SY 25-26 Founding Director of School Operations

School Year 2025-2026; South Brooklyn- Brooklyn, NY

Full-Time / On-Site / Start Date - Immediate Hire

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Specific Responsibilities:

The Director of Operations reports directly to the Principal and is responsible for ensuring the
effective management of the non-instructional functions of the school. The Director of
Operations manages admissions, facilities, student records, food services, Human Resources,
Vendors, as well as all academic scheduling and grades. The Director of Operations serves on
the Leadership team and supervises the operations team as it grows over time. Responsibilities
include:
● Maintains system to address facility needs.
● Manages all classroom spaces, including set-up and break-down at beginning
and end of year, respectively.
● Oversees school environment to ensure that it is ready and safe for students on a
daily basis.
● Works closely with the Principal and finance team to ensure development of and
adherence to annual budget.

● Ensure Operations team maintains warm “customer service” atmosphere,
welcoming to teachers, families, and visitors.
● Oversees all standardized testing at school.
● Oversees all scheduling and programming of classes, manage all academic data,
generate report cards.
● Works closely with the Principal to organize and analyze academic data.
● Manages contracted services including finance and technology. “Owns”
relationships with these partners and is responsible for ensuring that MESA’s
standards of quality are maintained.
● Manages all student records, including enrollment and lottery protocol.
● With School Director and Co-Executive Directors, manages MESA’s annual report.
● Serves as MESA’s lead on annual audit, working with contracted finance office
and accounting services.
● Manages school meals
● Ensures compliance with Department of Health standards
● Oversees all compliance report via NYCDOE and NYSED, including BEDS reporting.
Tracks information and announcements from Charter Schools Weekly email and
ensures prompt follow-through on those.
● “Owns” relationship with Powerschools, e-file, cabinet or any other SIS vendor,
working closely with Senior Manager of Data and Analytics. Responsible for all
exporting of data, maintenance of data systems, and troubleshooting.
● Oversees handling of all Human Resources administration, including all paperwork
for new hires and exit interviews and paperwork for terminations
● Selects and manages relationships with vendors/brokers and manages enrollment
of health plans and retirement plans for all staff
● Selects and manages relationships with vendors/brokers for school-wide insurance
policies per approval by the Co-Executive Directors
● Manages all compliance responsibilities including Titles I-V, teacher certification
and fingerprinting, safety, fire drill coordinator, health, software compliance,
COBRA letters, student lottery, annual Sexual Harassment seminar, and any legal
issues
● Manages compliance related to By-Laws and charter renewal
● Other duties, as assigned by the Principal

Qualifications:

● Minimum Bachelor’s degree, Master’s Degree or other advanced degree
preferred.
● Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in operations leadership roles, with direct
experience in NYC school operations.

● Self-starter with unparalleled sense of initiative. You welcome the opportunity to
solve thorny problems that have bedeviled others.
● Deep sense of personal accountability and willingness to foster accountability in
others. Eagerness to “own” all of MESA’s operations across all domains.
● Strong ability to communicate and develop relationships.
● Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work
collaboratively across multiple campuses and teams.
● Proven track-record of leading and developing employees and teams.
● Proven track-record of high achievement across operational functions (e.g. HR,
finance, compliance) and commitment to accountability.
● Belief in and alignment with MESA’s core beliefs and educational philosophy.
● Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Fujianese speakers are a strong plus.

Salary
$100,000 - $125,000 based on experience.
Our Commitment:

MESA is committed to attracting, hiring and retaining a diverse and inclusive staff. It is MESA’s policy to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, national origin, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, genetic information, citizenship status, uniformed service member or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

How to Apply:

Please email your resume and cover letter explaining specifically why you would
be a good fit for MESA to Arthur Samuels, Executive Director, at hiring@mesacharter.org with
the subject heading “25-26 Founding Director of Operations” APPLY BY EMAIL ONLY. Due to
the nature of the position and the volume of applications received, MESA will not be able to
reply to all submissions. MESA will contact candidates with next steps.

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