Internalize and communicate how the organization and region prioritizes resource allocation, and keep a regional perspective at all times.
• Review each school's monthly budget analysis and raise flags when a DCO does not see the consequences of their budget choices.
• Confirm that schools have the non-negotiable materials and resources, and the budget, to execute their vision.
• Standardize the processes that should be consistent across both high schools, document them, and build playbooks so any teammate can execute them.
• Observe across schools to find common gaps and misalignment (student sign-out, visitor management, state testing, and more), and close them.
• Partner with the Managing Director of High Schools and School Leaders so academic and operational priorities stay aligned.
• Collaborate with high school partners across Student Experience, KIPP Forward, Teaching & Learning, Special Education, Athletics, and academic operations.
• Lead initiatives aligned to regional priorities such as 8th-to-9th persistence, safety and security, and resource allocation.
• Work with regional and network departments on technology, facilities, nutrition, compliance, and enrollment, and support the COO and MDO in identifying network-wide system improvements.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Optional participation in the KIPP NJ 403b retirement plan, including matching contributions
• A school-issued laptop
• Transportation benefits for TEAMmates commuting into Newark from the New York City area
• Generous time off including some school vacation weeks (depending on the year), allocated sick and personal days, and an extended summer break
• Up to 12 weeks 100% parental leave for primary caregivers
• Employer paid life insurance
• Extensive optional ancillary benefits including, short term and long term disability and accident and hospital indemnity

What This Job Offers

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