School Operations Fellowship for The Ewing Marion Kauffman School

Posted by: Koya Leadership Partners

Posted date: 2/25/2012

Location: Kansas City, MO

Position: School Operations Fellowship
Organization: The Ewing Marion Kauffman School
Location: Kansas City, MO

Summary:
The Ewing Marion Kauffman School (Kauffman School) seeks a dedicated and highly competent School Operations Fellow (Operations Fellow). The School Operations Fellowship is a one-year residency designed to prepare individuals to become a Director of Operations at the Kauffman School. The Fellow will report to and work alongside the school’s current Director of Operations, learning to manage day-to-day operations at the Kauffman School as well as gaining an understanding of the principles and practices that guide the Kauffman School and other high performing charter schools across the country.

By 018, the Kauffman School will grow to two middle schools and one high school, serving more than 1,100 students. The Kauffman School looks to its Operations Fellow to support this growth through the one-year fellowship and then as Director of Operations at a Kauffman school.

Fellowship Overview and Activities:
The Operations Fellowship equips a Fellow with the tools and tenacity to run a Kauffman school’s day-to-day activities. After the fellowship, the Fellow will help with the startup of a new middle school and assume the Director of Operations role. Components of the fellowship include residency within the current Kauffman School, readings, school visits, and tailored professional development.

School Residency
There is no better way to learn a job than to participate in its daily functions. During the residency, the Operations Fellow will work closely with the Kauffman School’s current Director of Operations—shadowing at times and leading independently at others. The Fellow will observe and learn the systems, structures, and culture of the school. S/he will be involved in the day-to-day operational decisions of the school, review and evaluate operational systems and contracts, learn to manage compliance reporting schedules, and complete assignments designed to ensure that the Fellow is ready to assume leadership.

Readings and School Visits
The Kauffman School’s founding team researched and collected best practices from high-performing charter schools across the country. The Operations Fellow will learn from this body of knowledge, conduct additional research, and participate in visits to several high-performing schools.

Professional Development
Throughout the residency, the Fellow will receive development tailored to his/her personal growth and experience in the following areas:

Data Analysis, Compliance, and Reporting
Operations Role in School Culture and Academic Performance
Day-to-Day Management
Affiliate Services Management
Contract Services-Transportation, Food Services, Technology, and Facilities
Finance and Accounting
Human Resources

The professional development will be a combination of coaching from the current Director of Operations and training from external partners with expertise in these areas.

Affiliate Services
As an affiliate entity of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Kauffman School receives management support from the Foundation in the areas of finance and accounting, human resources, legal, information technology, and marketing and public relations. The Director of Operations works closely with the Kauffman Foundation in the proper execution of these services for the school.

Desired Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree strongly preferred
At least 3 years of operations and/or project management experience demonstrating successful results
Prior experience working in schools, urban communities, and/or fast paced entrepreneurial environments
High comfort level with data analysis and prior experience with using data to support decisions
Successful experience leading adults
Commitment and complete belief in the Kauffman School’s mission and organizational success
Ability to take feedback well and implement changes immediately
Acute attention to detail coupled with the ability to think and act strategically
Entrepreneurial energy and ambition necessary to manage a startup
Ability to maintain a calm, professional demeanor in the face of competing
demands and external pressures
Personal qualities of maturity, humility, self-reflection, strong work ethic, and “whatever it takes” attitude

Compensation and Benefits:
The Kauffman School offers a competitive compensation package
commensurate with anticipated duties and responsibilities, including
comprehensive health benefits.

To Apply:
The Kauffman School has engaged Koya Leadership Partners to help in
this hire. Please send a tailored cover letter* and resume to Molly Brennan via our online application portal: http://www.refineapp.com/jobPosting/apply/527

Tailored Cover Letter
Your cover letter should address your interest in the School Operations Fellowship and prior experiences that make you a uniquely qualified candidate:

Highlight your experience working with students, urban communities, or in an entrepreneurial environment
Share an example of time you lead a team to a successful result
Provide specific evidence of your alignment with the Kauffman School’s
mission of "creating college graduates” and/or the Kauffman School’s
PREP Values.

The Kauffman School is an Equal Opportunity Employer, welcoming people to flourish in an open and inclusive work environment. A diverse pool of candidates is welcomed and encouraged.

About the Kauffman School:
The Kauffman School, a new public charter school established by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, opened on August 29, 2011 with its first class of 100 fifth graders. All students attending the Kauffman School live within the Kansas City, Missouri School District boundaries, and are specifically drawn from areas of the city with limited educational options. The school will add a new grade each year through 2018, eventually serving more than 1,100 students in grades five through twelve.
The Kauffman School is a rigorous college preparatory school. The school’s mission is summarized in three words: create college graduates. The school design is based on known best practices and inspiring examples of charter schools throughout the country that are helping urban students achieve at high academic levels. The Kauffman School has a longer school day and a longer school year. Students receive extended periods of math and language arts instruction each day. The school maintains high academic and behavioral standards. The school has a talented and dedicated staff and an intentional set of structures and systems—all of which focus on student achievement. The Kauffman School expects outstanding outcomes from its students and staff and believes in a “no excuses” approach to accelerating student academic growth.

History
For more than 20 years, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has supported and initiated programs to support public education in Kansas City. The Kauffman School marks a new chapter in the Foundation’s education work in Kansas City—a free and open public school embodying the lessons and practices gleaned from two decades of work to make the best possible educational options available to Kansas City’s children and families.
Prior to the opening of the school in August 2011 the school’s design team worked with educational leaders throughout the country to identify best practices in urban education. The school’s design is informed by exemplary schools such as Excel Academy and Boston Preparatory Academy in Massachusetts as well as management organizations such as KIPP, Uncommon Schools, and Achievement First. The Kauffman Foundation made a ten-year, $10 million commitment to ensure that the Kauffman School starts strong and is able to establish itself as a critical proof point in Kansas City.
The Kauffman School is currently led by a highly effective Principal and a strong founding team of teachers and staff, forming a group of committed educators willing to do “whatever it takes” for students to succeed. Teachers and staff at the Kauffman School ask much of themselves and their students and receive ongoing coaching and development from the Principal. The school has created a powerful culture of achievement and its operational systems are well-organized and managed.

About Koya Leadership Partners:
Koya Leadership Partners is a national retained search and consulting firm that works exclusively with non-profits and social enterprises. We deliver measurable results, finding exceptionally talented people who truly fit the unique culture of our client organizations. For more information about Koya Leadership Partners, visit www.koyapartners.com.

Job Title	School Operations Fellowship for The Ewing Marion Kauffman School
Post Details

Posted By	Koya Leadership Partners
Job Function
Start Date
Salary
Cell Phone
Email	mbrennan@koyapartners.com
Location	Kansas City, MO


Deadline

Category
Location	Location -> Missouri
County
Job Type	Job Type -> Full-time
Classification	Job Classification -> School Administration\Leadership