Senior Director of Operations

Grace Church School; New York (NY); On-site; USD 175,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Grace Church School seeks a Senior Director of Operations responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations. This full-time position requires strong leadership, organizational skills, and a commitment to excellent school operations, ensuring compliance and managing facilities effectively while aligning with the school's mission and values.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of experience in institutional operations, preferably at an independent school.
• Excellent project management, organizational, and communication skills.
• Strong financial acumen with demonstrated ability to develop and manage a budget.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations, including facilities, maintenance, security, and food service.
• Ensure compliance with governmental regulations and oversee implementation of security programs.
• Collaborate with school leadership to ensure auxiliary programs align with the school's mission.

Skills

Project Management

Negotiation

Communication

Analytical Skills

Financial Acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Google Suite

Job description

REPORTS TO:CFO/COO

CLASSIFICATION:EXEMPT

DIRECT REPORTS:DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & AUXILIARY PROGRAMS

SUMMARY:

The Senior Director of Operations is responsible for Grace Church School’s day-to-day operations, including but not limited to facilities, maintenance, auxiliary programs, food service, and school safety. Driven, with an entrepreneurial spirit, resourceful, innovative, forward thinking and committed, successful candidates will have the energy and ambition to develop Grace Church School’s operations and auxiliary programs to the highest degree of excellence. The candidate will be organized, attentive to detail, and motivated by authentic interest in the experience of the participants in all School activities. The candidate will be an independent and strategic thinker capable of understanding the full scope of projects while seeing individual tasks through completion. The candidate will also be a creative self-starter who brings wisdom, perspective, confidence, and excellent problem-solving skills to the position. The ideal candidate will have familiarity with the operation of independent schools and a commitment to maintaining and growing the school’s existing operations.

ABOUT GRACE CHURCH SCHOOL

Grace Church School is a JK–12, independent school located on two nearby campuses in downtown New York City. An Episcopal school, welcoming children of all faiths and of none, Grace believes in the inherent, precious dignity of every individual and seeks to provide an outstanding education worthy of our common humanity. Successful candidates will demonstrate a commitment to the Episcopal values of dignity and belonging.

Grace is a school of big ideas, and our structured curriculum promotes academic excellence through a pedagogy of joy: an approach that reflects our belief that joy is the fuel of academic achievement, and that students learn best when motivated by delight, wonder, curiosity, and purpose. We work hard to nurture a culture of dignity and belonging, and we seek to foster in each student skills of intellectual excellence and habits of ethical virtue. Grounded in tradition, the school remains ever open to innovation, looking to the best research on the science of learning and the craft of teaching to advance the timeless values and aspirations of our mission. In the high school division, students are challenged to reach their full potential, ask essential questions, and wrestle with complex ideas, working to solve real-world problems, and participate in the interconnected global community.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities and duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Oversee the daily operation of the office staff, facilities/maintenance, security, food service, and all auxiliary programs

• Oversee all facilities management, which includes all building repairs, construction, moves, gardening, janitorial and custodial functions, and relations with renting organizations and neighbors.

• Work with the Director of Facilities on selection of contractors and other vendors as needed and manage the fulfillment of their contract obligations, including quality control of their work.

• Develop and support implementation of the school security program campus-wide.
• Participate constructively in the strategic development and management of the campus (e.g. master plan, zoning compliance, utilities services, energy management).
• Ensure compliance with governmental regulations and changing regulatory environments by staying current on laws and regulations that may affect compliance.
• Oversee implementation of information technology systems to establish efficient tracking of facilities usage, financial records, and maintenance issues.
• Work with Division Heads, Assistant Head of School, and School Nurses to ensure that all program staff are trained in health and safety policies as appropriate.
• Oversee all aspects of campus facility rentals, including policies, protocols and procedures for facilities usage, and pricing for all events and programs on Grace Church School’s campus beyond the regular school day.
• Collaborate with school leadership, administration, and faculty to ensure all auxiliary programs align with Grace Church School’s mission and philosophy and use School space in alignment with existing bond requirements.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the CFO/COO or Head of School.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty to the satisfaction of the Head of School and CFO/COO. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Minimum Qualifications:

The qualifications listed below are representative of knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required to perform essential functions of the job:

• 5–7 years of experience in institutional operations, preferably at an independent school, demonstrating current and thorough knowledge of regulations, applicable laws, trends, best practices and new developments in the field
• Excellent project management and organizational skills
• Knowledge and skill to negotiate and manage contracts
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to quickly and regularly adjust strategy based on the school’s needs
• Experience with Microsoft Office products and Google Suite
• A high level of integrity and an extraordinary work ethic
• Strong financial acumen with demonstrated ability to develop and manage a budget
• Well-developed collaborative work style; ability to interact with employees at all levels of the community
• Bachelor’s degree required

Physical Requirements

• Ability to walk for long periods of time around campus
• Ability to lift and/or move up to 30 pounds
• Ability to climb stairs
• Ability to sit at a desk working on a computer

Compensation

This is a full-time faculty position with an expected base salary of $175,000 - $200,000. commensurate with education and experience on the faculty salary scale.

Grace Church School is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that equity and inclusion are not only hallmarks of a just society, but also virtues essential to sound learning. Our commitment to antiracism, equity, and belonging calls on all faculty members to promote a culture of dignity and belonging for everyone at Grace by recognizing and honoring the unique gifts of its students, families, faculty, and staff. We encourage applications from candidates with broad and diverse backgrounds and from individuals of all races, nationalities, identities, and religious and non-religious traditions, and beliefs.

To apply, submit a cover letter and resume through our school website.