Operations Associate

KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of free, open enrollment, college preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and life. There are 285 KIPP schools across the nation and the District of Columbia, serving more than 175,000 students and alumni with more than 15,000 educators. 

Founded in 2008 with 50 students in 5th grade, KIPP Columbus currently educates 2,000 students in grades Kindergarten through twelfth.  With a mission to, together with families and the community, create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose -- college, career, and beyond --  KIPP has maintained excellence in its growth, and will improve upon that standard – proving what is possible in public education.

KIPP Columbus continues to rank as one of the top schools for academic growth of any school in the state of Ohio, and is a top performing urban school in the state for academic growth. In our first three graduating classes (in spring 2020, 2021, and 2022) 100% of students were accepted to college and/or military service  with nearly $40 million in merit scholarships from colleges and universities awarded.

In addition to academic excellence, KIPP Columbus also partners with nearly 100 community organizations to provide extracurricular activities, programming, health and wellness services, meals, and more to KIPP students, families, and the broader community. KIPP is also a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, offering more than 10 varsity sports. 

The KIPP Columbus learning campus will continue to advance student learning, expand partnerships, enable superior programming, and serve as a teaching and leadership lab for schools nationwide, reimagining education through a deeper lens of antiracism, excellence, and joy as we expand to educate nearly 4,000 students on our learning campus in the coming years. 

Interested in learning more about our school?  Please check out our website: https://www.kippcolumbus.org/

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Senior Operations Associate and accountable to the Regional Operations Team, the Operations Associate is a school-based leadership role that oversees all operational functions necessary to run a high-performing school. This includes systems supporting maintenance, purchasing, facilities, food services, transportation, technology, student recruitment, student data, regulatory compliance, human resource administration, and academic operations support. The Operations Associate serves as a key member of the school’s Leadership Team, ensures that the school’s operations meet high standards of operational excellence, and enables instructional leaders and staff to focus on driving strong student achievement outcomes.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

School Operations Leadership & Operations Team Management

• In partnership with the School Leader and the region, develops and maintains the school-wide operations vision that supports and operationalizes the academic and cultural vision of the school
• Manages, coaches, and develops school operations team members (including front office staff) and holds them accountable to goals and outcomes
• Serves as the primary point of contact for School Operations, responding to requests and collaborating with teammates across the region to build scalable, region-wide systems, policies, and procedures

Finance & Purchasing

• Works closely with the School Leader to order and actively manage supply inventory throughout the year
• Manages the school purchasing process by establishing clear systems for staff to request items, placing orders with vendors, tracking delivery, and coding and submitting purchases orders, invoices, and reimbursement requests; approves school purchases under a specific financial threshold

Facilities & Maintenance

• Oversees most facilities issues, including maintenance, managing staff/vendors, aesthetics, shared space agreements, and school safety
• Regularly conducts facilities walkthroughs and liaises with custodial staff/vendors to ensure that the facility looks the best it can 
• Ensures that the main office is neat, organized, welcoming and has all important parent facing materials

Student & Family Services (School Ops; Communications; Field Trips/Events)

• Serves as the eyes and ears of the school to ensure that all school operations run seamlessly each and every day, proactively problem solving and developing systems where needed
• Supports overseeing all aspects of food service, including quality, managing staff/vendors, meal tracking, compliance, and meal delivery in collaboration with regional leaders.
• Oversees school arrival and dismissal procedures, and setting and managing staff duty schedules
• Owns all logistics (e.g. transportation, lodging, meals, staffing plan, etc.) of all off-site field trips and all on-site special events (Report Card Nights, Performances, Graduation, staff celebrations, etc.)
• Serves as point person for hosting visitors on school tours.
• Serves as point person for hosting school events.

Technology & Equipment

• Ensures that students and staff have access to needed technology and works with Tech Team to plan technology related enhancements
• Leads the school opening/start up process each year to ensure that doors are ready to open by ordering furniture, equipment, instructional supplies, and ensuring that student services (e.g. food service, transportation) are ready to go in collaboration with the Director of School Operations.
• Manages the school’s supply and asset inventory (e.g. computers, textbooks)

Student Information, Testing, and Academic Operations Support

• Manages and supports systems for and maintains accurate student data and information in compliance with federal, state, regional and school expectations
• Works with the School Leaders to manage the logistical elements of all major student assessments
• Manages logistics of report cards/progress reports/transcripts

Student Recruitment & Enrollment

• Supporting the management of student recruitment strategies to ensure that the school begins the academic year with full classes and actively recruits to fill open seats
• Ensures that parent info sessions, school tours, and the lottery and enrollment process are tightly planned and executed

Risk Management, Compliance

• Ensure that the school is prepared for emergencies by conducting all drills and training staff on emergency plans
• Partners with regional HR/recruitment on the new hire process (e.g. interviews, new hire offer letters, onboarding, operations preparations)

• Bachelor’s degree or 3 to 7 years of work experience, preferably in education and/or business or operations management 
• Demonstrated management and leadership skills (e.g. at least 2 years managing a team or multiple large projects)
• Strong project and time management skills; ability to effectively backwards plan, juggle multiple priorities with great attention to detail, and deliver consistent and timely results
• Strong strategic and analytical skills with an aptitude for shifting from fire-fighting to systems-building
• Sense of humility, customer service mindset, and shows urgency and the ability to proactively solve problems and make decisions quickly
• Team player with strong interpersonal and stakeholder management and relationship building skills
• Ability to lead, influence, and hold others accountable to upholding high standards of operational excellence
• High level of comfort with financial oversight and budgetary tracking
• Ability to be calm under pressure, especially in difficult conversations with parents and staff
• Excellent organizational, verbal, and written communication skills
• Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Powerpoint and Microsoft Excel
• Desire to continuously learn and increase effectiveness as a professional
• Belief that outstanding school leaders, staff, and teachers can achieve excellent outcomes for all students
• Ability to persevere with a sense of optimism, strong problem solving skills, and desire to learn and grow in a collaborative professional learning community
• Willingness, and commitment, to go above and beyond to prove the possible with students.
• Ability to multi-task and work within an ambiguous, fast-moving, start-up environment, while driving toward clarity and solutions
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Extreme flexibility, with a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate high levels of responsibility and multiple priorities
• Model the values of KIPP Columbus (Imagine, Navigate, Seek, Persevere, Integrity, Responsibility, and Empathy) 

Compensation

KIPP Columbus offers a generous salary and a comprehensive benefit plan including medical, dental and vision insurance, as well as group term life insurance, FSA, retirement plan and paid time off.

Statement of Non-Discrimination

KIPP Columbus is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying to the school for consideration of any position (admission, employment, etc.). KIPP Columbus does not discriminate on the basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 4112.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.