Operations / Administration Chief Operating Officer
Job Description
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for ensuring operational excellence at both the campus (compliance, enrollment, procurement, and facilities, etc.) and network levels of Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools (LAB). The COO will lead the development and execution of the organization’s operational practices and serve as a key contributor to the achievement of LAB’s strategic goals through leadership and oversight of the school, technology, and business operations, and human resource teams. Reporting to the Executive Director, the COO will serve as an integral member of the Executive Team and key thought partner on long term strategy and goals. This is an outstanding opportunity for an executive with experience managing these many facets of an entrepreneurial, mission-driven organization and of school operations during an exciting period of expanding impact.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- SCHOOL OPERATIONS:
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- Facilities
- Actively manage LAB’s facilities team and vendors to ensure that our campus is safe, secure, clean, cost-effective, fully operational and has a bright and inviting educational atmosphere that communicates excellence and professionalism while inspiring learning and achievement. LAB is located in private facilities clustered in downtown Brooklyn.
- Systems & Data Management
- Oversee the ongoing maintenance and improvement of information systems and infrastructure (ie. hardware, software, and applications)
- Establish effective data management practices across the IT and school-based operations teams and ensure that strong practices are in place for the collection, accuracy, and reporting of all scholar data
- Ensure the effective execution of essential systems in the following areas: facilities, lottery/enrollment, attendance, reporting, vendor management, inventory, procurement, and internal controls
- Management
- Attract, hire, develop, evaluate and motivate a community of committed and driven school operations professionals, who execute at high levels of excellence and deeply share LAB’s mission.
- Establish and maintain high standards for team performance by developing clear long-term strategic plans and annual goals and rigorously tracking performance against them.
- Actively manage the school operations (e.g., scholar recruitment, transportation, and food service), facilities, human resources, and information technology teams serving as their on-call resource, thought-partner, problem solver, and coach.
- Facilities
- NETWORK OPERATIONS:
- Leadership
- Partner with the Executive Director on the execution of vision and strategy related to operational excellence.
- Serve as a key member of the Executive Team, collaborate internally on organization-wide strategic projects and provide leadership and strategic insight on cross-functional teams.
- Ensure data compliance and reporting, emergency preparedness, risk management, and non-instructional regulatory compliance.
- Refine and develop strategic systems to be used across LAB, in the following areas: facilities, lottery/enrollment, attendance, reporting, vendor management, inventory, procurement, and internal controls.
- Scholar Enrollment, External Affairs, & Compliance
- In partnership with LAB’s family engagement team and our partners, ensure that all of LAB’s schools are fully enrolled and in compliance with all local, state, and federal requirements.
- Ensure vendor contracts and other partnership agreements meet regulatory standards and serve the organization effectively.
- Act as a primary liaison regarding compliance to the Board, as well as City and State regulatory agencies.
- Ensure all reporting is timely, accurate, and compliant with all reporting requirements.
- Oversee charter renewal, compliance, and yearly authorizer visits.
- Scholar Services
- Food Services: Ensure campus-level foodservice maximizes instructional time, is in compliance with the National School Lunch Program, state, and local regulations while maximizing state & federal reimbursements.
- School Safety: Ensure that all campuses are safe and maintain legally compliant and actionable School Safety/Emergency Plans.
- Leadership
QUALIFICATIONS
Required knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience include:
- Integrity & Trust: Promotes and personally models behaviors that underscore the importance of honesty, truth, respect, and fairness in interpersonal relations; creates a supportive work environment.
- Industry Knowledge: Displays a deep understanding of charter schools, start-ups, organizational leadership, school operations, HR, finance, data, IT, external affairs, facilities, school services, and the complex world of New York school regulations and compliance.
- Change Management: Fully understands the increased risks and productivity issues that often accompany change; has the ability to identify, anticipate, and manage these adverse situations while managing divergent views, seeking common ground, and gaining active support from others across teams and multiple locations.
- Racial Equity & Inclusion: Ability to understand and navigate issues of identity, power, and privilege; committed to working within an organization passionate about anti-racism work and leveling the playing field to eliminate educational inequity and advance social justice.
- Strategic Thinking: Keeps the big and longer range picture in mind with formulating plans, making decisions, and taking action; possess an entrepreneurial spirit that maximizes available resources and yields exceptional, sustainable outcomes.
- Coaching, Mentoring, & Motivating Others: Demonstrates a sincere interest in employee well-being and engagement; provides developmental feedback in a timely manner and sets the tone for non-defensive behavior in the face of constructive feedback; creates a climate in which all employees want to do their best work.
- Decision Quality: Makes sensible decisions in a timely matter; ability to analyze complex scenarios and data sets, clearly define strategic questions, attempts to collect all facts prior to a decision, but is not afraid to make decisions with incomplete information or under tight deadlines; also able to make appropriate decisions when unpopular.
ABOUT BROOKLYN LAB
Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools (LAB) is a network of open enrollment, college-prep, public charter schools. LAB is dedicated to serving the highest need students regardless of their academic level, English language proficiency, or disability. To achieve this, we couple a high expectations approach with an innovative, Common Core-aligned, next-generation learning model designed to drastically improve the academic success of our scholars.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Brooklyn LAB Teachers will receive a competitive benefits package that improves over time and is competitive with other New York City charter schools.
Our salaries are highly competitive, set through a lens of equity, and based on an individual’s skills and experiences relevant to the role.
LAB’s benefits package includes:
- 80% cost share of health, dental, and vision plans
- Pre-tax commuter benefits
- 5% of annualized base salary contribution to a LAB retirement plan which vests at a percentage annually
- An individual professional development allowance
