Director of Operations Fellow

Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing, public charter schools providing an outstanding K-12 education in historically under-resourced communities. We have proudly built schools that reflect our student population, with two-thirds of our teachers and staff across our network identifying as a person of color. Uncommon currently manages 52 schools serving 19,000 students in five cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark, and Rochester. We are proud that Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at five times the rate of their peers nationally. We achieve this by offering strong academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional learning that prepares students for success in college and beyond.

We are always looking for excellent school leadership talent. While we are still confirming hiring needs for the upcoming school year, we welcome your application so you can express your interest in this role and so we can begin the conversation about future opportunities that may arise.

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. We design, implement, and refine systems that anticipate the needs of our school community. As service-oriented leaders, we tackle problems, share standard methodologies across campuses, and respond to urgent needs. We 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 Fellowship Deliverables and School Immersion; Evaluation and Feedback; Operations Leadership Meetings, and Professional Development.

The DOO Fellowship typically lasts one year; however, flexibility is key as the fellowship can range from a couple of weeks (due to a mid-year transition) to more than a year (if an opening is unavailable [more common in smaller regions] or if the Fellow would benefit from additional time to develop). 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. 

Fellowship Deliverables and School Immersion

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 Uncommon-wide operations projects, and conduct observations and analysis of operational systems. Fellows are responsible for completing a variety of pre-determined deliverables designed to provide active learning that supports the development of their leadership. This includes an Immersion in which they act 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.

Evaluation and Feedback

Fellows receive coaching and feedback from their Regional Superintendent of Operations and host DOO. This support is rooted in their Individualized Development Plans, which are customized around their strengths and areas of growth.

Operations Leadership Meetings

Fellows meet periodically with current DOOs, other Fellows in their region, and Fellows across all of Uncommon to share and problem solve around current cross-organization operational challenges and to build their network of current leaders. 

Professional Development

Starting in the summer, Fellows engage in professional development focusing on Cultural Leadership, Management, and Operational Leadership. Each session will be led by our experienced group of Regional Superintendents of Operations, Home Office teams, and a select group of external partners. Some examples of professional development sessions provided to our Fellows are Leadership, Time & Task Management, Team Management & Progress Monitoring, Systems Building, Communication, Building Trust & Rapport with Staff & Families.

• Passionate commitment to the mission of Uncommon Schools and investment in our vision for being an anti-racist organization;
• 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;
  • Project planning experience, with proven ability to see large projects through to completion;
  • A Bachelor’s degree.

Our people are what makes us Uncommon.  We believe our compensation philosophy and benefits should reflect our values—equity, transparency, and clarity—to enhance our ability to attract and retain talent and reward their expertise.  Our staff receive best-in-class training, coaching, and support to develop and operate mission-driven schools that provide a high-quality education to our students and families.

Compensation for this position: The starting compensation for this role based in Rochester is $83,000. We expect that most candidates will start at this salary, but starting pay will depend on various factors that may include but are not limited to professional experience, education, training, certifications, tenure with Uncommon Schools, and work location. Because we value staff tenure in each role, we do not currently cap salary ranges. Please note: ranges may differ for staff who work from a location other than Rochester.

Benefits: We offer comprehensive, flexible, and competitive benefits that support the personal health, wellness, and finances of our staff and their families.

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building an exceptional team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. We also strive to ensure an inclusive community by creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students. As an equal opportunity employer, Uncommon provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We also ensure that individuals with disabilities receive all privileges and benefits associated with employment and are provided reasonable accommodations for the interview process and to perform core job functions. If you would like to request an accommodation, please email [email protected].