Director of Operations, New York, NY (on-site)
Salary Range: $95,00 - 115,000
Reports to: Head of School
The School
As New York City's only charter high school that is both a transfer school and a fully embedded community school in partnership with The Door. BSA serves over-age, under-credited students who deserve rigorous academic pathways alongside comprehensive wraparound support. The Director of Operations will serve as the strategic architect of our non-academic functions. This leader will design, oversee, and optimize the critical compliance, facility, logistical, financial, and purchasing systems that power BSA, while managing the operations team to ensure a seamless, high-service experience
The Moment
BSA stands at a pivotal inflection point and is focused on resetting academic expectations. We are in an active turnaround phase focused on stabilization, systems-building, and cultural reset. Our Director of Operations will be a critical leadership team member responsible for driving organizational stability, ensuring all school systems are legally compliant, and building a welcoming, operationally seamless environment.
The Opportunity
BSA's Director of Operations will have the opportunity to:
Build. Design, establish, and institutionalize highly efficient school-wide systems-spanning finance, procurement, facility management, and foundational HR processes, including leading initial hiring logistics and staff onboarding-to support the academic mission while maintaining strict budget alignment
Lead. Empower, coach, and manage the operations team (including the Operations Manager) to deliver exceptional customer service, maintain clean and safe facilities, and foster a welcoming environment for students, families, and staff.
Reimagine. Standardize complex school-wide logistics, emergency readiness, and vendor relations, proving that rigorous operational infrastructure directly enriches the community school experience.
Integrate. Align all school-wide compliance, student records, and safety protocols with charter authorizers, NYCDOE, and state agencies, ensuring the school is always fully compliant and audit-ready.
Transform. Partner closely with the Head of Schools as a strategic advisor to steer the school's organizational turnaround, successfully turning operational pain points into repeatable, sustainable successes.
Core Responsibilities
Operational Systems & Turnaround Architecture
Design, build, and scale robust operational trackers and standardized workflows from scratch to stabilize a fast-paced turnaround environment.
Oversee long-term facility plans, manage critical preventative maintenance, and drive the resolution of escalated physical plant issues in partnership with onsite facilities teams.
Strategize and institutionalize reliable school-wide routines, daily main office standards, technology distribution, and complex trip safety protocols.
Strategic Human Resources & Onboarding
Act as the strategic site lead for the hiring lifecycle, managing early-stage candidate logistics, screening protocols, and tracking.
Partner closely with the central Human Resources team to ensure seamless alignment on labor compliance, staff files, and site-level employee support.
Structure, refine, and execute a comprehensive, high-quality site welcome and onboarding experience to drive early retention and cultural alignment for all new hires.
Financial Oversight & Procurement
Actively manage the non-academic budget, monitoring spend parameters to ensure all physical and digital resources align strictly with fiscal allocations.
Oversee complex vendor contract negotiations, manage competitive bidding (RFPs), and establish tight tracking metrics for school-wide purchases.
Build structured payment, invoice, and purchase order tracking files to maintain 100% clean internal fiscal audits
Compliance, Student Records & Data Integrity
Direct rigorous data management processes to ensure absolute compliance with charter authorizers, NYCDOE, and state reporting structures (ATS, medical records, and immunizations).
Architect and mandate site emergency readiness, supervising compliant safety drill execution (Evacuations, Shelter-In, Lockdowns) and emergency binder updates.
What Success Looks Like in 3 Years
Transformed school-wide operational workflows from reactive firefighting into highly structured, proactive, and institutionalized tracking systems that run flawlessly year-over-year.
Established a highly coordinated, welcoming onboarding pipeline that successfully integrates new hires, reduces early staff turnover, and serves as a model site-based partnership with the central HR team.
Achieved a stellar, zero-finding compliance track record with the NYCDOE, State Education Department, and charter authorizers, securing 100% clean audits across finance, student records, state immunizations, and emergency safety drills.
Implemented robust tracking networks, RFPs, and vendor controls that maximize resource utilization, ensure strict contract compliance, and keep the school consistently on or under budget.
Mentored and developed a cohesive, high-service operational team (including the Operations Manager) that takes complete, proactive ownership of daily building logistics, front-office customer service, and facility maintenance.
Qualifications and Professional Requirements
Required
A proven track record of diagnosing operational inefficiencies and designing, building, and institutionalizing complex, scalable school-wide tracking systems from scratch.
High-capacity, solutions-oriented leader who excels in a turnaround environment; able to navigate ambiguity, turn persistent operational pain points into repeatable, structured workflows, and drive rapid stabilization.
Minimum of 5-7 years of professional operational management experience, preferably in a fast-paced school, non-profit, or complex public-sector environment.
Demonstrated success managing, coaching, and developing direct reports (such as an Operations Manager) to meet high-performance standards and build a cohesive, high-service team culture.
Experience managing complex organizational budgets, negotiating vendor contracts, overseeing procurement processes, and designing robust Request for Proposal (RFP) structures.
Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with a proven ability to present operational data and interface strategically with school leadership, board members, and external authorizing agencies.
Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Education Leadership, or a related field (Master's preferred).
Preferred
Deep, working knowledge of NYC Charter center requirements, NYCDOE compliance structures, ATS, FAMIS, and state reporting databases.
Prior experience leading operations or finance within a turnaround school or an organization undergoing rapid change/stabilization.
Familiarity or alignment with the principles of youth development and community school models serving vulnerable or transfer-school student populations.