Chief Operating Officer

Location: Brooklyn, NY
Employment Type: Full-Time
Schedule: Monday through Friday, Standard Business Hours
Salary: Based on Experience

Description
We are seeking an experienced and strategic Chief Operating Officer to join the Executive Leadership Team of a mission-driven educational organization. This role is ideal for a hands-on leader who can oversee complex operational functions, drive long-term planning, and ensure that all systems, services, and campus environments support daily excellence and long-term institutional growth.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, operationally strong, and experienced in managing facilities, safety, technology, vendors, budgets, capital projects, and cross-functional teams in a complex multi-site environment.

What You’ll Do

• Serve as a senior member of the Executive Leadership Team and contribute to strategic planning, operational decision-making, and long-term campus planning

• Develop and strengthen operational systems, procedures, service standards, staffing models, budgets, and accountability structures

• Communicate clearly with executive leadership regarding operational risks, service issues, project updates, budget matters, and recommended solutions

• Lead construction, renovation, repair, and capital improvement projects, ensuring strong oversight of scope, timelines, budgets, compliance, and operational continuity

• Partner with architects, contractors, engineers, consultants, and leadership on facilities planning, leases, acquisitions, dispositions, and real estate matters

• Oversee campus operations to ensure facilities are safe, clean, fully functional, and compliant with applicable regulations

• Supervise operational leadership across maintenance, custodial services, groundskeeping, building operations, work-order management, inspections, and preventive maintenance programs

• Oversee campus safety and security protocols in coordination with leadership, third-party vendors, law enforcement, government agencies, and community partners

• Maintain emergency preparedness plans, crisis response procedures, drills, incident documentation, and post-incident reviews

• Provide strategic oversight of technology infrastructure, network operations, administrative systems, and operational platforms across all campuses

• Supervise technology leadership and data management functions to support service delivery, system performance, project execution, data integrity, and compliance

• Oversee campus services including dining, transportation, events, rentals, and community programming

• Develop, manage, and monitor operational budgets in partnership with finance leadership

• Lead procurement and vendor management processes, including contract review, service expectations, compliance standards, insurance requirements, and performance oversight

• Partner with leadership, legal counsel, and advisors to identify, assess, and mitigate operational risk

• Ensure compliance with health, safety, fire, building, sanitation, accessibility, transportation, food service, insurance, and accreditation requirements

• Develop business continuity plans for facilities, IT, security, weather events, utility failures, and other operational contingencies

• Lead, supervise, and develop operational teams while promoting accountability, professionalism, responsiveness, and continuous improvement

• Create and oversee KPIs, dashboards, and reporting tools to improve service quality, reduce downtime, control costs, and strengthen operational performance

• Lead special projects and cross-functional initiatives as assigned by executive leadership

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree in business, education, public administration, nonprofit management, operations, facilities management, or a related field preferred

• At least 10 years of progressive operations leadership experience, ideally in a school, nonprofit, university, healthcare, hospitality, real estate, or complex multi-building environment

• Demonstrated experience managing facilities, maintenance, custodial operations, security, IT infrastructure, vendors, budgets, cross-functional teams, construction, renovation, capital projects, procurement, and contracts

• Working knowledge of building systems, preventive maintenance, safety and security protocols, food service, transportation, IT infrastructure, risk management, regulatory compliance, and operational reporting systems

• Proven ability to lead teams, set goals, hold people accountable, manage multiple complex projects, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment

• Strong financial acumen, including budget planning, expense monitoring, cost-benefit evaluation, pricing review, and variance analysis

• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and executive communication skills

• Sound judgment and the ability to communicate effectively with administrators, faculty, staff, families, vendors, board members, and public agencies

• High level of integrity, discretion, reliability, strategic thinking, practical problem-solving ability, and comfort working under pressure

• Strong technology fluency and commitment to collaboration, transparency, and mission-driven leadership