Chief Operating Officer

Overview: The RISE Network's mission is to ensure all high school students graduate with a plan and the skills and confidence to achieve college and career success. Founded in 2016, RISE partners with public high schools to lead networks where communities work together to use data to learn and improve. Through its core and most comprehensive network, RISE partners with nine high schools and eight districts, serving over 13,000 students in historically marginalized communities.

RISE high schools work together to ensure all students experience success as they transition to, through, and beyond high school by using data to pinpoint needs, form hypotheses, and pursue ideas to advance student achievement. Partner schools have improved Grade 9 promotion rates by nearly 20 percentage points, while also decreasing subgroup gaps and increasing school-wide graduation and college access rates. In 2021, the RISE Network was honored to receive the Carnegie Foundation's annual Spotlight on Quality in Continuous Improvement recognition. Increasingly, RISE is pursuing opportunities to scale its impact through research publications, consulting partnerships, professional development experiences, and other avenues to drive excellent student outcomes.

Role Summary: The Chief Operating Officer (COO) serves as a member of the RISE Leadership Team and oversees the organization's core internal functions. They lead RISE finances, talent, and office operations. This includes leadership of the RISE Operations Team and various external and high-stakes partnerships. The COO invests in excellent back-office operations to promote organizational effectiveness and efficiencies in support of RISE's direct service work with school partners. The COO will help the organization move from planning to execution as part of a process to develop a 5 year strategic plan.

The Team and Resources: The COO will report to RISE's Executive Director and will manage a team of at least two direct reports specializing in finance, operations and compliance, and talent management. The COO will also oversee and manage multiple vendors who provide key operational services, including: a PEO firm that manages human resources and payroll and benefits, an accounting partner to execute accurate bookkeeping, a legal services firm responsible for contract review and counsel, a talent strategy consulting firm to support with talent acquisition, and an IT services provider.

Key Responsibilities:

Team Leadership

• Oversee the implementation and continuous improvement of RISE's talent and operations functions.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for the team, ensuring all team members have a shared understanding of success metrics and how their roles support results in these areas.
• Promote team coordination and communication, including by facilitating purposeful team meetings and overseeing team work plans.
• Support the ongoing professional development of all team members through coaching, modeling, mentorship, feedback, and other learning opportunities.
• Maintain an excellent team climate rooted in high expectations, an appreciation for team diversity, and a commitment to create an inclusive and collaborative team environment.
• Engage team members in weekly one-on-one check-ins and ongoing performance management routines, providing staff with ongoing feedback and coaching.
• Serve on the Leadership Team, helping to shape and advance the organization's strategy and growth.
• Manage key external partnerships that serve as an extension of the Operations Team's capacity.
• Promote strong collaboration with other RISE functional teams.
• Oversee organizational systems for project management and KPI tracking.

Finance

• Lead the development of RISE's annual budget and multi-year budget models in collaboration with the Executive Director.
• Serve as the finance liaison to the Board of Directors and Treasurer.
• Support managers in developing and leveraging team budgets and resources.
• Prepare quarterly financial reports and briefing updates for the Leadership Team and Board of Directors, inclusive of variance flags and recommendations.
• Oversee systems for accounts payables and accounts receivable, and ongoing accounting functions in partnership with our external bookkeepers.
• Maintain and uphold internal financial policies and controls.
• Oversee the annual audit process and other annual filings.
• Oversee contracting processes, including by negotiating contracts with external vendors.
• Support efforts to pursue a diversified revenue model advancing organizational sustainability.
• Maintain financial systems for grant reporting; ensure compliance with all financial grant requirements.
• Exercise excellent resource stewardship in and beyond Operations Team, helping to organize staff and financial resources in support of student outcome goals.
• Oversee annual filings.

Talent Development

• Oversee talent acquisition systems, including strong recruitment, hiring, and on-boarding processes.
• Oversee performance management systems, including goal-setting, ongoing supervisor feedback, and year-end reviews.
• Build manager capacity to lead performance management routines and scaffold internal calibration.
• Partner with managers to design and deliver meaningful and relevant professional learning experiences aligned to RISE KPIs and competencies.
• Oversee employee benefits and maintain thorough staff policies.
• Partner with other leaders and staff to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at RISE.
• Design and implement routines to monitor staff climate in support of employee morale and retention, creating systems that result in actionable data and team improvements.

Working at RISE

RISE is committed to being a great place to work! Here's what you can expect as a member of the RISE team:

• A hybrid workplace with flexibility to work where and when it makes the most sense for employees to thrive personally and professionally.
• Comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, vision insurance, and full coverage of the premiums for our employee-only base plans.
• Paid Time Off plans in addition to 12 organizational holidays and 3 personal days.
• Paid parental and family leave, as well as compassionate leave for staff who experience the loss or serious illness of a loved one or their own extended illness.
• A 401k plan with a 5% matching contribution that vests immediately.
• Employer-provided equipment, including laptop and cellphone with mobile hotspot as well as funds to help set up your office, at home or at work.
• Investment in continued professional development and learning, through ongoing coaching and development, internal training, funds for external learning opportunities, and a tuition reimbursement program.

The Connecticut RISE Network is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds.