Director, Operations Excellence

About the role

This role directs school operations to deliver a rigorous, whole-child education for every scholar. Success Academy balances immediate operational needs with long-term organizational strategy across a growing network.

Leaders set direction and build the conditions for their teams to succeed. They hire, coach, and hold people accountable. Leadership work spans strategy, communication, and decision making. Effective leaders give clear context and remove obstacles for the people who report to them. Leadership roles are measured by team outcomes, retention, and delivery. Most organizations expect leaders to be visible, predictable, and generous with context.

Key facts

What you'll do

Operational standards and accountability measures are established and maintained across the network to ensure consistent, high-quality execution.

Leadership capability is developed by coaching leaders of leaders to strengthen the depth and effectiveness of the operations organization.

Operational talent is identified, developed, and retained to sustain a high-performing school operations function.

Future operational needs are anticipated, and capabilities are built proactively to support growth and change.

Large-scale operational transformation efforts and cross-functional initiatives are led with clear ownership and aligned priorities.

The primary operational thought partnership is provided to network leadership to inform decisions and strategy.

Stakeholders are aligned on priorities, resources, timelines, and expected outcomes to improve execution.

Operational budgets are overseen to ensure responsible management of resources and alignment with school needs.

Financial expectations are communicated, and forecasting, reporting, and accountability systems are managed in partnership with Finance.

Investments and staffing decisions are aligned with organizational priorities and school needs to strengthen operational performance.

Systems, standards, and processes are evaluated to identify opportunities for simplification, efficiency, and consistency.

Tools, workflows, and standards are designed and implemented to improve execution and support scaling.

Data, technology, and innovation are leveraged to enhance operational outcomes and continuous improvement.

Requirements

A Bachelor's degree is required.

A minimum of 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, education, consulting, military leadership, hospitality, retail, healthcare, or other complex multi-site environments is required.

Nice to have

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.

Skills & tools

General knowledge of school operations, organizational design, and performance management systems.

Familiarity with data systems and tools used for performance tracking and continuous improvement.

Understanding of cross-functional collaboration in a large educational organization.

Practical notes

Success Academy Charter Schools is an equal opportunity employer.

Typical interview steps

Leadership hiring usually includes a strategy case, a people scenario, and a values conversation. Candidates may be asked to turn around a struggling team or plan for growth. Past results are examined closely, especially how decisions were made. Interviewers dig into specific decisions you made and their consequences. Preparing two or three decision stories with numbers and lessons is the best use of time.

Career growth

Leadership careers move from manager to senior manager, director, and executive roles. Each step adds more scope and more responsibility for outcomes. The best leaders keep learning how to delegate, communicate, and decide. Leadership careers reward a record of building and developing people. The higher you go, the more your communication shapes the whole organization.

Questions to ask

Worth asking in any interview: how the team measures success, who the role works with daily, what the onboarding looks like, and what the company is trying to achieve this year. Asking what past hires did well is a strong final question. Keep the list short and pick the questions that matter most to you.