Job Description

The School Operations Manager (SOM) serves as the operational backbone of the campus. Reporting to the school‑based Director of School Operations, the SOM designs, implements, and continuously refines every non‑instructional system. By ensuring these functions run efficiently, safely, and in full compliance with district, state, and federal requirements, the SOM frees the principal and instructional staff to remain laser‑focused on teaching and learning. Acting as both strategist and hands‑on problem solver, the SOM collaborates daily with school leaders, teachers, support staff, vendors, families, and community partners to create a best‑in‑class operational environment that directly supports student achievement.

The responsibilities and essential functions of the role include:

Food Service Operations

• Oversee all aspects of school food service, including vendor management, meal quality, compliance, and daily operations to ensure students receive safe, nutritious meals.
• Manage relationships with food service vendors to ensure adherence to safety standards and continuous improvement in service quality and efficiency.
• Implement and maintain systems for accurate student meal identification and tracking (breakfast, lunch, supper, snack) in compliance with federal and state regulations.
• Establish and communicate clear meal procedures to staff, students, and families to ensure smooth and equitable meal distribution.
• Monitor meal service operations and dining schedules to maximize efficiency, minimize wait times, and improve the student experience.
• Conduct routine observations to ensure audit readiness and compliance with nutrition and food safety requirements.
• Maintain accurate student health records, including food allergies and emergency information, to support safe meal service.

Facilities, Custodial & Maintenance Management

• Partner with custodial and maintenance teams to maintain a clean, safe, and welcoming school environment, supported by routine inspections and feedback.
• Conduct daily facility walkthroughs to assess cleanliness, safety, and operational needs; ensure timely follow-up on identified issues.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance and manage facilities requests to ensure timely resolution and minimal disruption to learning.
• Collaborate with regional facilities teams to ensure compliance with inspections (e.g., NOLAPS) and completion of required action items.
• Maintain organized, accessible storage and shared spaces.
• Ensure school spaces reflect the school’s culture, brand, and high standards for presentation.

Student Recruitment & Enrollment

• Lead student recruitment efforts to meet enrollment targets through strategic outreach, community engagement, and partnerships.
• Build and maintain relationships with local schools, childcare centers, and community organizations to strengthen recruitment pipelines.
• Plan and execute recruitment events (e.g., tours, open houses, information sessions) that reflect the school’s mission and values.
• Support families through the application, enrollment, and withdrawal processes, ensuring clear communication and access to resources.
• Ensure timely completion of new student registration (within 5 days) and support re-registration efforts to meet school enrollment goals (e.g., 90%+ returning families).
• Collaborate with regional teams and external partners to develop sustainable enrollment and retention strategies.

Transportation Management

• Manage relationships with transportation vendors and serve as the primary liaison between families and bus providers.
• Maintain accurate transportation rosters and ensure proper bus assignments and communication of updates.
• Coordinate logistics including bus signage, stop changes, and daily operations.
• Monitor transportation performance, including late bus tracking and escalation of issues to regional teams.
• Ensure safety protocols are followed, including driver procedures and bus checks.
• Partner with internal teams to address and resolve transportation-related concerns.

Technology & Asset Management

• Oversee school-wide technology systems, including inventory management, distribution, and maintenance of devices (e.g., Chromebooks, staff technology).
• Partner with regional IT to procure equipment and resolve technical issues, minimizing instructional disruption.
• Maintain systems for tracking technology usage, ownership, and accountability.
• Ensure completion and monitoring of regular technology audits (e.g., Chromebook carts).
• Manage shared equipment (copiers, laminators, poster makers), ensuring functionality, maintenance, and adequate supplies.
• Troubleshoot day-to-day technology issues and escalate when necessary.
• Manage ordering and inventory of office and operational supplies within budget.

School Communications

• Develop and maintain clear, consistent communication channels with families and staff.
• Create and distribute school-wide communications (e.g., newsletters, announcements, updates) aligned with school priorities and culture.
• Ensure timely communication of key events, deadlines, and important information to all stakeholders.

Event Planning & Execution

• Plan and execute school events in collaboration with school leadership, ensuring strong logistics and alignment to school goals.
• Coordinate off-campus trips, ensuring safety, organization, and meaningful student experiences.
• Manage event logistics, including space setup, materials, vendor coordination, and staff support.

Attendance & Student Engagement

• Monitor and support daily attendance processes, including outreach to families.
• Participate in attendance intervention efforts and serve as an attendance coach for targeted students.
• Collaborate with school teams to improve attendance outcomes.

Athletics Operations

• Coordinate and oversee athletic programs, including scheduling games, practices, and events.
• Manage athletic equipment, uniforms, and inventory.
• Arrange transportation and logistics for athletic events.
• Communicate with families and stakeholders about schedules, updates, and achievements to build engagement and school pride.

General School Operations

• Support front office operations as needed, including phone coverage, family interactions, and daily administrative tasks.
• Ensure smooth execution of arrival and dismissal procedures, prioritizing student safety and efficiency.
• Contribute to a strong, systems-driven operational culture that supports staff and student success.

Qualifications

The following are required for the role:

• Education & Credentials: High School Diploma or equivalent credential/related work experience

• Experience: 4+ years in operations, office management, or school business support; 2+ years leading adults or frontline teams; Hands-on school-site ownership of daily systems (arrival/dismissal, attendance, facilities tickets, vendor coordination).

• Knowledge: Deep understanding of daily school ops (attendance, enrollment, food service, health office, transportation logistics); Safety/OSHA basics for school settings; drill planning & incident reporting; Purchasing, inventory, and petty cash controls.

• **Technical Skills & Tools: **Familiar with SIS daily use; basic assessment platform familiarity (e.g., NWEA, Illuminate); Google Workspace/Microsoft 365; strong Excel/Sheets skills for trackers & schedules; Work order/ticketing tools; basic scheduling/rostering tools.

The following are strongly preferred for the role:

• Bachelor’s Degree

• Project management certificate (CAPM or equivalent) or Lean basics; Experience training/front-desk staff; bilingual skills; Exposure to state reporting or audit preparation.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

The physical demands and environmental conditions described below are representative, but not exhaustive, of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the role. All of these physical requirements should be able to be performed with clarity, coherence and connectedness of the KNOS vision, and reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the individual is regularly required to communicate information and ideas effectively so others will understand.

• Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations, including noisy environments such as cafeterias and playgrounds, to more moderate situations such as classrooms or large group professional settings.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include the ability to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

• This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as laptop computers and various digital devices, and one needs to be able to read, analyze, and interpret data (emails, memos, letters, etc.) and maintain visual attention and mental concentration for significant periods of time.

• Ability to meet the physical demands of classroom teaching (standing, circulating, occasional lifting/moving of classroom materials); Able to sit and work at a desk/computer for extended periods of time.

• Ability to safely lift and move up to 50lbs independently

• Duties may require traveling to other school facilities using employee's personal transportation.

• This is a full-time, 100% on-site position; Regular work hours, Monday through Friday, will be established with your supervisor. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.

Work Authorization

• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer.

Commitments

• Maintain a friendly, respectful, professional and courteous attitude with all people, including all KNOS employees, Board members, community and philanthropic partners, funders, and vendors.

• Model superior customer service behavior by maintaining positive relationships with all KNOS stakeholders.

• Contribute as a positive and effective team member; work effectively with other team members to accomplish KNOS goals.

• Be prompt and available for flexible scheduling; be honest and fair in all professional dealings.

Additional Information

Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience, and we routinely engage in compensation analysis for all roles across the organization to ensure that we remain competitive in the market

• 403(b) retirement plan – KNOS matches 100% of employee contribution up to the first 5% of salary and any bonuses. Vested immediately in 403(b)
• KNOS employees are eligible for health and wellbeing benefits starting the first day of the month following their Date of Hire
• Comprehensive, customizable health coverage, including disability, life insurance, hospital indemnity, FSAs for health and dependent care, and free dental and vision for employees
• KNOS employees are provided ~30 paid holidays and additional paid time off
• Opportunities for on-going professional development

Disclaimer:

• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

• This job description shall not constitute or be construed as a promise of employment or as a contract between KNOS and any of its employees.

KIPP New Orleans Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer:

At KIPP New Orleans Schools, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran service, genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. KNOS expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on any of the characteristics listed here. Improper interference with the ability of KNOS employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated.

KNOS complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the KNOS has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Contact Us:

Please contact our regional Talent Team at talent@kippneworleans.org with any questions.