Associate Director of School Operations

Center City Public Charter Schools (Center City PCS) empower our students for lifelong success by building strong character, promoting academic excellence, and generating public service throughout Washington, D.C. In this endeavor, we are committed to attracting, developing, and retaining one of the best faculty members in the district. Center City staff are teachers, mentors, and leaders, and they play an essential role in ensuring our students maximize their potential. Our network serves over 1,400 students annually at our six campuses across the District, with a staff of over 250 dedicated individuals.

The Associate Director of School Operations (ADSO) provides high-level operational leadership across the network, ensuring consistent, compliant, and effective execution of core operational functions. While this role maintains direct functional oversight of enrollment, meal service, transportation, and finance/procurement processes, it also serves as a critical leader, coaching campus-based operations staff, strengthening systems, and building operational capacity.

The ADSO works closely with the COO, principals, Operations Managers, and central office teams to ensure that each campus has the operational readiness and support needed to run safe, efficient, and student-centered schools.

Key Responsibilities

Enrollment & Student Information

• Provide strategic oversight of the enrollment and re-enrollment process to ensure full compliance with DC PCSB, OSSE, and MySchoolDC requirements.
• Lead the design, implementation, and monitoring of enrollment systems, communication plans, and campus-based execution.
• Oversee submission of annual enrollment audit documentation and ensure campuses meet accuracy standards for student data, attendance, and compliance reporting.
• Support and guide campus and central office staff during MySchoolDC reporting cycles and audit windows.
• Oversee EdFest planning and execution, ensuring strong family engagement, clear messaging, and alignment to organizational enrollment goals.
• Provide leadership and strategic guidance to enrollment marketing efforts (videos, digital campaigns, print collateral, and family-facing communication).
• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex or sensitive family issues related to enrollment or student information.
  
  

Meal Service Oversight

• Provide senior-level leadership for all meal service operations, ensuring rigorous compliance with the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), Healthy Schools Act, OSSE, DC Health, and federal requirements.
• Oversee vendor performance, manage high-level issues, and ensure service quality across all campuses.
• Lead the NSLP bidding process in coordination with the COO; assess vendor proposals and recommend the best fit for the organization.
• Establish and monitor systems for accurate meal data tracking, reporting, and compliance documentation across campuses.
• Oversee hiring, credentialing, and compliance activities for all individuals involved in meal service program execution.
• Provide coaching and support to campus operations leaders to strengthen meal service execution and ensure operational excellence.
  
  

Transportation Management & Field Trip Scheduling

• Provide high-level oversight of all transportation operations, including scheduling, driver hiring and management, and coordination with campus teams.
• Ensure all buses meet safety, licensing, inspection, legal, and regulatory requirements.
• Supervise and support bus drivers, setting expectations, providing coaching, and addressing performance concerns in alignment with organizational standards.
• Maintain and oversee centralized calendars and systems to ensure route efficiency, scheduling accuracy, and conflict resolution across the network.
• Provide logistical leadership for large-scale events requiring transportation, such as performances, athletics, and community events.
• Partner with campus operations teams to streamline workflows and improve transportation reliability.
  
  

Finance & Procurement

• Oversee procurement processes within the assigned operational domains, ensuring campus and central teams follow financial and purchasing guidelines.
• Monitor purchasing workflows, vendor contracts, and service quality to ensure transparency and organizational alignment.
• Partner closely with the Finance team to ensure accurate reporting, proper reconciliation, and compliance with internal controls.
• Provide coaching and support to operations staff to strengthen their financial management practices and procurement literacy.
  
  

Leadership, Coaching, and Organizational Influence

• Provide coaching, development, and support to Campus Operations Managers to strengthen performance, ensure consistency, and build operational excellence across schools.
• Conduct regular campus walkthroughs to assess operational readiness, provide feedback, and ensure follow-through on corrective actions.
• Serve as a strategic partner to principals, offering guidance and problem-solving on day-to-day and long-term operational needs.
• Drive continuous improvement across all operational domains through data analysis, systems refinement, and performance monitoring.
• Build strong, trust-based, influential relationships across a matrixed environment, using relational—not positional—power to ensure compliance and strong execution.
• Support organizational planning cycles, including school year launch, mid-year readiness checks, and end-of-year closeout.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred.
• 5 years of school or multi-site operations experience with progressive responsibility.
• Demonstrated success managing or coaching operations staff.
• Strong understanding of DC charter school regulatory requirements.
• Exceptional organizational, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with urgency and precision.