Senior Director of School Operations

Be the one who makes a difference!

At Vertex Education we are a team of high achievers, courageous leaders, and passionate believers in changing lives through education. As a purpose-led education services provider, our mission is destined to benefit many and yet it starts with just one person inspired to work together with us to make a memorable and meaningful difference for our clients, schools, students, and communities. Be the one who makes a difference—with us.

At Vertex Education, our mission is to change lives through education, and as the Senior Director of School Operations, you’ll make that mission a reality by ensuring exceptional service and operational excellence across 22 Legacy Traditional School Arizona campuses. In this role, you will drive efficiency, standardization, and continuous improvement, allowing school leaders and staff to focus on student academic success. By implementing Lean principles, strategic planning, and strong accountability structures, you will eliminate operational barriers, enhance safety and compliance, and create a seamless school experience for students, staff, and families.

Essential Functions:

1. Strategic Operations Leadership

• Guide and coach Directors of School Operations in implementing operational excellence across 22 campuses.
• Develop scalable systems, policies, and processes to drive efficiency, compliance, and high-quality school operations.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement through leadership development and a student-first mindset.
• Partner with the Superintendent and campus leadership to align operations with long-term planning, student achievement, and school experience.

2. Financial Oversight & Enrollment Growth

• Establish budgetary controls and accountability structures to ensure Directors of School Operations effectively manage campus budgets.
• Oversee Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) budgeting, aligning spending with network priorities and long-term facility needs.
• Optimize procurement processes, inventory and vendor management to drive efficiency, cost savings, and service quality.
• Ensure compliance with school safety grants and operational funding requirements while maximizing available resources.
• Support Directors of School Operations in student recruitment/retention, enrollment efforts, ensuring strong community engagement for sustained growth.

3. Operational Excellence

• Establish a daily accountability system with visual boards to track metrics, identify root causes and escalations that drive action for performance improvement.
• Develop and implement standard work through process documentation, training, and optimized scheduling (including all breaks) to enhance school operations.
• Apply lean principles and lead rapid improvement events to standardize processes, eliminate waste, and improve measurable outcomes.
• Conduct operational audits and quality checks, using insights to enhance cleanliness, organization, and process consistency.

4. Safety, Risk Management & Compliance

• Develop and enforce network-wide safety protocols, ensuring compliance with health, workplace, and security regulations.
• Oversee school safety, emergency preparedness, and crisis response, including drills, security measures, and a risks and vulnerabilities analysis.
• Ensure facilities, food safety, and emergency procedures meet all regulatory standards.
• Align PTO/PVO engagement with school policies and operational priorities.
• Improve campus traffic flow and student safety, ensuring smooth student drop-off and pick-up logistics

Required Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, operations management, education leadership, or a related field.
• Experience: 8 years of leadership experience in multi-site operations, facilities management, or school operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in business administration, education leadership, or a related field.
• Experience in a K-12 charter school or educational operations.
• Proven experience implementing Lean principles, process standardization, and continuous improvement.
• Strong financial acumen with experience in budget management, CAPEX planning, and procurement.
• Exceptional communication, people leadership, and relationship management skills
• Certifications (Preferred but not required):
• Continuous Improvement (Green Belt or above, Lean Six Sigma)
• Certified Facilities Manager (CFM)
• Certified Safety Professional (CSP)
• FEMA Incident Command System (ICS) Certification
• OSHA 30-Hour Certification

BACKGROUND CHECKS:

• The incumbent in this position will be required to pass a criminal history background check.
• Must be able to obtain and hold a valid IVP Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card at all times.

PHYSICAL AND TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS / WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Travel between campuses (local, regional, and out-of-state) is required
• Duties may include frequent walking, standing, stooping, lifting up to approximately 25 pounds and occasional lifting of equipment and/or materials weighing up to approximately 40 pounds may be required
• Must have the ability to sit for extended periods of time; to enter data into a computer keyboard; to research identified job-related duties using the Internet and other resources; see and read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids; hear and understand speech at normal levels and on the telephone; speak in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in person and on the telephone; and the ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions.

Be excited to be a part of our team and grow your career with us!​

Be the one who enables us to positively impact over 258,000 students across multiple states while driving our growth forward so we can enrich even more lives. Be the one who helps us achieve excellence for over 226 schools that we support with academics, finance, technology, human resources, communications, marketing, facilities, construction, and food services. Be the one who is a diverse thinker, a team player, a smart risk taker, an innovator, and a difference maker by encouraging others to climb higher and reach farther to further education.

• Be yourself surrounded by wonderful people who care about you, value your unique skills, and lift you up.
• Be supported in your work by caring leaders and team members who want you to succeed.
• Be empowered to make a difference and climb higher and reach farther to change lives through education.
• Be well in all aspects of your life from your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing to your finances.
• Enjoy industry-leading pay, rewards, referral bonuses, with unlimited flexible paid time-off for performance.
• Be able to care for your health and your family with comprehensive medical, dental and vision benefits and invest in your future with 401(k) plans with a 6% employer match on your contributions.
• Enhance your growth and development with mentoring and money to take training classes.
• Thrive in a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive environment where we treat others with fairness and respect, celebrate diversity, and elevate equality and inclusion as an equal opportunity employer.

Be the one who makes a difference!

With an innovative mind, a hungry heart, and engaging spirit you can change lives through education. Be a part of Vertex Education and let’s make a difference together. Apply Today!