Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating Officer 

Start Date: Immediate

Role Type: Full-Time, 12 month

Location: Washington, DC

FLSA Status: Exempt

DC Prep is a network of public charter schools serving over 2,100 preschool through 8th grade students across six campuses in Wards 5, 7, and 8. While we're proud to be the highest-performing public charter network in Washington, D.C., we recognize that how we support our students to be successful is as important as the results we achieve. That pushes us to reflect on questions such as how we can facilitate our students' academic, social, and emotional development; how we can support our team members' professional growth and personal ability to do this work long-term; and how we can engage our students' families as our own. While this work is hard, it's worth it — we believe in the transformative power of education, the can-do-it-ness of our students and staff, and the joy that comes from engaging in meaningful work with people we care about and trust.

The Opportunity

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) ensures that every campus in the network runs smoothly, safely, and efficiently, so that operations serve DC Prep’s mission by ensuring that school leaders and teachers can focus on instruction and students can focus on learning. But this role is bigger than keeping the lights on: DC Prep is ready to modernize how operations work — creating systems and tools that free up staff time and attention for the things that matter most: kids and relationships. The next COO will bring a vision for people-centered operations that are powered by better data, modern enterprise tools, and thoughtful use of AI — and will help build the routines and systems that help the whole organization learn and collaborate more effectively.

The COO owns the operational backbone of the network across all six campuses: campus-level operations, network-wide operational systems, facilities, and technology. This is a role for someone who treats operational excellence as a form of care for students, their families, and DC Prep's staff — and who also sees the bigger opportunity to reimagine how a mission-driven organization operates.

The COO is a member of the network's executive team and partners closely with the CEO, the Chief Schools Officer, and fellow Chiefs to ensure operations enable — never constrain — the network's academic and cultural priorities. The COO manages a Senior Director of Operations, a Director of Technology, a Director of Facilities & Business Operations, and a Director of Operations. These leaders manage Home Office and Campus-based employees. 

Who You Are

You are a problem-solver and a do-er. You have a deep curiosity for why things are the way they are and what it would take to make them better. You like puzzles, and you excel at breaking complicated issues into solvable parts — you ask questions, seek advice, and create a plan to act on what you've learned. Puzzles take patience, persistence, creativity, and a sense of humor, and you stick with them.

You've earned a reputation as a thoughtful and rigorous operator, and you're awfully good at getting things done through people because you understand what matters to them. People trust you — you're experienced, you do the work to stay well-informed, you tell it like it is, and you do what you say you'll do.

You're energized by the opportunity to modernize how a busy organization runs — deeply learning what introducing new tools and systems thoughtfully, with an eye toward what will actually make people's day-to-day easier and more connected, not just what's newest. 

You are an effective manager and coach, regularly sought out by current and former colleagues for work advice. You take pride in the high-performing, cohesive teams you've built. And you believe deeply that all students deserve an excellent education, and that too few receive that today.

The Day-to-Day

Responsibilities of the Chief Operating Officer will include but are not limited to:

Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a member of the executive team, contributing to the overall strategic direction of DC Prep
• Drive key cross-functional strategic decisions — e.g., re-enrollment, facilities, safety, technology roadmap — that must align with DC Prep's long-term priorities
• Model and reinforce DC Prep's culture and Values in every interaction, especially in moments when doing so is inconvenient
• Build and maintain an operations culture where DC Prep’s Values shape daily practice and every team member understands how their work advances DC Prep's strategic priorities and outcomes for Preppies. 
• Build trust and relationships with campus-based staff directly, not only through your direct reports
• Contribute actively to Board meetings and materials beyond your own portfolio
• Mentor and develop leaders across the network, regardless of whether they sit in your reporting line — DC Prep's bench strength is a shared responsibility of every Chief
• Cultivate relationships with key external stakeholders (e.g., within PCSB, city agencies, facilities partners, peer networks) in a way that helps DC Prep “see around the corner” and informs strategy

Vision for Modern Operations

• Set a forward-looking vision for people-centered, data- and tech-powered operations — one that reduces manual burden on campus staff and gives leaders better real-time information to make decisions
• Lead a substantial upgrade of DC Prep’s Operations team’s systems, introducing modern enterprise tools where they replace outdated or fragmented processes
• Identify where AI can responsibly improve operational efficiency and decision-making — from administrative workflows to data analysis — while ensuring tools serve DC Prep's people and values, not the other way around
• Build and steward shared tools, routines, and practices (e.g., knowledge-sharing systems, cross-team communication & document storage norms) that help DC Prep learn faster and work better together as it grows

Campus Operations

• Manage and coach the Senior Director of Operations, ensuring they have the tools, training, and support to manage campus Operations Site Leaders (OSLs) to meet operational standards through culture and systems

      Through the Senior Director of Operations:

• Set clear, consistent operational standards across all campuses for materials management, safety, attendance tracking, arrival/dismissal, food service, transportation, procurement, and front-office systems so families and staff have a consistent, high-quality experience throughout the network
• Monitor operational health at each campus (attendance systems, enrollment logistics, vendor performance, budget management) and intervene early when a campus is struggling
• Own the network's re-enrollment strategy as an operational and strategic priority: identify where families are dropping off and why, set targets, and hold campus teams accountable to the plan
• Own the network's physical safety strategy — e.g., access control, campus security presence, visitor management, emergency preparedness & crisis response infrastructure, and coordination with local law enforcement and emergency services — going beyond compliance with drills and protocols so that every campus-based leader knows their role to prevent things from going wrong and to respond appropriately in the event something happens
• Bring a forward-looking view on how the network's approach to safety should evolve as campuses and risks change, and make the case for investment before a gap becomes an incident

Facilities

• Set the network's vision for the look, feel, and function of its school buildings — what a family or staff member should experience walking into any campus, and what the space needs to enable instructionally and culturally — integrating the priorities of the other Chiefs
• Bring a point of view to the executive team on how facilities decisions (e.g., capital improvements) should inform, and be informed by, the network's strategic priorities (e.g., program evolution, enrollment, talent retention, financial sustainability)
• Manage and coach the Director of Facilities, ensuring they have the tools, training, and support to manage campus Facilities team members to ensure buildings are safe, clean and well-maintained

      Through the Director of Facilities:

• Own DC Prep’s facilities strategy: maintenance, capital improvements, custodial services, and long-term space planning
• Manage relationships with landlords, contractors, and facilities vendors; negotiate and oversee facilities-related contracts
• Ensure all campuses meet health, safety, and code compliance standards, and lead responses to facilities emergencies
• Plan and execute facilities projects (e.g., renovations, moves) in partnership with the CEO and CFO

Technology

• Manage and coach the Director of Technology, ensuring they have the tools, training, and support to manage the Tech team to deliver on the team’s core work and strategic projects

      Through the Director of Technology:

• Create and refine a multi-year technology roadmap (instructional, operational, infrastructure), using it to shape budget and planning conversations proactively
• Ensure every campus has reliable, well-supported technology, and that staff and students are trained to use it effectively
• Own data security and cybersecurity practices network-wide, including staff training, risk assessment, incident response planning, and vendor due diligence for any system touching student or staff data
• Evaluate and manage vendor relationships and contracts for technology tools and services
• Partner with network and school-based leaders and the data team to ensure technology decisions are driven by instructional and operational need

Network Operations

• Manage and coach the Director of Operations, ensuring they have the tools, training, and support to deliver on core work and strategic projects

      Through the Director of Operations:

• Design and maintain the operations for systems used across campuses (e.g., tutoring, aftercare, extracurriculars, campus purchasing) in light of organizational priorities and Values
• Partner with Home Office teams on cross-functional operational needs (campus budgets, timekeeping, new staff onboarding, procurement policy, compliance calendars)
• Lead network-wide operational projects (e.g., national school lunch program, curriculum check-in/check-out) from planning through execution

Other Duties

This is a full-time, 12-month, exempt role that requires travel throughout the Washington, D.C. area and the ability and willingness to participate in early-morning, evening and weekend work, as needed in response to campus operational needs.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl
• Ability to frequently lift or move objects up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift or move objects up to 25 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus

Qualifications

• Unwavering commitment to DC Prep's Vision, Mission, and Values
• Exceptional strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills; willing to stick with challenges and try new approaches to get the right outcome
• High level of comfort with ambiguity and a builder's mindset — willing to both set strategy and roll up sleeves operationally; demonstrated ability to operate with a high degree of independence
• Excellent judgment, discretion, and ability to partner effectively with the CEO and executive team
• Proven ability to lead and develop a team of senior directors/managers across diverse functional areas
• Experience building or scaling systems and processes across multiple sites or locations and establishing the ongoing systems to progress monitor implementation
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex, concurrent workstreams
• Persuasive communicator; demonstrated track record of creating alignment on shared goals
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA, MPA, or related graduate degree strongly preferred
• 8+ years of progressively senior operations, finance, or general management experience, including at least 3 years in a senior leadership role
• Experience in K-12 education, charter schools, or another multi-site non-profit or mission-driven organization strongly preferred

Compensation and Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability insurance; maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; flexible spending accounts; and a 403(b) retirement plan

We're an equal opportunity employer and hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.