Chief Operating Officer

Hire Up Recruiting; United States; On-site; USD 225,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Holidays

PTO package

Performance-based incentive

Professional development and coaching

Job summary

Hire Up Recruiting is assisting a Montessori network in finding an experienced Chief Operating Officer to oversee operations across ~20 campuses. The role demands strong multisite leadership, financial acumen, and a passion for developing people and delivering exceptional experiences for children and families.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years of operating leadership, excels at building scalable systems and KPIs, and is comfortable traveling among sites.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive operating leadership experience.
• Significant multi-site management with multiple locations and leaders.
• Strong P&L, budgeting, and forecasting experience.
• Proven success improving performance across locations.
• Experience building scalable systems, KPIs, and accountability processes.
• Leadership, coaching, communication, and analytical skills.
• Experience in multi-location service business desirable.
• Willingness to travel regularly among school locations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the operational performance of all schools (~20) and set KPIs.
• Travel regularly among locations and stay engaged with operations.
• Develop Heads of School and other operational leaders.
• Drive enrollment, occupancy, retention, revenue, and profitability.
• Review P&Ls, labor costs, budgets, and performance.
• Identify underperforming schools and implement improvements.
• Establish scalable operating systems and dashboards.
• Ensure staffing, safety, facilities, licensing, and parent experience.
• Partner with Montessori and academic leadership to maintain quality.
• Develop leadership talent and succession plans.
• Support new openings, acquisitions, integrations, expansion.

Skills

Multisite leadership

P&L management

Budgeting & forecasting

Staff development

KPIs & dashboards

Job description

Our client is seeking an experienced and hands-on Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead operations across a growing network of Montessori schools serving children from infancy through early childhood. The ideal candidate will have strong multi-site leadership experience, financial and operational expertise, excellent communication skills, and a passion for developing people and delivering an exceptional experience for children and families.

Compensation

• $250,000/year, depending on experience and qualifications
• Meaningful performance-based incentive opportunity
• Paid Holidays
• PTO package
• Professional development and leadership support

Responsibilities

• Lead the operational performance of all schools (~20) and establish clear KPIs, goals, and accountability
• Travel regularly among school locations and remain highly engaged with school-level operations
• Lead and develop Heads of School and other operational leaders
• Drive enrollment, occupancy, retention, revenue, and school-level profitability
• Review school P&Ls, labor costs, budgets, and operating performance
• Identify underperforming schools and lead improvement and turnaround plans
• Establish scalable operating systems, processes, and performance dashboards
• Ensure consistent standards for staffing, safety, facilities, licensing, compliance, and parent experience
• Partner with Montessori and academic leadership to maintain strong program quality
• Develop leadership talent, succession plans, and a high-performance operating culture
• Support new school openings, acquisitions, integrations, and future expansion

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive operating leadership experience
• Significant multi-site management experience with multiple locations and operating leaders
• Strong P&L, financial management, budgeting, and forecasting experience
• Proven success improving performance across multiple locations
• Experience building scalable systems, KPIs, and accountability processes
• Strong leadership, coaching, communication, and analytical skills
• Experience in early childhood education, Montessori, childcare, private schools, healthcare, hospitality, retail, or another multi-location service business highly desirable
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, growth-oriented environment
• Ability to travel regularly among school locations
• Valid driver's license and ability to pass a background check

Why Join?

This is an exceptional opportunity for a proven multi-site operating leader to join a growing Montessori organization, build scalable infrastructure, develop high-performing leaders, and have a direct impact on the success of ~20 schools and the families they serve.