Senior Executive Director School Operations (Multiple Positions)

Senior Executive Director - School Operations

Department: School Leadership

Reports to: Regional Chief

Pay Grade: 1003

Days: 239 Days

Salary Range: minimum $180,000 - maximum $210,000

FSLA Status: Exempt

Position Purpose

The Senior Executive Director of School Operations (SEDSO) serves as the primary operational leader for a full regional portfolio of schools and is the Regional Chief's primary partner on operational execution. This role ensures continuity, consistency, and quality of operational practices across the region, while enabling principals and school leaders to focus on high-quality instruction.

The Senior Executive Director supervises Executive Directors of School Operations and provides portfolio-level oversight, judgment, and decision-making. While Executive Directors operate deeply within a smaller subset of schools as hands-on problem solvers, the Senior Executive Director ensures coherence across the region, steps in as acting regional leadership when needed, and advises on staffing, instructional risk, and operational readiness.

Essential Job Functions

Regional Operational Leadership

• Serves as the Regional Chief's primary partner on all operational matters across the regional portfolio.
• Establishes and maintains consistent operational expectations, systems, and practices across all schools in the region.
• Monitors operational performance and proactively identify risks, trends, or breakdowns requiring intervention.
  
  

Supervision and Development of Executive Directors

• Directly supervises Executive Directors of School Operations.
• Sets clear expectations for how Executive Directors support principals within their assigned subsets of schools.
• Coaches Executive Directors to be effective task managers, decision-makers, and principal thought partners.
• Ensures consistent escalation, communication, and follow-through across the region.
• Provides regular coaching, feedback, and evaluation to Executive Directors on the quality of their school support, principal partnership, decision-making, and follow-through.
  
  

Principal Support and Operational Decision-Making

• Serves as a senior operational advisor to principals on complex or escalated issues.
• Makes operational decisions when delegated by the Regional Chief to ensure timely resolution.
• Ensures principals experience continuity of support regardless of staffing changes or school assignment.
  
  

Continuity of Leadership

• Acts as the Regional Chief's operational designee when the Regional Chief is out.
• Represents the region in cross-functional meetings related to operations, staffing, compliance, and readiness.
• Ensures uninterrupted operational leadership and decision-making across the portfolio.
  
  

Instructional Awareness and Risk Identification

• Maintains working knowledge of instructional quality to identify when operational issues intersect with instructional risk.
• Identifies patterns of ineffective instruction, staffing misalignment, or operational practices that undermine teaching and learning.
• Provides staffing and support recommendations to the Regional Chief that account for both instructional and operational considerations.
  
  

Systems Alignment, Compliance, and Cross-Functional Coordination

• Ensures regional compliance with federal, state, and district policies, particularly related to special education, staffing, and operations.
• Coordinates with central office departments (Talent Management, Finance, Facilities, Technology, Special Education) to resolve systemic issues.
• Supports implementation of districtwide operational initiatives with fidelity across all schools in the region.
• Establishes clear ways of working with cross-functional staff aligned to the region, including Facilities, Technology, Talent Management, and other partners, to ensure coordinated support, role clarity, and accountability for school-level needs.
  
  

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Selects, trains, supervises, and evaluates staff, and makes recommendations relative to assignment, retention, discipline, and dismissal.
  
  

Personal Work Relationships

• All Fort Worth ISD employees must maintain a commitment to the District's mission, vision, and strategic goals.
• Exhibits high professionalism, standards of conduct, and work ethic.
• Demonstrates high quality customer service; builds rapport/relationship with the consumer.
• Demonstrates cultural competence in interactions with others; is respectful of co-workers; communicates and performs as a team player; promotes teamwork; responds and acts appropriately in confrontational situations.
  
  

Other Duties As Assigned

• Performs all job-related duties as assigned and in accordance with Board rules, policies, and regulations. All employees are expected to comply with lawful directives in rare situations driven by need where a team effort is required.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of and deep understanding of school-based operations and central office support systems
• Knowledge of school operations, finance, facilities, human resources, technology integration, and service delivery in an educational setting.
• Knowledge of federal and state guidelines, as well as District policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of budgets and budgeting processes for both local and federal funds and experience in developing and managing central or campus budgets.
• Knowledge of current teaching methods and educational pedagogy, as well as differentiated instruction based upon student learning styles.
• Knowledge of best practices in administration, program evaluation, and staff supervision.
• Knowledge of current research and literature related to effective leadership.
• Skill in people-leadership, including the ability to coach and manage senior leaders.
• Skill in leadership, communication, and cross-functional management, with the ability to influence and drive change in a complex organization.
• Skill in analytics and resource management, with a focus on improving efficiency and school support.
• Skill in organizational, public, and interpersonal relations.
• Skill in program management, evaluation, program planning, program development, implementation and evaluation.
• Skill in using data-driven decision-making to inform practices and improve outcomes.
• Skill in judgment and creativity in decision-making; considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Skill in written and oral communication, including ability to interact with and influence all levels of District Service Center, campus staff, and parents.
• Ability to identify when operational challenges signal deeper instructional or leadership concerns.
• Ability to use strong judgment and ability to make timely decisions in high-accountability environments.
• Ability to build effective cross-functional partnerships while maintaining clarity of ownership and results.
• Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and in alignment with district priorities.
• Ability to navigate a complex, political environment and act as a steward of FWISD.
• Ability to exercise discretion regarding matters of a sensitive or confidential nature.
• Ability to utilize software to create, access, analyze, and interpret spreadsheets, data dashboards, presentations, email, and documents.
• Ability to engage in self-evaluation with regard to performance and professional growth.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with others contacted in the course of work.
• Ability to exercise absolute discretion regarding matters of a sensitive or confidential nature.
• Ability to handle difficult and stressful situations with professional composure.
  
  

Travel Requirements

• Travels to school district buildings and professional meetings as required.
  
  

Physical & Mental Demands, Work Hazards

• Tools/Equipment Used: Standard office equipment, including computer and peripherals.
• Posture: Prolonged sitting and standing; occasional stooping, squatting, kneeling, bending, pushing/pulling, and twisting.
• Motion: Frequent repetitive hand motions, including keyboarding and use of mouse; occasional reaching.
• Lifting: Occasional light lifting and carrying (less than 15 pounds).
• Environment: Works in an office setting; occasionally requires irregular and/or prolonged hours.
• Attendance: Regular and punctual attendance at the worksite is required for this position.
• Mental Demands: Maintains emotional control under stress; works with frequent interruptions.
  
  

Minimum Required Qualifications

• Education:
• Master's degree in Education or a closely related field required;
• Doctorate degree preferred.
• Certification/License:
• Eligible for a Valid Texas Mid-Management and/or Principal Certification preferred.
• Experience:
• Minimum of three years of exemplary teaching experience.
• Minimum of four years of successful experience as a principal, director, or other similar district supervisory role.
  

This document is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job and is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required.