District of Columbia Public Schools Looking for Deputy Chief at Washington, Illinois Full Time

Job Title: Deputy Chief, Strategic School Operations

The Government of the District of Columbia values the safety of our employees, our residents, and our visitors. In support of these values, if you are selected for this job you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which includes all eligible booster shots, except when vaccination is not medically advised or violates your sincerely held religious beliefs in violation of EEO laws. If you are invited to join our team, you must submit proof that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by uploading a copy of your vaccination card, or uploading proof of your approved medical or religious exemption, to your candidate dashboard. New employees must either provide proof of vaccination or be granted a medical or religious exemption before working with the Government of the District of Columbia. If you are granted an exemption, you must submit to weekly COVID-19 testing and will be required to upload weekly a negative COVID-19 test to maintain employment with the Government of the District of Columbia. You will not be extended an offer of employment until you comply with the requirement to upload your vaccination card or your approved medical or religious exemption.

Position Overview

The Office of Innovation and Systems Improvement (ISI) works with the Chancellor to align resources across the organization through innovation and continuous improvement. Our goal is to initiate change and lead DC Public Schools into the highest performing school district in the nation. After engaging with over 3,000 internal and external stakeholders to help shape the future of DCPS, we are guided by the five strategic priorities of the new Capital Commitment 2 Strategic Plan:

• Promote Equity: Define, understand, and promote equity to close achievement gaps and interrupt institutional bias.
• Empower Our People: Recruit, develop, and retain a talented, caring, and diverse team.
• Educate the Whole Child: Provide rigorous, joyful, and inclusive academic and social emotional experiences for all students.
• Ensure Excellent Schools: Increase the number of high quality schools across the district by defining blended autonomies for schools and creating opportunities for innovation.
• Engage Families: Deepen partnerships with families and community.

The Office of the Chief Operating Officer (OCOO) is comprised of the Strategic School Operations, Food & Nutrition Services, School Security, Facilities, Compliance, and Attendance teams. OCOO is responsible for guiding the operations and functions for all 118 schools within the District. Our goal is for all DCPS schools to be ready on the first day of school and every day thereafter so that all principals can lead, all teachers can teach, and all students can learn.

The Strategic School Operations division provides direct, day-to-day support to all DCPS schools. The Deputy Chief, Strategic School Operations will be responsible for leading the Strategic School Operations team, which is focused on overseeing the teams that most directly provide operational support for all schools. The Deputy Chief will also be the main point of contact for accountability for the DCPS incident response process.

The Deputy Chief, Strategic School Operations will report to the Chief Operating Officer.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.

• Serves as a key member of the OCOO’s Senior Leadership team that drives formulation and implementation of policies and strategies to meet the vision and goals of the Office and of DCPS.
• Develops clear, specific, and ambitious performance targets; evaluates progress of School Operations programs and initiatives; holds parties accountable; and helps adjust strategy and approach accordingly to achieve success.
• Drives innovation and best-practice sharing within OCOO, between Offices and schools within DCPS, and across DC government agencies.
• Assesses Strategic School Operations team’s talent needs; implements hiring, training/professional development strategies, and organizational design appropriately; guides and coaches direct reports and other team members; and keeps department staff informed of internal and external developments affecting their areas of responsibility.
• Approves division budget and serves as “thought partner” for subordinate directors; and serves as a strong fiscal manager who proactively identifies budget issues and solutions.
• Leads division in developing proactive plans to address recurrent operational issues within schools and DCPS offices; and works with team leads to ensure school operational projects are designed, implemented, and evaluated to ensure schools’ and central office departments’ needs are met within appropriate timelines.
• Ensures 100% compliance with incident reporting and incident data maintenance.
• Keeps the Chief Operating Officer and, if needed, the Chancellor abreast of all short- and long-term initiatives and emergencies that impact school and district operations.
• Ensures all schools receive proactive, timely operational support to allow school leaders to remain focused on instruction; and serves as the main point of contact between the school operations team and the Chief Operating Officer.
• Ensures appropriate professional development, training, coaching, and resources are provided to non-instructional school staff, including but not limited to Managers and Directors, Strategy & Logistics.
• Works directly with schools to ensure operations support the health and safety of staff and students.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and eight to twelve years of related work experience.
• Master’s degree strongly preferred.
• Previous exposure to or experience in the education sector a plus.
• Prior work in operations at a large complex organization or school district.
• Proven track record of success in high-level operations strategy and implementation.
• Proven track record of financial success to complement operations, strategy, and implementation.
• Prior work and expertise in one or all the teams this position will supervise a plus.

DCPS Values

• STUDENTS FIRST: We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do.
• COURAGE: We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success.
• EQUITY: We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds.
• EXCELLENCE: We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions.
• TEAMWORK: We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and authentically.
• JOY: We enjoy our collective work and will enthusiastically celebrate our success and each other.