Chief Operating Officer - St. Louis, Missouri, , United States

Position Overview · Atlas Public Schools is seeking an experienced, strategic, and forward-thinking Chief Operating Officer to lead Operations, Beyond School Programming, Compliance, and Facilities Management, and to serve as a senior member of the organization's leadership team. ...

Job description

Position Overview

Atlas Public Schools is seeking an experienced, strategic, and forward-thinking Chief Operating Officer to lead Operations, Beyond School Programming, Compliance, and Facilities Management, and to serve as a senior member of the organization's leadership team.

The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for building and implementing strong systems that ensure efficient, compliant, and sustainable operations across all campuses, including our expanding elementary program and the launch of our middle school. This leader will design scalable infrastructure that supports growth while maintaining operational excellence in service of student success.

The Chief Operating Officer manages the organization's relationship with the Missouri Charter Public School Commission and other regulatory bodies, ensuring full compliance with our charter and all local, state, and federal laws and regulations. In close partnership with the Executive Director, school leaders, and the Board of Directors, the COO will help shape Atlas' long-term strategy, strengthen cross-campus systems, and oversee a growing operations team committed to execution, accountability, and continuous improvement.

The Chief Operating Officer reports directly to the Executive Director.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Operations Leadership

• Serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, contributing to organizational vision, growth strategy, and long-term sustainability planning.
• Design, refine, and implement cross-campus operational systems that scale effectively across multiple school sites.
• Develop and monitor annual operational goals aligned to Atlas' strategic plan and academic priorities.
• Lead multi-year operational planning tied to school replication, expansion, and middle school launch.
• Provide clear and consistent reporting to the Executive Director and Board of Directors on operational performance, risks, and mitigation strategies.

2. Regulatory Compliance and Charter Accountability

• Serve as the primary liaison to the Missouri Charter Public School Commission and other regulatory agencies.
• Ensure full compliance with charter requirements, state and federal education laws, grant compliance standards, and reporting deadlines.
• Oversee preparation and timely submission of all required reports, including core data reporting to DESE, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and alignment with local, state, and federal requirements.
• Lead coordination for audits, charter renewals, compliance reviews, and monitoring visits.
• Develop internal compliance systems and tracking tools that ensure accountability across campuses.

3. Operations Systems and Infrastructure

• Lead all operational functions including enrollment systems, student information systems, attendance tracking, vendor management, procurement, food service, transportation coordination for field trips and students in transition, and campus logistics.
• Build and maintain strong, documented standard operating procedures to ensure consistency and efficiency across campuses.
• Oversee risk management processes including insurance, safety planning, emergency procedures, and crisis response protocols.
• Implement dashboards and data systems that integrate operational, financial, and compliance metrics for informed decision-making.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to increase efficiency and reduce operational risk.

4. Facilities and Capital Planning

• Oversee facilities management across all campuses including maintenance, capital improvements, lease management, and vendor oversight.
• Support facility expansion efforts for the middle school launch and future growth initiatives.
• Manage relationships with landlords, contractors, architects, engineers, and project managers.
• Ensure campuses are safe, compliant with building codes, and aligned with instructional and programmatic needs.
• Develop and oversee long-term facilities planning tied to enrollment growth and organizational strategy.

5. Beyond School Programming

• Provide strategic oversight of aftercare, intersession programming, and extended learning opportunities.
• Ensure Beyond School Programming aligns with Atlas' academic vision and operational capacity.
• Oversee staffing, scheduling, budgeting, payroll coordination, and compliance for all extended day programming.
• Monitor enrollment trends, participation data, and program quality to ensure financial sustainability and strong family experience.
• Support grant compliance and reporting tied to Beyond School expenditures.

6. Financial Stewardship and Budget Oversight

• Collaborate with the Executive Director and finance team to develop annual budgets and multi-year financial forecasts.
• Monitor operational spending to ensure alignment with budget and strategic priorities.
• Oversee procurement systems and internal controls to safeguard organizational resources.
• Support grant compliance and reporting tied to operational expenditures.
• Identify opportunities for cost savings, efficiency gains, and operational sustainability.

7. Team Leadership and Talent Development

• Build, supervise, and develop a high-performing operations team across campuses.
• Establish clear performance goals, feedback systems, and accountability structures for direct reports.
• Develop leadership capacity within Operations, Facilities, Compliance, and Beyond School Programming functions.
• Foster a culture of service, responsiveness, professionalism, and operational excellence.
• Support hiring, onboarding, and retention strategies within operations functions.

8. Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner closely with school leaders to ensure operational systems enable strong instructional delivery and positive school culture.
• Collaborate with Academic and Student Support leaders to align scheduling, staffing, space utilization, and compliance systems.
• Support board governance processes including operations reporting, audit preparation, and committee engagement.
• Serve as a thought partner to the Executive Director on growth, replication, risk management, and long-term sustainability.

9. Organizational Risk Management and Continuous Improvement

• Identify operational risks across campuses and proactively develop mitigation strategies.
• Conduct internal reviews of systems, processes, and compliance practices.
• Lead post-implementation reviews for major initiatives, such as campus openings or new system launches.
• Ensure operational readiness for audits, charter renewals, external evaluations, and state reviews.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree in Business, Public Administration, Education, or related field preferred.
• 7 to 10 years of progressive leadership experience in operations, school administration, nonprofit management, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience building scalable systems in a growing organization.
• Strong understanding of regulatory compliance, reporting systems, and risk management.
• Experience managing cross-functional teams and leading through growth or expansion.
• Exceptional organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred

• Experience working within a charter school or public school environment.
• Familiarity with Missouri DESE reporting requirements and charter authorizer accountability systems.
• Experience overseeing facilities projects or capital planning.
• Experience implementing data dashboards and operational performance tracking systems.

Core Competencies

• Strategic and systems thinking
• Operational rigor and attention to detail
• Data-driven decision making
• Strong judgment and risk assessment
• Collaborative leadership
• Ability to manage complexity in a growing organization
• High level of integrity and accountability