Director of Regional Operations & Compliance
Description
ABOUT ASPIRE
Aspire Public Schools operates a network of high-performing, college preparatory charter schools serving TK-12 scholars in communities across California. Founded in 1998—in an effort to transform the inequitable racial, social, and gender outcomes that our communities persist through—Aspire is one of the largest and most forward-thinking open-enrollment public charter school systems in the nation.
Our purpose is to prepare our scholars for success in college, career, and life. At Aspire, we set a foundation for our scholars to gain knowledge, skills, and power to access and make choices for their families and post-secondary lives. Every day, our community of students, families, teachers and staff comes together to learn, work, and play in an environment grounded in our values of Bienestar (Well-Being), Culture of Belonging, Community Partnership, Agency & Self-Determination, and Joy.
GENERAL SUMMARY:
The Director of Operations & Compliance provides strategic leadership and oversight of regional school operations to ensure schools operate efficiently, remain compliant, and maintain safe, well-managed environments for students and staff. This role manages Program Managers and is responsible for developing and implementing operational systems that support consistent, high-quality operations across all schools. The Director of Operations & Compliance sets the strategic direction for regional operations, ensures strong execution through the Program Managers, and partners closely with school leaders and regional office teams to align operational priorities with organizational goals.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
Strategic Operational Leadership
- Develop and implement the regional operations strategy to ensure operational excellence across schools.
- Establish standardized operational systems, processes, and expectations across campuses.
- Ensure strong implementation of operational priorities through Program Managers.
- Lead operational planning for major initiatives, new programs, and school year transitions.
- Identify operational risks and develop proactive solutions to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Team Leadership and Management
- Directly supervise and coach Program Managers.
- Set clear priorities, goals, and performance expectations for the operations team.
- Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and professional development to strengthen operational leadership across schools.
- Ensure effective distribution of responsibilities between Program Managers to maximize team capacity.
- Foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing across the regional operations team.
Compliance & Governance
- Oversee systems that ensure compliance with state, federal, and authorizer requirements, including:
- Williams audits
- Instructional minutes
- School calendars
- Comprehensive School Safety Plans
- Mandated staff trainings
- Partner with the Regional Compliance Manager and Human Resources to monitor compliance timelines and reporting requirements.
- Ensure schools are prepared for authorizer oversight and audits.
Facilities & Vendor Management
Oversee regional systems for facilities management and vendor coordination.
Ensure effective management of maintenance vendors, service providers, and contracted partners.
Guide procurement and vendor management practices across schools.
Ensure Regional Operations Managers conduct facilities walkthroughs and address maintenance needs in a timely manner.
Safety & Emergency Preparedness
- Establish and maintain regional systems and expectations for school safety and emergency preparedness.
- Ensure Regional Operations Managers support schools in maintaining updated Comprehensive School Safety Plans and compliance with safety requirements.
- Ensure Regional Operations Managers conduct regular safety reviews and facilities walkthroughs to identify potential risks and ensure safe school environments.
- Oversee regional incident response protocols and ensure Regional Operations Managers support schools in implementing appropriate reporting and follow-up procedures.
- Partner with school leaders to ensure alignment with all applicable safety regulations and authorizer requirements.
Operations Systems and Continuous Improvement
- Develop scalable operational systems that support school growth and consistency.
- Monitor operational performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Use operational data and feedback from schools to strengthen systems and processes.
- Ensure operational tools and resources are accessible and effectively utilized by school teams.
Authorizer Oversight & Charter Renewal
- Serve as the regional lead for coordination of oversight visits conducted by Los Angeles County Office of Education and Los Angeles Unified School District.
- Develop systems and timelines to ensure schools are prepared for authorizer oversight visits, documentation requests, and operational reviews.
- Ensure Regional Operations Managers support schools in preparing required documentation and operational evidence for oversight visits.
- Coordinate cross-functional collaboration between school leaders and regional teams to ensure readiness for authorizer reviews.
- Support charter renewal preparation by ensuring operational systems, compliance documentation, and evidence of strong school operations are organized and accessible.
- Partner with compliance and academic teams to ensure operational components of charter renewals are complete and aligned with authorizer expectations.
- Identify operational improvement opportunities based on feedback from oversight visits and renewal processes.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with school leaders to ensure operational systems effectively support instruction and student services.
- Work closely with regional office teams to ensure alignment across operational initiatives.
- Serve as a key strategic partner to the VP of Regional Operations & Strategy.
Additional
● Demonstrate knowledge of, and support, the Aspire Public Schools mission, vision, value statements
including antiracism, policies and procedures, operating instructions, confidentiality standards, and the
code of ethical behavior
● Perform other related duties as required and assigned
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES
- Demonstrated track record in seeing and dismantling racism and other forms of oppression
- Strong organizational, planning, time management, and multi-tasking skills
- Strong attention to detail and communicator
- Strong analytical, critical thinking and problem solving skills
- Demonstrated skills in identifying issues, formulating and implementing solutions
- Unafraid of data! Driven to discover issues and insights that help drive to a decision
- Collectivist orientation, with ability to build strong interpersonal relationships and work effectively in a collaborative environment
- Ability to think strategically, anticipating future outcomes and events and incorporating them into thoughtful solutions
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, adjust priorities and work autonomously in ambiguous environments
- Track record of leadership, influence, curiosity and perseverance
- Enjoy identifying opportunities to reinvent and simplify current processes
- Experience in education or nonprofit sector
- Demonstrated ability to influence people
- Demonstrated interest in continuous improvement
- Strong commitment and passion for social justice and Aspire Public School’s core values
- This role will require travel up to 70% time to schools across the region and will require some periodic travel to all Aspire regions and/or other locations for conferences/professional development
EDUCATION
● Bachelor’s degree
● Master’s degree preferred
EXPERIENCE
● 6+ years of progressively responsible experience in operations, education, non-profit organizations, business, or project management.
● Experience developing, implement, and refining policies and/or procedures
● Strong written and oral communication skills.
● Experience working in a fast-paced, high-capacity work environment.
COMPENSATION
Click here for the salary schedule based on years of experience in a like role.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Moving self in different positions to accomplish tasks in various environments including tight and confined spaces
- Remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods
- Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another
- Assessing the accuracy, neatness and thoroughness of the work assigned
- Communicating with others to exchange information
- Repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
- The work environment characteristics are representative of those in a normal office, classroom/school setting which one might encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Work indoors in a standard office environment, computer lab, and/or classroom environment.
- Work is performed in indoor and outdoor environments.
- Exposure to dust, oils, and cleaning chemicals.
- Some exposure to childhood and other diseases in a school environment.
- May be required to work outside of normal workdays and office hours to meet operational deadlines.
EEO STATEMENT
Aspire Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.