Director of Operations Fellow

Location: Newark, New Jersey, us Department: Operational Leadership Employment Type: {'id': 'permanent', 'label': 'Full-time'}

Company Description

Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing public charter schools dedicated to providing an exceptional K-12 education in economically disadvantaged communities. Operating in Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark, and Rochester, we are committed to closing the college completion gap and preparing every student for college and beyond. Our students consistently exceed national benchmarks, reflecting our dedication to their success. We invest deeply in our educators, offering weekly coaching, feedback, and professional development to ensure excellence in teaching and leadership. Join us to work hard, do good, and make a lasting difference!

Job Description

At Uncommon Schools, we know running exceptional schools takes more than great

instruction—it also takes exemplary operations! Uncommon Schools' operations leaders work

passionately to ensure that our faculty maximizes time and energy on student achievement.

They design, implement, and refine systems that anticipate the needs of the school community.

As service-oriented leaders, they tackle problems, share standard methodologies across

campuses, and respond to urgent needs. They partner to build an academic and cultural

environment that supports our ultimate goal: ensuring that every student will earn a college

degree.

The Director of Operations Fellow is a full-time position that prepares you to become a Director

of Operations (DOO) of an Uncommon school. As DOO, you will lead a school in partnership

with the Principal, working together to ensure your students receive an exemplary education.

The DOO Fellowship is based on a foundation of four core elements that are aligned to the

competencies of Uncommon leaders. Each element is designed to build Fellows’ capacity

towards becoming effective DOOs. These include Professional Development, Experiential

Learning, Practical Application and Reflective Practice.

The DOO Fellowship typically lasts one year; however, the length of time will vary based on

open positions and DOO Fellow readiness. Fellows should expect to work in multiple locations

and gradespans within the region. Fellow placement is based on the region’s needs as well as

Fellows’ growth areas and matching them with host DOOs to best support their development.

Professional Development

All Fellows will attend a series of professional development workshops throughout the

Fellowship. The subject matter of these workshops is grounded in the leadership competencies

that DOOs are evaluated and developed on.

Experiential Learning

Feedback and coaching, especially when individualized, are critical tools that will support the

Fellow’s growth as a leader. Fellows will engage in experiential learning activities, and receive

feedback targeted at their individualized areas of growth. Experiential learning activities include:

submission of weekly deliverables; on-site coaching with real-time feedback; and practice clinics

where fellows will engage in case studies, role plays, and problem solving exercises.

Practical Application

Fellows are placed at an existing Uncommon school and serve as full-time members of the

school's operations team. They engage in operations work at their host school, tackle school or

regional-based operations projects, and conduct observations and analysis of operational

systems. Fellows are responsible for completing a variety of pre-determined deliverables that

expose them to all of the key components of DOO work. Practical application includes an

Immersion in which the Fellow acts as DOO in place of their host DOO for 4-6 weeks. During

this time, their host DOO is offsite and the Fellow is acting DOO and co-leads the school

alongside the Principal.

Reflective Discourse

The Fellowship will create space at in-person sessions for reflective discourse, so that Fellows

can learn from their own experiences and those of others in the cohort. Fellows will also be

supported in developing a reflective practice, where they will codify their learning through written

reflections and create plans to make their growth and development actionable.

Qualifications

Passionate commitment to the mission of Uncommon Schools;

Passionate commitment to improve the minds, characters, and lives of students both in and out of school;

Ability to strategically manage and prioritize time and tasks effectively to fully meet the needs of their school, with a lens towards systems thinking;

Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment; flexible, able to work autonomously as well as take direction as needed;

Comfort with managing ambiguous situations and moving to clarity/solution;

Ability to learn something new and/or “do what it takes” to ensure the school receives high-quality operations despite obstacles;

Proactive, strategic problem-solver who is able to work successfully in a fast-paced environment, often while balancing competing priorities;

High-quality communication and relationship-building skills with multiple partners including teachers, students, families, vendors, and colleagues;

Ability to have difficult conversations in a respectful manner;

Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Office, Word, Excel and Access;

Dedication to self-reflection and continual professional growth; approaches every experience as a chance to learn and grow and understands that introspection and the outward expression of that learning is essential to leadership;

School-based or other educational experience preferred;

Experience managing others preferred;

Required experience

4 or more years of work experience;

At least 1 year of experience in operations leadership (experience in K-12 school operations is preferred)

At least 1 year of experience coaching, leading, and/or managing others (e.g., Special Projects Manager, Associate Director