Director, Operations Excellence

Summary of Key Responsibilities

• Leadership of Regional Operations Managers
  • Leads, develops, and manages a team of Regional Operations Managers.
  • Builds leadership capability by coaching leaders of leaders.
  • Establishes performance expectations, accountability systems, and development plans for ROMs.
  • Drives succession planning and long-term talent strategy across School Operations.
  • Creates a culture of ownership, follower-ship, and operational excellence throughout the organization.
  • Ensures ROMs are effectively developing Business Operations Managers and school-based operations teams.
  • Identifies, develops, and retains top operational talent across the network.
• Strategic Leadership & Organizational Design
  • Defines and executes the long-term vision and strategy for School Operations.
  • Designs organizational structures, talent models, and operating systems that enable school success at scale.
  • Anticipates future organizational needs and proactively builds capabilities to support growth.
  • Evaluates the effectiveness of the operating model and continuously improves it.
  • Leads large-scale operational transformation efforts and organizational change initiatives.
  • Partners with senior leadership to shape network-wide strategy and priorities.
• Operational Excellence
  • Establishes operational standards and accountability measures across the network.
  • Ensures schools consistently deliver strong outcomes across facilities, safety, compliance, enrollment, family experience, financial management, and operational execution.
  • Uses data and performance metrics to identify trends, prioritize interventions, and drive continuous improvement.
  • Creates systems that allow operational excellence to be measured, scaled, and sustained.
  • Builds a culture of noticing, problem-solving, and accountability at every level.
• Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Serves as the primary operational thought partner to network leadership.
  • Builds strong partnerships across Schooling, Enrollment, Facilities, Technology, Finance, People, Family Engagement, Supply Chain, and other network teams.
  • Influences organizational decision-making through operational expertise and insight from schools.
  • Ensures cross-functional initiatives are designed with implementation realities in mind.
  • Clarifies ownership and accountability across teams to improve execution and reduce complexity.
  • Aligns stakeholders around priorities, resources, timelines, and expected outcomes.
• Talent Strategy & Capability Building
  • Develops long-term talent pipelines for School Operations leadership.
  • Defines leadership competencies, performance expectations, and development pathways.
  • Drives hiring strategy, succession planning, onboarding, performance management, and leadership development.
  • Creates systems that strengthen management capability and leadership effectiveness.
  • Ensures leaders have the skills, tools, and support necessary to succeed.
• Systems, Innovation & Continuous Improvement
  • Evaluates the effectiveness of operational programs, systems, and processes.
  • Led the design and implementation of tools, workflows, and standards that improve execution.
  • Identifies opportunities to simplify work, eliminate inefficiencies, and increase consistency.
  • Leverages data, technology, and innovation to improve operational outcomes.
  • Ensures School Operations evolves to meet the changing needs of schools and the organization.
• Financial Stewardship
  • Oversees operational budget performance across the network.
  • Ensures leaders understand financial expectations and manage resources responsibly.
  • Partners with Finance to develop forecasting, reporting, and accountability systems.
  • Aligns investments and staffing decisions to organizational priorities and school needs.
  • Identifies risks, opportunities, and resource allocation strategies that strengthen operational performance.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Leadership
  • Proven ability to lead leaders and build high-performing teams.
  • Demonstrated success coaching, developing, and managing senior leaders.
  • Ability to create follower-ship, accountability, and ownership across a large organization.
  • Strong judgment in talent assessment, succession planning, and organizational design.
• Strategic Thinking
  • Exceptional strategic planning and systems-thinking capabilities.
  • Ability to connect day-to-day execution with long-term organizational outcomes.
  • Skilled at navigating ambiguity, competing priorities, and organizational complexity.
  • Experience leading large-scale organizational change and transformation efforts.
• Operational Excellence
  • Deep understanding of operational systems, performance management, and continuous improvement.
  • Strong analytical skills and ability to leverage data to drive decisions.
  • Experience building scalable systems, standards, and accountability frameworks.
  • Ability to drive operational excellence across multiple sites, teams, or business units.
• Influence & Collaboration
  • Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and influencing skills.
  • Ability to drive alignment across diverse stakeholders and competing priorities.
  • Strong executive presence and ability to influence without direct authority.
  • Skilled at building trust and credibility across all levels of an organization.
• Business Acumen
  • Experience managing budgets, forecasting, resource allocation, and organizational investments.
  • Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
  • Ability to balance organizational priorities while maintaining a relentless focus on scholar outcomes.

Preferred Experience

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, education, consulting, military leadership, hospitality, retail, healthcare, or other complex multi-site environments.
• Experience leading leaders across multiple regions, business units, or locations.
• Experience designing organizations, building talent systems, and driving transformational change.
• Demonstrated success scaling teams, systems, and operational performance across a large organization.
• Experience partnering with senior executives to drive enterprise-wide initiatives and organizational effectiveness.