Manager, Student Services - Rhode Island

Job: Manager, RI Student Services

Start Date: Immediate

Reports to: Director of Student Services, Team School Operations

Location: RI

Salary: $99,175.20

About Achievement First

Achievement First (AF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that currently supports 41 public charter schools in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Consistently rated as one of the top charter school networks in the country for almost 25 years, AF is committed to continuous improvement, programmatic evolution for enhanced student outcomes, and sustainable growth. The majority of AF students are Black and Latinx children from low-income families who will be the first in their families to graduate from college. AF currently employs more than 2,200 staff - 64% of whom identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color - who collectively educate nearly 15,000 students in Brooklyn and Queens, NY; New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford, CT; and Providence, RI.

The mission of Achievement First is to deliver on the promise of equal educational opportunity for all of America's children. AF knows that every child-regardless of race, zip code, or economic status-deserves access to great schools. At AF, students realize their potential and develop the skills they need to graduate from high school, succeed in college, thrive in a competitive world, and serve as the next generation of leaders in their communities. At AF, students and staff embark on a shared journey to fulfill their incredible potential.

Your Impact

The Manager of Rhode Island Student Services is responsible for overseeing and operationalizing our food, health and transportation services for our Rhode Island region. This role involves managing partnerships with vendors, ensuring compliance with regulations, optimizing systems and processes, and facilitating effective communication across internal and external stakeholders. As a key member of Team School Operations, the Manager works closely with the operational program team and our school-based operations team members to streamline and support the work done on the ground across all of our schools. Additionally, this person is a critical bridge between school-based operations and external student services providers.

Major duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Strategic Leadership and Policy Development:

• Author RFPs and oversee the bid process for securing food services and transportation vendors.
• Lead hiring for health services and establish schedules for nursing staff.
• Define annual requirements for food, health, and transportation services, communicating them to school-based teams.
• Assess the effectiveness of daily bus routing and meal service delivery to meet KPI goals.
• Collaborate with the Director of Student Services to implement policies, procedures, cost reduction efforts and streamlining of procedures.

Partnership Management and Liaison:

• Manage relationships with third-party food service and transportation vendors, facilitating issue resolution.
• Facilitate collaborative relationships with local districts and agencies to deploy ad hoc health-related services.
• Liaise with other network support teams to collaborate on cross-functional projects.
• Coordinate communication between schools, vendors, and external constituents.

Training and Process Improvement:

• Ensure timely and accurate use of all student service systems and processes (including but not limited to eRIDE, eDC, GPS Software, Infinite Campus, Mealtime, KIDSNET, Versatrans and Tableau reporting).
• Develop and facilitate trainings for school-based operations staff on critical systems.
• Ensure compliance and maximize financial claims through system alignment.
• Interpret, enforce, and train staff on policies and procedures.
• Develop turnkey training materials for staff.

Billing and Financial Management:

• Reconcile monthly invoicing from food services and transportation vendors and manage billing processes.
• Oversee expense and revenue management, including tracking overtime and excess meals.
• Own meals claiming and reimbursement processes, ensuring accuracy.

Compliance and Data Reporting:

• Ensure schools meet state and federal requirements for student services. (including but not limited to the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Vision/Hearing/Scoliosis Screening, Immunization, and ESSA)
• Establish and manage tracking and reporting systems, ensuring data accuracy.
• Develop KPI reports to assess progress and inform decisions.
• Lead internal audits and reconciliation efforts to ensure compliance with internal and external regulations.

General Responsibilities:

• Coordinate communication across teams and stakeholders, ensuring clarity and coordination.
• Support the Director of Student Services in executing projects and initiatives.
• Author, draft and edit documents for effective communication.
• Independently problem-solve and propose solutions when challenges arise.
• Manage administrative tasks and support special projects.

Skills You'll Have

All candidates for this position will support AF core values, lead innovation, and manage projects to ensure our team, like our schools, are setting a high bar in all areas and pursuing it relentlessly. Bachelor's degree preferred, or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience in a similarly, fast-paced work environment.

Travel may be required to and among our schools and offices at various locations (New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island).

An ideal candidate will have the following experience and qualification:

• 5+ years of project management and student information system management experience
• Track record of excellence in systems and data management
• Highly reliable organizational systems and project management skills; Extraordinary detail orientation
• Adaptive leadership style with the ability to work across multiple teams and to manage without authority
• Intense focus on outcomes; Flexible and critical thinker and strategic problem-solver who can unstick murky problems and drive towards outcomes
• A keen ability to synthesize complex ideas and processes into communications and trainings that are accessible to multiple audiences
• Fluency in Versatrans
• Fluency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite, particularly Excel / Google Sheets

In addition, the following characteristics are required to be successful on this team:

• Strong ethics and ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality
• Confident in interacting with and influencing individuals at all levels within the organization
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment; flexible, able to work autonomously as well as take direction as needed
• Maturity, humility, strong work ethic, and a roll-up-my-sleeves attitude
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a proactive communication style
• Belief in the Achievement First mission and educational model

Compensation

Achievement First sets salaries are set through a lens of equity, and based on the requisite skills, education, and experience relevant to the role. The salary for this position is $99,175. In order to uphold our commitment to equity, Achievement First does not negotiate pay. Additionally, Achievement First offers to all regular, full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid time off, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, a 403(b) retirement benefit package with match, and paid Family Leave.

Achievement First is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. People from all diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. Spanish language proficiency is a plus. You can learn more about diversity at Achievement First here: http://achievementfirst.org/about-us/diversity/