Regional Director of Operations

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential. We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

The Rocketship Public Schools DC Operations Team is committed to advancing student outcomes by striving side-by-side with our instructional staff to bring excellence to every aspect of our schools. We focus on providing consistently efficient and high-quality services to our students and families. The Regional Director of Operations (RDO) is a core part of the Regional Leadership Team, reporting to the Chief of Strategy. The RDO supports regional business management and project management, including interfacing with local vendors (student food service, custodial, security), new school start-ups, local reporting and compliance requirements, and provides targeted coaching for school-based Business Operations Managers (BOMs), and more.

The essential functions of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

Direct School Support and Coaching

• Provide consistent, high-quality onsite and remote behavior coaching and support to all local BOMs, focusing on school systems, Operations Specialist team management, and school leadership collaboration,
• Partner with school Principals, Directors of Schools, and network Operations Team to ensure that schools function at a high level,
• Uphold a high standard of excellence for school operations and provide meaningful evaluations of school operations and BOM performance
• Serve as point of escalation for school-based operational issues,
• Partner with new BOMs to lead the strategy, planning, and execution for the operational requirements for new schools in the region.

Regional Business Leadership and Project Management

• Lead the execution of all regional business projects, including vendor contracts, vendor management, state and local authorizer audits, and other reporting requirements,
• Identify and manage new initiatives to meet schools' changing needs (e.g., transportation, food services, security, groundskeeping).

Resource Design and Network Initiatives

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Executive Director and Regional Leaders across business functions,
• Create tools and templates to support high-quality operations at school sites
• Design and deliver differentiated professional development to meet the needs of school-based operations staff,
• Participate in the design and rollout of projects that meet Regional goals,
• Support communications across the operations team.

Compliance and Budget Management

• Ensure each campus is financially responsible by supporting Principals and BOMs with budget management, cash collection, and invoice approval,
• Serve as the lead on school safety processes and compliance, including administering training and running safety drills—partner with the Executive Director, Regional Leaders, Principals and BOMs to respond to emergencies.
• Own procurement and purchasing process for school sites, ensuring that campus needs are met proactively and within budget,
• Collaborate with Principals and BOMs to understand campus needs, place orders, inventory items received, handle returns/exchanges,
• Serve as on-site IT contact, including managing IT assets, assisting staff with IT issues, and serving as the primary POC to central IT staff.
• Support the logistical, compliance, and technology of administering benchmark, annual, and state assessments and health screenings like hearing and vision.

Minimum Qualifications

• A passion for Rocketship’s mission to eliminate the achievement gap in our lifetime, and an unwavering belief in the humanity and potential of people of color,
• Bachelor’s degree and 3+ years of professional management experience
• Leading leaders across multiple sites highly preferred
• Demonstrated ability to make sound financial decisions and drive cost-effective operations, proficiency in budgeting, financial analysis and management, and reporting,
• A high standard of excellence for customer service, school operations, professional development design and delivery,
• Must be a passionate self-starter with a Team-first and solutions orientation with substantive experience planning and leading complex initiatives or projects