OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE
: Job Details :

Overview

At Ascend, we're excited about professionals who are fired up about our liberal arts program, positive approach to discipline, and commitment to serve all students. Join us as we foster innate curiosities, encourage discussion and debate, and guide students to think their own way through to answers.

The operations associate is the first and primary point of contact to the school for parents, visitors, community members, and other external parties. The assistant warmly, courteously, and effectively interacts with these parties, ensuring that their experience of the school is consistently positive. The operations assistant provides a centralized administrative resource to the school and fulfills a range of administrative duties.

Why extraordinary professionals choose Ascend

Ascend is a network of K-12 public charter schools serving 4,000 students across 10 schools in Central Brooklyn. Our mission is to lead our students on a great intellectual journey, providing them with an exceptional education and placing them firmly on the path to success in college and beyond.

We guide our students to think critically and independently and to enjoy education as an end in itself. We teach a rich and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that nurtures students' natural curiosity about the world. We foster a positive, non-punitive school culture where students feel connected, empowered, and safe to take academic risks. Even our school buildings are designed to reflect our high aspirations for teaching and learning and the notable accomplishments that occur within our walls.

To create this kind of vibrant learning community, we invest heavily in our faculty by providing ongoing professional training and support, and encourage our educators to collaborate closely and push each other to achieve great outcomes. Watch Ascend in action.

Responsibilities

The operations associate must be present and engaged from 7:20 am to 4:20 pm, Monday through Friday, except holidays, and work occasional evenings on weeknights and weekends, including parent events. This position has a year-round schedule, with time-off for school holidays and vacation. Additionally, the operations assistant will

* Greet all visitors and controlling access to the school

* Serve as gatekeeper to address questions and minimize interruptions of the school administration and instructional teams

* Set the tone for the school's warm and professional culture

* Answer phone calls, directing calls, taking messages, placing outgoing calls, making public address announcements, sending robo calls

* Ensure the school's main office environment is at all times clean, neat, organized and orderly

* Collect and maintain forms and other records, securing missing forms, and ensuring the confidentiality of all scholar records

* Use the school's student information system (SIS) to reconcile scholar attendance daily

* Produce accurate and timely student attendance reports

* Using the SIS and other systems (infinite campus, school mint, ATS, illuminate) to maintain and update all scholar contact/demographic information

* Process late scholar arrivals and following up with families of absent scholars

* Ensure scholars leave only with authorized parents or guardians

* Ensure memos, notices, and other school-specific documents are delivered, collected from classrooms and processed daily

* Occasionally assist the school nurse with the handling of sick students

* Plan and prepare for school events and activities

* Create purchase orders in Excel daily for invoices with missing purchase orders, required to document all accounting platforms network wide

* Scan all purchase orders and invoices with supporting documents, and upload to Bill.com to be reviewed, submitted and approved by School Director, DOO & CFO

* Contact numerous vendors via phone and to obtain quotes and reconcile discrepancies

* Track supplies inventory, resulting in a regularly positive and relatively productive office environment

* Assist director of operations with special/time-sensitive projects throughout the year, including but not limited to: summer inventory, school year startup, scholar enrollment, assemblies, and end of year closeout

* Update dismiss sheets daily for classrooms and distributes to staff

* Record and track uniform violations

* Serve food items, ensuring each student receives proper meal components and portion sizes

* Comply with HACCP and Food Safety processes

* Check station before, during, and after shift for proper set-up and cleanliness

* Assist in the maintenance of food service facilities in a clean and orderly condition

* Maintain all temperature logs up to date and ensuring all meals are in the correct temperature for service

* Occasionally, clean and sterilize dishes, kitchen utensils, equipment, and facilities

* Maintain equipment in station area, and in assisting with cleaning, sanitation, and organization of the kitchen and storage areas on a daily basis

* Take note of how students respond to food and report back which items are popular and unpopular

* Performing additional duties designated by the director of operations for the school's successful functioning

Staff and reporting relationships

The operations associate reports to the director of operations.

Qualifications

* Bachelor's degree or two or more years of experience in an office environment, preferably an education-related organization

* Experience with data management systems, similar to Infinite Campus, Illuminate DNA, Automate The Schools (ATS), preferred

* Passion and commitment to urban education and our ultimate goal of closing the achievement gap

* A can do attitude and the enthusiasm to be a hard-working, team player who is relentless in the pursuit of the school's academic objectives

* An openness to accept and implement feedback and engage in a process of self-improvement

* A winning personality and a professional demeanor that conveys warmth, caring, responsiveness, and a desire to help at all times

* An interest in people and the capacity to connect sincerely and appropriately with children and their parents

* Strong organizational skills and thorough attention to detail

* Effective communication skills in speaking and writing

* Ability to juggle multiple tasks of varying complexity and to stay organized in a fast-paced environment

* Ability to work independently and as part of a team

* Robust computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office

Compensation

Initial salary offers for this position range from $58,500 - $70,000. Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience and levels of attained education.

Diversity at Ascend

Ascend is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities-opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.