Location: Houston, TX, United States Share: Apply Now Save Job Saved Description Job Description POSITION: 25-26 Managing Director of School Operations - Elementary REPORTS TO: Chief Operations Officer POSITION TYPE: 12-month START DATE: July 1, 2025 COMPENSATION: $119,363 - $149,204, Home Office Grade 12 At YES Prep, work for a mission that impacts the life trajectory of students and their families. YES Prep creates pathways to extraordinary opportunity through best-in-class development, competitive compensation and benefits, and recognition for your impact. Grow as an authentic leader and be part of a high-performing, team-oriented culture. Some quick stats about us: * 24,700 Students * 2,400 Team Members * 15 Secondary Campuses * 10 Elementary Campuses * 92% Students Who Qualify for Free/Reduced-Price Lunch * 96% Hispanic & African-American Students * 90% Students Who Are Accepted to a 4-Year University * 88% First-Generation College Students * Ranked in the Top 100 High Schools in the Nation, U.S. News & World Report We serve the students of Houston, Texas, the 4th largest city across the United States. There are over 20 public-school districts and other great public charter school options within Houston's city limits serving our increasing population. We are a rapidly growing organization, committed to creating life-changing opportunities for over 23,000 students by 2025. THE OPPORTUNITY YES Prep needs a dynamic Managing Director of School Operations - Elementary with a robust set of experiences, to make our mission a reality. As a YES Prep employee, you will achieve jaw-dropping results, create pathways to opportunity for our students, and build transformative relationships. To put it simply, you will lead a team that directly manages and supports campus-based operations teams, ensuring efficient, safe, and high-performing environments where students and staff thrive. This leader will implement best practices, develop scalable systems, and coach operational leaders to create an exceptional elementary experience for students and families. THE ROLE When you join the YES Prep team, some of the work and responsibilities will include: Leadership & Strategy * Collaborating with Home Office teams and campus leaders to design and execute operational strategies aligned with YES Prep's elementary growth.; * Leading a team of Directors of School Operations and all elementary campuses and act as a thought leader on elementary operations, identifying and addressing unique challenges at the pre-K-5 level; * Overseeing and coaching Directors of School Operations (DSOs) to ensure all elementary campuses achieve and exceed key performance indicators, including enrollment, attendance, safety, and budget management; * Serving as a strategic advisor to the Chief Operating Officer & Deputy Chief of Operations and members of the Operations Leadership Team on elementary-specific initiatives, policies, and long-term planning. Enrollment: * Achieving and maintaining 100% student enrollment across all elementary campuses by collaborating with the student recruitment and enrollment team around strategy and implementation campuses no later than October 31 (snapshot date); * Ensuring 99% of seats remain filled throughout the school year. Attendance: * Achieving an average daily attendance (ADA) rate of at least 95% across elementary campuses; * Implementing effective Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention plans, reducing chronic absenteeism by at least 10% compared to the prior year. Safety and Security: * Partnering with Safety and Security to develop age-appropriate safety protocols and provide ongoing training for campus staff to ensure there are strong support systems in place for campuses; * Achieving a Tier 1 rating (90%+) on the Safety & Security Operations Scorecard at all elementary campuses; * Supporting campus teams and streamline communication and actions around crisis response; * Ensuring all campuses complete 100% of mandated safety drills and emergency response trainings before deadlines. Budget and Fiscal Management: * Developing, managing and forecasting the budget for the Elementary School Operations; * Ensuring all elementary campuses operate within 95-100% of their allocated budgets while maintaining alignment with district financial policies; * Identifying cost-saving measures to increase operational efficiency by at least 5% year-over-year. Systems and Process Optimization Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): * Creating, implementing, and maintaining elementary-specific standard operating procedures, ensuring clarity, consistency, and scalability; * Ensuring all campuses implement SOPs with at least 90% fidelity, as evaluated through mid-year audits. Start-of-School Readiness: * Achieve 100% of operational readiness goals (e.g., hiring, facilities, and resource distribution) across all campuses before the start of the 2025-2026 school year. Project Management & Implementation: * Completing 90% of Home Office-led initiatives for elementary campuses on time and within scope such as master scheduling, technology implementation, uniform standards, meet the teacher night, etc.; * Driving the implementation of systems and tools that streamline communications, scheduling, and resource allocation for elementary schools; * Streamlining School Operations communication within the Home Office and to campuses; * Lead cross-functional initiatives to ensure smooth campus start-up and ongoing operational readiness and business continuity. Impact and Excellence Excellence in Operations: * Ensuring that 100% of elementary campuses are equipped to meet the needs of all learners, including compliance with accommodations and supports. Talent Development * Providing professional development for 100% of DCOs, with at least 80% meeting or exceeding performance benchmarks by the year's end; * Developing and leading a pipeline program to recruit, train, and retain exceptional campus operations leaders for elementary schools; * Providing targeted coaching and professional development to the School Operations team to promote accountability and ensure all campuses reach Operations goals; * Collaborating with HR and recruitment teams to align hiring processes with the unique needs of elementary campuses. * Additional duties as assigned. THE PERSON We need someone who wants to win for students and will be relentless in their pursuit to do so. Our elementary business unit is rapidly growing, and we need a leader who doesn't use growth as an excuse to dilute excellence. Instead, they see growth as an opportunity to strengthen systems, deepen culture, and scale impact. The ideal candidate is a bold and strategic operator who thrives in fast-paced, high-accountability environments. They are committed to delivering outstanding service to schools and families, anticipate needs before they surface, and approach challenges with creativity, urgency, and precision. They believe that operational excellence is a critical lever for student success and view every logistical detail, policy, and system as an opportunity to create a better experience for kids and teachers. They are a builder - someone who knows how to scale what works, fix what's broken, and design what's missing. They sweat the small stuff without losing sight of the big picture. They communicate clearly, lead decisively, and coach others to higher standards while modeling continuous learning. Above all, this leader understands that students deserve world-class operations every single day and that excellence at scale is not only possible - it's non-negotiable. We are looking for leaders with broad talents and a passion for operational excellence. We seek staff with a multitude of backgrounds, talents, interests, and ideas. Certain traits consistently shine through for our most successful employees: passion for the mission, drive for results, care for students, and resilience. Other traits needed and desired for this role are: THE MUST HAVES * A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution or equivalent experience and 3+ years of leadership experience in operations, administration, or school management OR 7+ years of director-level experience or higher in operations or an adjacent field * Demonstrated success in managing large-scale initiatives and meeting ambitious goals. * A strong commitment to YES Prep's mission of eliminating educational inequities. * Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment. * Ability to work outside of normal hours and on weekends * Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback * Ability to maintain emotional control under stress * Ability to work urgently in a fast-paced and results-oriented environment * Creates and maintains positive working relationships on a team and/or in a highly collaborative environment * A dedication to learn, grow, and develop as a professional THE MUST HAVE BELIEFS * Belief in and commitment to the mission and core values of YES Prep Public Schools * Scoreboards matter. We play to win for students and for YES. * Desire to disrupt systemic status quos in education * Willingness to go above and beyond to disrupt said status quos * Passion to develop resiliency through a relentless pursuit of jaw-dropping results * Conviction that high expectations + high accountability = high performance and high growth THE NICE TO HAVES * Master's degree in education, business, or a related field. * Bilingual (Spanish) * Experience leading operations at the elementary level. * Background in talent development and coaching. THE PERKS * Compensation - This position is an exempt, salaried position; offers commensurate with experience. * Health and Supplemental Insurance - A $0 monthly medical option that includes $600 towards a Health Savings Account, in addition to a variety of supplemental benefits including Dental, Vision, Disability, Life, etc. Employees must work 20+ hours a week to be eligible for a full spectrum of benefits, and 10 hours a week minimum for medical benefits. * Retirement Plans - Participation in Teacher Retirement System of Texas and a 457b Retirement Plan. * Paid Time Off - Employees working 20+ hours a week receive 15 days of Paid Time Off in addition to the system closures during the Academic Calendar. * Paid Leave Programming - In the event you need to be out due to medical needs (including maternity and paternity leave), YES Prep offers paid leave, paid out at 100%, based on eligibility and tenure. * Professional Development - YES Prep values longevity and performance over time. We invest in developing leaders through high-quality programs, effective coaching, and ongoing professional development. * Award Winning Culture - The strong cultures of our campuses and Home Office are just one of many reasons we were named Houston's Best Place To Work in 2018, 2019, and 2021. We won the 2012 Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education and were a 2016 finalist as well YES Prep is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. Share: Apply Now