Chief Operating Officer - job 1 of 2

Chief Operating Officer (COO) Position:

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) sits on the regional leadership team and plays a critical role in advancing and achieving the organization's strategic goals and initiatives. The COO leads a team in executing exceptional operational support for the schools in our network, ensuring that KIPP St. Louis schools are operationally excellent, well-maintained, and compliant by leading high-performing teams that enable instructional leaders to focus on driving academic results for kids.

This is an ideal opportunity for a seasoned operations professional with a track record of building and right-sizing systems in organizations that have moved from start-up to long-term sustainability. The incoming KIPP St. Louis COO is people- and community-oriented in their approach to ensuring KIPP St. Louis’s schools, families, and teams have the resources to thrive.   

Who we are:

KIPP St. Louis is a part of a national network of free, open-enrollment, public charter schools offering a choice to families and children in St. Louis city. As the largest charter school system in the city, we are driven and committed to our mission and vision.

Mission: Together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

Vision: Every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities.

KIPP St. Louis currently educates over 2,000 students and boasts hundreds of alumni. Today, our St. Louis network consists of three elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school. 

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Team and Organizational Leadership

• Manage, coach, develop, and lead a high-performing team of senior operations leaders across the region. Through this team, the COO will ultimately be accountable for excellent school operations and ensuring goals are met in budget and facilities.

• Lead network-wide operations leadership team in driving operations initiatives in support of the organization's strategic goals and to advance operational excellence across the region.

• Actively participate on the regional leadership team and collaborate with the regional leadership team to implement initiatives, strategies, and programs to realize the organization's strategic plan.

• Manage mission critical special projects and initiatives; develop ideas into implementable projects (including projects outside of operations function).

• Lead cross-functional teams with colleagues from other departments to monitor and create strategies to minimize institutional risk and maximize effectiveness.

• Establish relationships with all principals, school based operations leaders, and regional leaders to ensure that school-based operations are delivered equitably, efficiently, and effectively, ultimately enabling instructional leadership to focus on academics without distraction.

• Foster organizational culture and model our core values. 

• Champion and manage change across the organization, and invest internal and external key stakeholders in strategic initiatives, always ensuring that students and academic excellence are at the center of decision making.

• Participate in relevant board working groups and meetings to provide updates and solicit input on operation goals.

Regional and School Operations

• Set a vision of excellence for school and regional operations, and lead a team to ensure schools are efficient, beautiful, and reflective of the KIPP St. Louis mission, vision, and values. Cascade operational goals across the region and schools and ensure alignment to strategic initiatives. Actively monitor goals and lean into areas that require additional support or where pivots need to be made, to ensure our region hits all key operational goals in support of the strategic plan.

• Achieve excellence across all our regional support-based operational functions (facilities, school operations, technology, meals, transportation, procurement, student information systems, risk management, and safety).

• Lead the design and implementation of any changes to our operational processes, structures, or reporting relationships at both school and regional levels to achieve stronger coordination and collaboration and a seamless experience for schools.

• Partner with programmatic and instructional teams to ensure alignment and seamless integration of our operational and instructional functions.

• Seek feedback on what's working / where we have opportunities to grow.

• Drive results across the operations portfolio, including progress tracking, monitoring, and reporting, holding team and self accountable to short and long term outcomes, and ensuring that operations enables instructional excellence at all levels.

• Ensure systems and processes for measuring school operations excellence (such as strong start walk throughs and Ops KPIs) are in place and executed with fidelity; strive to make it so that 75%+ of staff Agree/Strongly Agree that day-to-day operations run smoothly.

• Participate in the KIPP national and local charter network of operations and leadership teams to access and share learning and support with peers in other organizations. 

Risk Management/Compliance, Budgeting, and Financial Planning

• In partnership with colleagues, ensure KIPP St. Louis schools achieve all annual federal/state/local/regional /charter compliance goals.

• In partnership with colleagues, ensure that the organization has a sound risk management plan that is executed throughout the region and across departments.

• Support charter renewal process and ensure that charters are renewed and allow for maximum student growth.

• Ensure regional budgets put student outcomes first and help operational colleagues weigh tradeoffs between academic goals, financial operating constraints, and efficiencies. Play an active role in the creation of regional and school-based budgeting, in partnership with the CFO, Regional Director of Operation, and other operations colleagues.

• Ensure Regional Director of Operation and regional operational colleagues are actively managing budgets throughout the year, making pivots as necessary.

Operational Systems Management 

• Identify, develop, and implement operational systems improvements that will support highly efficient, effective, and equitable operational performance, both improving upon the current state of operations and preparing for future growth in size and complexity.

• Oversee the creation and management of standardized operating procedures for school-based and regional operations (facilities, facilities maintenance, safety, supplies, technology, food services, transportation, student recruitment) in order to maximize the economy of scale and avoid duplicative efforts; align and norm across regions as necessary.

• Set a clear, coherent vision for facilities across the region, ensuring the facilities function is executed at a consistent, high quality level and work with all facilities managers to establish and hit annual facilities goals.

• Ensure execution of a facilities management strategy to provide clean, safe, secure, and welcoming environments for students, families and staff, including capital planning and implementation, building improvements and maintenance, and safety and security.

• Manage and oversee a sophisticated network of outsourced buses safely transporting our students to and from schools, field trips, and other activities.

• Manage and oversee the execution of a complex third-party food vendor contract responsible for the serving of breakfast, lunch, and snacks to most of the students in our daily care.

IT, Data Systems, and Data Analytics

• Manage the Data Analytics team around the use of non-academic data to help establish a strong data culture across all of KIPP Saint Louis.

• Oversee strategies for planning, implementation, and support of information technology and data systems. Build and maintain data infrastructure to support the region's instructional goals and growth. 

• Ensure a secure device network and system and manage the integration and maintenance of technology architecture and systems administration, which includes network, servers, workstations, connectivity, security, software, and hardware. 

Student Recruitment and Enrollment

• Own all student recruitment and enrollment outcomes for the region (100% fully enrolled). In partnership with appropriate colleagues, set enrollment targets for each school and grade level (consistent with regional and school budgets, building capacities, and projected demand) and help design and execute a marketing and operational student enrollment strategy that enables all schools to reach their enrollment and budget targets.

• Oversee strategy for driving student attendance and reducing chronic absenteeism in partnership with school teams.

• Participate in the KIPP national and local charter network of operations and leadership staff to access and share learning and support with peers in other organizations. 

• Manage and coach the Director of Student Enrollment and Recruitment to hit annual enrollment and budget targets and ongoing; Support the Director in designing and implementing enrollment strategies for each location.

What you bring to the table: All successful candidates must be a steadfast believer that all students can achieve academic excellence, regardless of background. In addition, strong candidates will have:  

• Minimum of 10 years of progressively increasing operational management experience for a multi-site organization and prior demonstrated organizational leadership experience. 

• Bachelor's Degree (required); Master degree is highly desirable.

• Experience leading, planning and managing in an entrepreneurial, client-oriented setting. 

• Excellent management, communication, public relations, customer service, and interpersonal skills. 

• Demonstrated ability to develop, implement and manage business systems and processes to support a growing multi-million-dollar organization 

• Experience in facilities, transportation, food services and real estate; especially as related to schools, is preferred. 

• Ability to negotiate and execute contracts and manage the quality of service providers and vendors. 

• Ability to exercise excellent judgment in decision-making. 

• Adept at thinking strategically, translating plans into action, and exhibiting excellent judgment. 

• Excellent writing, speaking, and presenting skills, and a keen attention to detail. 

• Unquestioned integrity and commitment to KIPP St. Louis's mission and values, including a strong commitment to the belief that all children can learn and deserve access to an excellent public education. 

• Naturally and readily assumes responsibility to fix problems and create improvements. 

• Ability to quickly and effectively build relationships with, motivate, and engage a diverse group of stakeholders. 

• Ability to self-direct and prioritize among competing goals and exhibit flexibility in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. 

• Skilled at analyzing, interpreting, and using data to collaborate, identify best practices and areas for improvement, and drive results. 

What we bring to the table: Salary range starts at $165,000; final salary will be commensurate with experience and education. 

We are a fast paced, energetic team and family with passionate people who are leading a movement and to cultivate their best working environment we provide the following:

• $0 deductible healthcare plan option, including medical, vision and dental. 

• Employer Paid Short Term Disability. 

• $50,000 life insurance policy at no cost to the employee. 

• Retirement plan through PSRSSTL with an employer match and an optional 403b as a supplement to our pension program. 

• Employee Recognition: When we succeed together, we celebrate together with our annual gala award ceremony, holiday party, and more!

• Public Service student loan forgiveness program qualified employer. 

• Generous time off:

  • Paid leave for illness, personal days, bereavement, jury duty, and military-related leave

  • Paid parental leave for new families

  • Paid holidays, as well as a one week Thanksgiving break, a two-week winter break, a week-long spring break

  • Wellness days and Fabulous Fridays (leave at 1:30 on Friday once a month)

• On-going professional  development opportunities:

  • Weekly coaching sessions

  • Weekly school-based professional development

  • Five in-person PD days during the year for all KIPP St. Louis teachers

If you are interested in working at KIPP St. Louis, please visit our website to find out how to apply! 

www.kippstl.org/apply

Check out our KIPP St. Louis video to learn more about KIPP St. Louis Public Schools!

KIPP St. Louis is committed to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all our students, families, teachers, staff and community members. 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.