Job Description
Mission
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) provides strategic leadership and operational oversight to ensure that KIPP Nashville’s schools and support functions operate effectively and efficiently. The COO drives operational excellence, financial sustainability, and organizational growth while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence for our students and families.
Key Accountabilities
Smooth School Operations
Ensures every KIPP Nashville school is clean, warm and welcoming
Develops and executes a long-term operational strategy aligned with KIPP Nashville’s mission and growth plans.
Leads cross-functional collaboration to ensure operational goals support academic and enrollment objectives.
Builds and sustains strong relationships with school leaders, community partners, and external stakeholders.
Ensures every school has better than 95% daily attendance and lower than 10% chronic absenteeism.
Safe & Healthy Schools
Develop and implement crisis plans to ensure students remain safe through a variety of possible emergency scenarios.
Manage school safety team to ensure mission-aligned security for students for all school events.
Leads the school nursing team to ensure compliance and excellent customer service.
Ensure schools are prepared to operate in a variety of emergency situations, including extreme weather, power outages, and phone/technology disruptions.
Ensures all students receive nutritious, high-quality meals that support their well-being and learning.
Oversees food service operations to ensure efficiency, compliance, and high standards of service.
Improves meal and snack programs to meet student needs, support athletics, and promote healthy habits.
Reliable, Safe & Secure Technology
Ensures KIPP Nashville students and staff have the technology they need to effectively plan and deliver in their roles.
Manages our technology vendors to ensure strong customer service for our employees.
Ensures all KIPP Nashville technology and data is secured and that we have strong crisis plans in place.
Safe and Timely Transportation
Ensures safe, on-time, and reliable transportation services for students.
Monitors transportation efficiency and resolves issues proactively.
Partners with vendors and staff to maintain compliance with all transportation regulations.
Sparkling Buildings, Grounds & Maintenance
Oversees facility maintenance to ensure a safe, clean, and supportive learning environment.
Develops and executes long-term plans for capital improvements and preventative maintenance.
Ensures compliance with safety and regulatory standards for all buildings.
Maintains high cleanliness standards across all school facilities.
Ensures custodial teams have the resources and training needed to uphold excellence.
Monitors cleanliness metrics and responds swiftly to improvement needs.
Partnership with Authorizers
Maintain partnerships with all authorizers and ensure all schools and region remain in good standing
Manage and drive all charter applications, renewals, and reports due to authorizers on their unique calendars
Great Customer Service
Establishes a culture of exceptional service for students, families, and staff.
Implements systems to quickly and effectively resolve concerns and feedback.
Ensures all interactions with operations teams reflect professionalism and responsiveness.
Qualifications
Competencies
Strategic Thinking : Sets vision, anticipates challenges, and develops long-term solutions.
Operational Expertise : Demonstrates deep knowledge of school operations, finance, compliance, and facilities management.
Data-Driven Decision Making : Uses metrics and analytics to guide operational improvements.
People Leadership : Develops and motivates a team to achieve high performance.
Stakeholder Engagement : Builds strong relationships with internal and external partners.
Problem-Solving : Identifies and resolves complex challenges with innovative solutions.
Growth Mindset : Seeks and incorporates feedback continuously.
Performance Metrics
Operational Efficiency : Measured by key performance indicators such as transportation reliability, facility uptime, and budget adherence.
Financial Stewardship : Effective cost management and optimization of operational expenses.
Team Development : Employee retention, leadership pipeline development, and professional growth opportunities.
Regulatory Compliance : Successful audits and adherence to all legal requirements.
Desired Experience
2+ years of experience in senior regional operations leadership in a similarly sized charter school network required
3+ years of experience in school or similar operations leadership required
Full-time in-person role in Davidson County (Nashville area)
Additional Information
Our comprehensive compensation package includes life insurance and long-term disability coverage provided by KIPP Nashville, voluntary medical and dental plans, in addition to retirement benefits and an annual salary increase. To establish consistent salary practices, the compensation package is derived from the regional KIPP Nashville Public Schools pay scale. This position is exempt and will follow a 12-month schedule.
Please contact ** recruiting@kippnashville.org** with any questions.
KIPP Nashville is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual preference, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, pregnancy, or veteran status.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.