Aspire Public Schools is a nonprofit organization that currently operates 34 high-performing, open-enrollment public charter schools serving 12,000 students in underserved communities across California and will open schools in Memphis, TN in fall, 2013. Aspire is one of the highest-performing public school systems in California, delivering a rigorous ‘College for Certain’ education to students in grades K-12. An unrelenting focus on college preparedness led to 100 percent of graduating Aspire seniors being accepted to four year colleges or universities in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Aspire offers a high-quality education in six cities throughout California: Los Angeles, Oakland, Stockton, Sacramento, Modesto and East Palo Alto.  Visit Aspire Public Schools at www.aspirepublicschools.org.   

General Summary:

The Director of Technology Operations will directly lead and manage on the operations of Aspire’s IT department to support Aspire’s achievement and operational goals. The Director is responsible for setting and executing technology strategy, managing technology vendors and budget, and ensuring that effectiveness and quality of the technology support function. The Director will collaborate with decision-makers in other departments to identify, recommend, develop, implement, and support cost-effective technology solutions for all aspects of the organization. Leading by example, the Director does not hesitate to roll his/her sleeves up to provide backup or assistance to his/her team of 10-12 staff members with technical support/assignments, and is ultimately responsible for ensuring staff have the appropriate skills and knowledge to support successful job performance.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Team Leadership 

1. Ensure the team is structured appropriately to meet key priorities; assesses skill level to ensure team members are in the right roles, supporting skill development as appropriate.
2. Manage, coach and mentor direct reports and staff members to help them be successful in their roles and to develop and improve skill sets.
3. Effectively prioritize initiatives, tasks, and projects to ensure that the most critical needs are being met as efficiently as possible.
4. Conduct performance reviews with direct reports to identify areas of success and areas of improvement.
5. Manage the technology operations team in a way that emphasizes collaboration, sparks innovation, and values customer service, technical proficiency and lifelong learning
6. Build and maintain team morale.

Department Management

1. Develop, manage and review technology budget.
2. Manage technical documentation, ERate plans, compliance, CIPA, and inventory of all Aspire technical infrastructure.
3. Develop a technology support function that delights its customers: Aspire teammates (Principals, teachers, staff, etc.) and students
4. Create and support efficient and highly organized systems for asset tracking, vendor management, and customer support
5. Use data to drive decision-making around department process improvements and technology investments for the organization
6. Provide input to Vice President on effective policies and procedures for the use of technology within Aspire Public Schools.
7. Establish partnerships with vendors/community for technology projects and services
8. Travel to Aspire school sites as needed

Strategy Development & Implementation

1. Establishes long term plans for a technical service delivery model that address central and regionalized infrastructures and supports long-term national growth.
2. Be a thought partner for schools and other departments in identifying, recommending, implementing, and supporting technology that supports instructional goals
3. Share expertise and provide advice to help managers and directors from other teams (e.g., technology solutions, solution delivery, etc.) meet their technology and support needs
4. Create a technology plan for the systems infrastructure. Develop long-term educational technology objectives and IT operational infrastructure.
5. Manage implementation of complex and diverse technology projects that improve teaching, learning, and operating at Aspire
6. Define and communicate project milestones, service level agreements, and resource allocation to executive team, department leads, support staff, and end users
7. Negotiate with vendors to achieve best cost for the organization without sacrificing necessary quality; manage vendors to maximize contracts and budget investments

1) Required knowledge, skills & abilities:

1. Demonstrated success in implementing information technology through strong project management and communication skills
2. Ability to be hands-on in support and project implementation, demonstrated work ethic, and ability to multi-task
3. Experience in supporting Active Directory, Exchange, SSO, Google Apps, Windows, and Mac
4. Strong technical aptitude and ability to learn new technologies quickly
5. Proven success in overseeing the design and implementation of network and operating systems, hardware, protocols, network infrastructure and standards, including WANs, LANs, virtualization, cloud computing, network and systems security, and web-based applications
6. Experience in managing technology budgets and investments and negotiating with vendors
7. Proven ability to manage a dynamic, geographically-dispersed team and to support team members development and improvement
8. Demonstrated strong customer service knowledge and skills
9. Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment

2) Minimum educational level:

• Bachelor’s degree in information systems or related field
 
3) Experience required:

1. 5-7 years of experience with general IT troubleshooting and/or network and system administration (e.g., Active Directory, Exchange, SSO, Google Apps, Windows, and Mac)
2. 2-4 years of experience in a management or supervisory role in an IT help desk environment
3. 2-4 years of experience in a team-based, project management role
4. Experience in an educational environment, preferred but not required