Assistant Principal of Operations

As a leader in providing high quality education for students who need us most, KIPP Memphis is a network of open enrollment, tuition-free, college preparatory public charter schools. KIPP Memphis is part of the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) network of high performing schools. KIPP’s network spans more than 200 schools across the US and is known for having high expectations, focusing on results, and ensuring students go to and through college.

Founded in 2002, KIPP Memphis serves elementary, middle, and high school students in North Memphis. The KIPP Memphis team and family serves as a model of excellence and collaborates with other community organizations to raise the overall quality of education in Memphis. The mission of KIPP Memphis is to create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose - college, career, and beyond - so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

Role Overview:

As part of the KIPP Memphis Public Schools (KMPS) leadership team, the Assistant Principal of Operations (APO) is the operational leader of the school and is critical to the successful and efficient operation of the campus. This position is central to the realization of our mission as it provides the School Leader the opportunity to focus almost exclusively on teaching and learning within the school. The APO supports the School Leader by overseeing all non-instructional functions of the school including facilities, budget, compliance, student data, nutrition, transportation, and student safety so that academic leaders and teachers can focus on teaching and learning. This role is ideal for a results-oriented professional who thrives in fast-paced environments and is deeply committed to educational equity and student success.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and lead school-wide operational systems that support academic excellence and student achievement.
• Serve as a core member of the school leadership team and collaborate on annual planning, scheduling, and goal-setting.
• Manage, coach, and evaluate front office and operations team members.
• Partner with the School Leader to manage the school’s budget, ensuring financial decisions align with academic priorities.
• Oversee purchasing, invoice processing, activity fees, and financial compliance.
• Lead maintenance, facility improvement projects, and space utilization planning.
• Ensure that school emergency management plans are completed, executed and followed.
• Manage all operations related contracted services (including food service, nursing services, security services, transportation services, etc.) to ensure efficient daily operations.
• Support all compliance activities including Emergency Management, Facilities, Operations, Safety, Security, and all Authorities Having Jurisdiction.

Core Responsibilities:

School Operations Leadership & Operations Team Management

• In partnership with the School Leader and the regional leadership, develops the school-wide operations vision that supports and operationalizes the academic and cultural vision of the school
• Plays a leadership role in the school’s strategic and annual planning and budgeting processes
• Hires, manages, coaches, and develops school operations team members (including front office staff and vendors) and holds them accountable to goals and outcomes
• Serves as the primary point of contact for the regional School Support Team, 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 principal to develop the school’s annual budget
• Actively manages the school budget throughout the year by participating in monthly budget meetings to review budget variances, actively monitoring school spending, and proactively seeking opportunities to ensure spending is always aligned to the school’s academic priorities
• 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
• Actively manages the Internal School Funds in accordance with the State of Tennessee’s Internal School Funds Manual
• Manages the school payment process for Internal School Fund fees
• Manages all grants (Federal and State) in accordance with State and Federal guidelines
• Approves school purchases under a specific financial threshold
• Serves as the first school-based point of contact regarding finance and works with regional Finance team to ensure financial compliance and reporting

Facilities & Maintenance

• Oversees aspects facilities issues, including maintenance, managing staff/vendors, aesthetics, shared space agreements, and campus 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

Food Service, Transportation, and Special 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
• Oversees all aspects of food service, including quality, managing staff/vendors, meal tracking, and compliance
• Manages the logistics of meal delivery (breakfast, lunch, snacks) including staff duty schedules and cafeteria schedules and routines
• Oversees all aspects of transportation including vendor management, arrival and dismissal procedures, student bus transportation sign-up and assignments, and setting and managing staff duty schedules
• Owns logistics of communications and external relations through parent letters, weekly staff notes, surveys, and visitors
• 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

Technology & Equipment

• Ensures that students and staff have access to needed technology and works with regional Tech Team and IT Managed Services Provider 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
• Manages the school’s supply and asset inventory (e.g. computers, textbooks)

Student Information, Testing, and Academic Operations Support

• Manages systems for and maintains accurate student data and information in compliance with federal, state, regional and school expectations
• Manages the substitute teacher process including participating in substitute interview events/orientations, orienting new subs to the school, and managing the process by which teachers seek coverage for absences
• Works with the principal or Assistant Principals to manage the logistical elements of all major student assessments
• Manages logistics of report cards/progress reports/transcripts

Student Recruitment & Enrollment

• Develops and manages student recruitment strategy to ensure that the school begins the academic year with full classes and actively recruits to fill open seats
• Ensures that all enrollment processes/events are tightly planned and executed (i.e Gear Up Day, Parent Open Houses, School Tours, etc.)
• Responsible for attending weekly recruitment meetings and staying current on enrollment numbers.

Risk Management and Compliance

• Ensure that the school is prepared for emergencies by conducting all drills and training staff on emergency plans
• Coordinate LEA, state and federal compliance reporting and data collection with regional support team (TSIP, Annual Reports, Operations Scorecards, etc.)
• Maintain necessary records to support compliance reporting and audits.

Student Health Services

• Manage office managers to coordinate preventative health services.
• Schedule and communicate to school staff Coordinated School Health and Well Child screenings.
• Ensure that all families complete Well Child applications (or write “decline” so we still get credit for the application).*
• Work with coaches and/or Athletic Director to ensure all athletes have physicals.
• Manage office managers to ensure immunization compliance and communicate to families when additional shots or records are needed.
• Work with the school nurse to establish hours, space, nurse needs, preferences for how students are sent to nurse, and serve as a point of contact for the nurse when s/he has questions or needs.
• Ensure that school staff (office managers at a minimum) have completed medication training
• Ensure that we are compliant with the number of staff members needed to be CPR certified; working with Well Child to schedule CPR training for staff.
• Notify the school community of health issues as needed (if there’s a ringworm, flu, or head lice outbreak in a classroom, for example).

Qualifications

Required:

• BA or BS required
• Tennessee administrative license
• Prior leadership and management experience; successful team leadership and strong track record of results
• Ability to establish relationships and communicate effectively with multiple constituencies
• Reflective and able to execute in an efficient and effective manner with managers, peers and support personnel
• Experience in budget management, compliance, logistics, and vendor coordination.
• Computer and financial literacy, including Microsoft Office and Google applications.
• Excellent organizational, planning and implementation skills
• Unquestioned integrity and commitment to the KIPP Memphis' vision, mission and values

Preferred:

• MA or MS preferred
• Experience working in low-income communities is preferred
• Experience with Operations Leadership (coaching Operations professionals, leading professional development, performance management)
• Ability to collaborate across functional teams and lead others toward ambitious outcomes.

Additional Information

Salary for this position is competitive and depends on prior experience, degree attainment, and credentials. A competitive benefits package will also be offered.

All application information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

KIPP Memphis is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying to the school. KMCS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, handicap, age, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.