Full-Time, In-Person, Temporary School Director of Operations

School Mission

Compass Collegiate Academy provides every scholar with the academic foundation and strong habits that inspire and cultivate lifelong learners who lead purposeful, civic lives.

Compass Collegiate Academy strives to create a diverse, inclusive, and anti-racist community. People from historically underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

This is a temporary, full time position, while one of our team members is on leave. This is a temporary position with an anticipated duration of about 4 months, subject to business needs.

School Overview

Compass Collegiate Academy (CCA) is a public charter school that opened in Charleston, South Carolina with grades K-1 in August of 2021. Our school will add a grade each year until we are a full K-8 school serving over 400 scholars. CCA currently has grades K-4 and approximately 150 scholars. We have intentionally built our school model and structured our budget to ensure our scholar body is representative of the student population in North Charleston and the Charleston peninsula, the school’s geographic target area. We are driven by the following core beliefs for our school model:

All Means All - We operate with a non-negotiable belief in the potential of every child. Every adult employed at CCA will operate with a daily mindset that every scholar can achieve at high levels irrespective of a scholar’s family income, disability, language proficiency or prior developmental experience.

Rigorous Curriculum - Our rigorous curriculum and academic program is designed to assist scholars to acquire a foundation of knowledge and advanced literacy skills in the early grades that will prepare scholars to undertake higher order analysis, evaluation, and critical thinking skills in later grades.

An Intentional Commitment to Scholar Social and Emotional Growth - Preparing scholars for successful secondary and postsecondary pursuits involves growing both sharp minds and big hearts. CCA will focus on helping scholars better understand their own identities, their communities, and how to successfully build relationships with peers across lines of difference. Scholars will develop character strengths such as kindness, determination, curiosity, gratitude and integrity and will be better equipped to positively impact their diverse local communities and world.

High-Quality Staff - CCA has a robust hiring and development model based on some of the nation’s best public schools to ensure a high-quality teaching and learning environment for scholars. Teachers and leaders are respected as skilled practitioners and professionals in a culture that prioritizes continuous growth and development for adults as well as scholars. 

Personalized Learning through Data-Driven Instruction - Through a continuous cycle of assessment, analysis, and action, CCA identifies personalized needs to close academic gaps while also differentiating instruction for scholars with more advanced achievement. 

Parental Involvement and Intentional Community - CCA values families as partners in the academic growth and human development of scholars. Families can expect daily updates on scholar progress, weekly phone communication and availability with a scholar’s teacher, open doors to the school, and access to workshops and seminars on childhood human development. CCA intentionally cultivates a supportive school community among diverse families.

Role Expectations

The Director of Operations works closely with the Executive Director and is responsible for daily operational excellence to support the school’s academic program and activities. The Director of Operations will be an individual that understands that the backbone of a high-quality academic learning environment is achieved through a high standard of excellence for all operational, and financial aspects of the school. He or she will report to the Executive Director.

Responsibilities and Duties:

Academic Program

• Assist the Academic team to hire quality instructional staff who embrace the school mission through managing effective systems for recruitment, interviewing and hiring.

• Assist academic leaders to ensure instructional resources and data systems are optimized to enable teachers and academic staff to achieve the school’s academic goals.

• Provide support to the Academic Leadership team to manage logistical elements of major scholar assessments and ensure compliance. 

• Assist the Executive Director to ensure educational and regulatory compliance at all local, state and federal levels.

Operations Management

• Develop systems and procedures to ensure an optimal learning environment for instructional staff and scholars each day, including, but not limited to, school food provision, scholar transportation (arrival and dismissal), technology hardware and software, fire-life safety plans, facility management and maintenance, asset inventory management (technology, books, classroom supplies, etc.).

• Directly manage operations team members at the school, including full-time and part time staff members.

• Take ownership of logistics of school-wide events and off-site events, such as recruitment fairs, Family Data Nights, and new scholar orientations.

• Coach school-wide staff by ensuring operational systems are implemented with fidelity by all staff members and give feedback to stakeholders when systems are not meeting the bar of excellence.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for HR related questions or concerns from staff.

• Partner with the Academic Leadership team to onboard new hires and to ensure teachers meet compliance with certification requirements.

• Manage all background checks to for all hires and volunteers.  

• Manage all vendors, including, but not limited to fiscal services, payroll, facilities, transportation, education program service providers.

• Ensure compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

• Serve as the resident expert on the school’s student information and data systems and ensure operational stability and data accuracy.

• Attend and participate in CCA Board meetings and committee meetings. 

Fiscal Management

• Actively manage the school budget according to established policies and actively monitor school spending for adherence to budget and compliance with internal controls to ensure the school is a sound steward of public funds.

• Manage the school purchasing process by establishing clear systems for staff to request items, place orders with vendors, track delivery, pay invoices, and manage the accounting for all purchased items.

• Work with the Executive Director to implement board established financial and accounting policies, internal controls, and other fiscal policies and practices.

• Assist the Executive Director to develop the school’s annual budget for approval by the school’s Board of Directors.

• Assist the Executive Director to provide financial reports to the Board, the charter school sponsor, and other authorities as required by law.

• Manage the annual audit process with a qualified independent auditor.

Scholar Enrollment

• Lead the school’s scholar recruitment activities to ensure schools are fully enrolled.

• Manage the school registration process, including student record requests for incoming or departing scholars.

The Director of Operations will perform other duties as required to achieve operational excellence and the school’s mission.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required (Master’s degree or higher preferred).

• Minimum of three years business experience required; charter school operations experience preferred.

• Experience with charter school finance and budgets preferred.

• Demonstrated competency with technology, including but not limited to Microsoft Word, Excel, Student Information Systems and accounting software systems required.

• Experience working with a culturally diverse student body preferred.

Ability to:

• Work hard to achieve the school’s mission.

• Communicate clearly and effectively in both oral and written language.

• Be extremely attentive to detail.

• Ability to manage multiple tasks, deadlines and responsibilities at once and prioritize the highest-leverage and most urgent tasks.

• Establish and maintain positive relationships with a variety of people. 

• Engage families and the larger community in the life of the school.

• Plan, coordinate, and direct work and activities of the operations team.

• Manage budgets, prioritize expenditures, and seek innovative methods for providing school resources.

• Promote and market the educational program and services of the school.

Compass Collegiate Academy is accepting applications for the Temporary Director of Operations to start immediately.

Salary is competitive and commensurate with your experience. Compass Collegiate Academy employees are provided with a benefits package that includes medical, vision, and dental insurance, retirement plan, parental leave, and a laptop.

All employment with CCA is AT-WILL and nothing contained in this job description or in any other document provided by CCA creates a contract of employment for a specified term. In at-will employment, both the employee and employer retain the right to terminate the employment relationship at any time and for any reason, with or without cause and with or without any advance notice.

Compass Collegiate Academy is committed to providing equal access to educational and employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, pregnancy, age, sex, or any other protected characteristic, as may be required by law.