26-27 Director of School Operations - Elementary

POSITION: 2026-2027 Director of School Operations- Elementary

REPORTS TO:Managing Director of School Operations - Elementary

POSITION TYPE: 12-month

START DATE:July 2026

COMPENSATION: $89,649 - $109,820, Home Office Grade 9

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:

• 21,650 Students
• 2,600 Team Members
• 16 Secondary Campuses
• 12 Elementary Campuses
• 91% Students Who Qualify for Free/Reduced-Price Lunch
• 96% Hispanic & African-American Students
• 99% Students Who Are Accepted to a 4-Year University
• 85% 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.

THE OPPORTUNITY

YES Prep needs a dynamicDirector 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 be the portfolio-level operational leader responsible for ensuring predictable, high-quality campus operations across a cohort of elementary schools. The DSO drives operational consistency, strengthens attendance and enrollment and develops Directors of Campus Operations (DCOs) into strategic, proactive leaders. 

The DSO ensures operational systems across campuses are safe, compliant, accurate, student-centered, and aligned with YES Prep's Culture of Predictable Excellence. This role requires exceptional leadership maturity, systems thinking, and the ability to influence outcomes across multiple schools. 

The DSO is a critical steward of YES Prep’s operational stability and a key driver of the student, staff, and family experience. 

THE ROLE

When you join the YES Prep team, some of the exciting work and responsibilities will include:

Operational Excellence and Portfolio Leadership  

• Leading operational quality for a portfolio of 4 to 6 elementary campuses; 

• Conducting routine site visits to assess systems execution, building readiness, safety, compliance, ADA processes, and operational risk; 

• Identifying trends across campuses and implementing preventative, portfolio-wide solutions;

• Ensuring campuses operate with consistency, equity, predictability, and alignment to district standards; 

• Maintaining an annual operational calendar that supports instructional and operational priorities; 

Outcome: Every campus operates every day with high-quality, predictable excellence. 

Attendance & Enrollment Leadership  

Attendance (ADA) 

• Monitoring campus-level ADA accuracy daily and weekly across the portfolio; 

• Coaching DCOs on attendance analytics, systems execution, and interventions. 

• Ensuring high-quality execution by OCs and Registrars to maintain data accuracy and reduce chronic absenteeism;

• Identifying campuses requiring targeted support and leading corrective actions. 

Outcome: All assigned campuses meet or exceed annual ADA expectations. 

Enrollment 

• Owning enrollment strategy across the portfolio, including forecasting, goal-setting, risk analysis, and progress monitoring; 

• Co-designing recruitment and enrollment plans with each DCO; 

• Ensuring execution quality of enrollment tasks (OC = execution; Registrar = documentation; Receptionist = intake); 

• Monitoring offer rates, waitlist health, application quality, and onboarding completion; 

Outcome: All assigned campuses meet or exceed ADA and enrollment expectations. 

Coaching and Talent Development 

• Providing weekly coaching to each DCO using a competency-based development framework; 

• Building DCO leadership capacity through modeling, feedback, reflection, and practice-based development; 

• Conducting performance management, implementing growth plans, and upholding operational standards with direct reports; 

• Partnering with principals to ensure aligned messaging, expectations, and leadership support for DCOs; 

• Lead hiring, onboarding, and succession planning for campus operations staff (Receptionist → OC → Registrar → DCO pipeline). 

Outcome: DCOs become confident, strategic operators capable of leading model campuses. 

Crisis Leadership, Safety, and Compliance 

• Serving as a key member of Incident Command and supporting campuses during emergencies with calm, decisive leadership; 

• Ensuring 100% compliance with all emergency procedures, safety drills, and regulatory requirements across assigned campuses; 

• Conducting portfolio readiness checks and follow-up coaching to ensure consistent safety execution; 

• Partnering with Safety & Security to address risks and implement mitigation plans; 

Outcome: Campuses remain safe, compliant, and crisis-ready at all times. 

Systems Design, Implementation & Continuous Improvement 

• Identifying operational gaps across campuses and leading system-level improvements; 

• Collaborating with Home Office teams (Facilities, Child Nutrition, Transportation, Technology, SIS/PEIMS, Safety, Assessment) to design and refine operational systems; 

• Ensuring district systems are implemented with fidelity and consistency across the portfolio; 

• Developing and codifying operational guidance, playbooks, and readiness tools; 

• Leading post-mortems and improvement cycles following key operational events. 

Outcome: Operational systems become more efficient, consistent, scalable, and user-friendly. 

Cross-functional Leadership & District Partnership 

• Serving as the operational liaison between campuses and Home Office departments;

• Communicating issues and needs with clarity, evidence, and recommendations for solutions;

• Participating in district-level planning to ensure operational requirements are incorporated early; 

• Supporting implementation of district initiatives requiring operational readiness or staffing shifts;

• Building strong collaborative relationships with principals to co-lead the operational vision for each campus. 

Outcome: Campuses receive responsive, aligned, and high-quality operational support. 

Academic Operations & Master Schedule Support 

• Ensuring DCOs lead high-quality testing logistics, technology readiness, and room-use planning that protect instructional time. 

• Supporting master scheduling processes to ensure operational feasibility, alignment to student needs, and effective resource use. 

• Providing tools, checklists, and readiness protocols to ensure strong academic operations execution. 

Outcome: Instruction is protected and supported through strong operational planning. 

Financial Stewardship & Resource Optimization 

• Monitoring discretionary budgets across the portfolio and coach DCOs in responsible financial stewardship; 

• Identifying inefficiencies, waste, or misalignment and lead corrective action; 

• Ensuring campuses follow procurement procedures and safeguard assets. 

Outcome: Schools manage resources wisely and strategically. 

Operational Transitions & Capacity Support 

• Providing direct operational support during DCO vacancies, onboarding periods, high-volume seasons, or emergencies;

• Modeling strong operational execution to rebuild stability and set expectations. 

Outcome: No campus experiences operational breakdown during staffing transitions. 

 Leadership Culture & Professionalism 

• Modeling calm, clear, neutral communication in all circumstances; 

• Demonstrating emotional maturity, strong judgment, and high follow-through; 

• Promoting YES Prep’s Culture of Predictable Excellence across campuses; 

• Establishing trust through visibility, clarity, and consistent support. 

Outcome: DSO sets the tone for excellence across all operational teams. 

• Additional duties as assigned.

THE PERSON

We seek staff with a multitude of backgrounds, talents, interests, and ideas. Certain traits consistently shine through 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:

• Systems thinking & anticipation 
• Clear, influential communication 
• Mature emotional regulation 
• Ability to diagnose problems quickly and accurately 
• Strong coaching instincts 
• High operational standards 
• Bias toward prevention, not reaction 
• Equity-driven decision-making 
• Comfort navigating ambiguity 
• Commitment to operational consistency and fairness 

THE MUST HAVES

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year educational institution
• A minimum of 2 years K-12 leadership experience  
• 5 years of relevant professional experience in Operations, Administration and Management 
• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core value of YES Prep Public Schools
• 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
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once
• Demonstrated ability to work on a team
• 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 
• 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

• Experience in school operations
• Master’s Degree in related field
• Bilingual (Spanish)

THE PERKS

• Compensation – This position is an exempt, salaried position; offers commensurate with experience.

• Health and Supplemental Insurance – A $0 monthly medical option or a $24 monthly option that includes $50 YES Prep Paid Health Savings Account contribution, 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 an optional 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 Workin 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2025. 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.