Director, Data and IT Support - job 1 of 2

Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing public charter schools dedicated to providing an exceptional K-12 education in economically disadvantaged communities. Operating in Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark, and Rochester, we are committed to closing the college completion gap and preparing every student for college and beyond. Our students consistently exceed national benchmarks, reflecting our dedication to their success. We invest deeply in our educators, offering weekly coaching, feedback, and professional development to ensure excellence in teaching and leadership. Join us to work hard, do good, and make a lasting difference!

This role is responsible for leading the IT Support team at Uncommon Schools. They will serve on the IT Leadership team with their fellow IT Directors and set strategic priorities for the data and technology services delivered to all schools and the Home Office. They will also be responsible for managing the Data & IT team’s relationship with schools, RSOs, and other Home Office teams.

The IT Support team manages three functions:

• Reactive support for our Student Information System (PowerSchool), assessment platform (Illuminate), Edtech, and much more
• Proactively manage aligned school processes - for example, Report card creation, data audits, and End of Year and Start of Year processes. 
• Device management in collaboration with a Managed Service Provider (MSP).

Main Responsibilities:

IT Support Team Management

• This position directly manages 6 FTE at varied levels
• Provide a clear vision and objectives for the IT Support Team and its role within Uncommon.
• Professional Development: Support the team member's individual growth within Uncommon and the K-12 Data and technology space
• Lead problem-solving for the team-- identify trends and pain points with our applications and support processes.
• Train team members in Customer Service and IT best practices.
• Successfully manage outages to root cause identification and resolution. 
• Provide alternatives and recommendations to data management approaches for strategic activities within schools and Home Office functions.
• Guide the team through data issue resolution using strong analytical skills as well as hands-on experience with data-related issue analysis and development of solutions to resolve data quality issues

Customer Service and Support Service Leadership

• Manage and align internal processes and best practices
• Represent the opportunity and value customer service and best practices bring to Uncommon among the organization’s leadership.
• Partner with other Data & IT Leaders and Data Analytics to establish highly effective approaches in working with functions that are critical to the delivery of quality data across Uncommon 
• Establish the methods and processes to mature the support services function at Uncommon Schools
• Lead/facilitate Customer Service activities across the organization
• Review existing processes and continually improve them. This includes reviewing lessons learned from each initiative within the team and leading the team through change of process improvements. 
• Oversee relationships will all regional leads and schools.
• Lead the creation and maintenance of the internal and external knowledge base documentation on all IT Support business processes and products in order to facilitate self-service.
• Set service level agreements for all Uncommon’s supported applications and ensure service level agreements are met.

Data & IT Leadership

• Partnership with Data & IT, functional teams, and vendors: Establish highly effective approaches in working together that are critical to a highly functioning, sustainable, technology ecosystem. 
• Foster a culture of ownership among the Data & IT team and at the Home Office.
• Partner with other IT Directors to form a cohesive strategic plan that accomplishes the team’s 2 to 3-year vision
• Develop annual Data & IT Team goals that incorporate IT Service best practices.

Projects

• Gather Requirements from functional and school-based teams as necessary 
• Establish IT Support Service expectations for new projects or solutions
• Act as subject matter expert on internal and external project teams when knowledge of applications, systems, processes, or data is required.
• Work closely with Project Management teams to collaborate on the roll-out and support of any new technology platforms and any data integration work.
•  Providing leadership and training to the team on technical or business concepts and in Support Service best practices. 
• Develop and maintain strong relationships, keeping stakeholders informed and engaged throughout the entire project lifecycle.
• Collaborate with relevant stakeholders such as Regional and Functional leaders, other technology teams, and project managers to ensure timely completion of the planned book of work 

Education Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree

Experience Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience supporting/configuring the following applications for state reporting in NY, NJ, and MA:
  • PowerSchool
  • Illuminate
• 5+ years experience in project management in a matrixed organization & data management in K-12
• 3+ years of management experience & managing complex enterprise systems
• 1+ year of experience managing a $400,000 annual operating budget 
• Basic knowledge of SQL and at least one scripting language

Our people are what make us Uncommon. We offer competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits that support the personal health, wellness, and finances of our staff and their families. Our compensation philosophy values equity & fairness and attracting & retaining top talent.

Compensation

Compensation for this role is between $116,800-$146,000. 

Starting pay is determined using various factors including but not limited to relevant professional experience, education, certifications, and tenure with Uncommon Schools. If you meet all job description requirements you will likely receive an offer of $131,400.

Benefits

• 19 days of paid time off
• 3 weeks of paid Winter and Summer org-wide holidays
• Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plans
• 403(b) retirement savings program + employer match
• Paid leave of absence options (parental, medical, disability, etc.)
• Mental health and counseling support + wellness benefits
• Pre-tax flexible spending, dependent care, and health saving accounts

*A detailed list of all benefits is located HERE.

At Uncommon, we believe that a supportive and welcoming environment helps our students, staff, and community thrive. We are dedicated to building a team that brings a wide range of perspectives and experiences, reflective of the communities we serve---with over 70% of our staff identifying as people of color. Our organization values respect and open dialogue on important topics that shape our school culture.

As an equal opportunity employer, Uncommon provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We also ensure that individuals with disabilities receive all privileges and benefits associated with employment and are provided reasonable accommodations for the interview process and to perform core job functions. If you would like to request an accommodation, please email [email protected].