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Fort Worth STEAM Academy

Dean of Operations

Fort Worth STEAM Academy, Fort Worth, Texas, United States, 76102

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Who We Are

Fort Worth STEAM Academy is launching a tuition free public charter middle school in East Fort Worth, opening August 2026. Our mission is to prepare every student for success in high school, college, and career through a rigorous STEAM-focused education, a joyful culture of high expectations, and strong community partnerships. As a founding team member, you won't just take a job—you'll help build a safe, structured, joyful school where curiosity and excellence thrive.

Role Summary

The Dean of Operations leads all non-instructional operations—enrollment and family onboarding, attendance and student persistence, safety and compliance, facilities and child nutrition, front office, and vendor management—to ensure a safe, structured, joyful environment where teaching and learning thrive. You build systems, manage vendors, and coordinate day-to-day execution (including with the back-office provider).

Success looks like:

145+ students enrolled by the 2nd week of school, ≥93% Average Daily Attendance (ADA), ≥90% student persistence, a B or higher on Charter FIRST,

and

85%+ retention of high-performing operations staff and vendors

Reports to:

CEO/Superintendent

Directly Manages:

PEIMS Coordinator, Receptionist, and Non-Instructional Vendors (Food Service, Facilities, Security, etc.)

Location:

Fort Worth, TX (on-site)

Schedule:

Full-time, school calendar; some evenings/weekends for events and enrollment activities

Compensation:

75-82K

Anticipated Start Date:

January, 2026

Who We're Looking For: Values-Driven and Mission-Focused

This is a rare opportunity to help build a safe, structured, joyful public charter middle school where rigorous STEAM learning thrives. We're seeking teammates who live our values daily and turn them into student results.

Achievement:

Set bold, measurable goals, use data relentlessly, own outcomes, and prioritize high-impact work.

Teamwork:

Collaborate across roles, communicate directly with empathy, uphold high standards, and put the team above ego.

Continuous Improvement:

Seek feedback fast, find root causes, iterate on systems, and treat setbacks as learning data.

Innovation:

Spot problems early, test bold ideas quickly, share learnings, and scale what works to advance the mission.

Key Responsibilities

​​

Enrollment & Onboarding

— Goal: 145+ students enrolled by the 2nd week of school.

Run year-round recruitment plans targeting nearby families and feeder networks.

Own registration and records compliance; ensure all files meet federal/state requirements and internal audit standards.

Ensure new families are welcomed and onboarded.

Attendance & Student Persistence

— Goals: ≥93% ADA; ≥90% persistence

Deliver ADA targets using clear systems (official attendance time, escalation matrix, family notifications).

Partner with the Dean of Culture (DOC) and Social Worker (SW) to remove operational barriers and maintain ≥90% year-over-year persistence.

Train staff on ADA policy updates; ensure PEIMS (Public Education Information Management System) data quality and timely submissions.

Safety, Compliance & Campus Operations

— Goals: ≥93% ADA; ≥90% persistence

Lead required safety drills; train staff on procedures and maintain audit-ready documentation.

Manage front office excellence (family experience, call response, records, substitutes).

Oversee facilities and child nutrition operations to meet budget, health, and safety standards.

Vendor & Financial Stewardship

— Goals: B or higher on Charter FIRST; 85%+ retention of high-performing operations staff and vendors

Manage vendor relationships and performance; ensure concerns are resolved quickly.

Interface with the back-office provider (e.g., finance, HR, payroll, purchasing) and CEO/Superintendent to maintain strong internal controls.

Execute to budget; propose cost-savings without reducing service quality.

Team & Service Culture

— Goal: ≥85% retention of high-performing ops staff and critical vendors

Set service standards; coach ops staff to meet or exceed expectations.

Promote a family-first, solutions-oriented front-of-house experience at all times.

Minimum & Preferred Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree;

3–5+ years

in school or network operations (or comparable, high-volume operations).

Proven success building systems, managing projects, and using data (Excel/Sheets) to drive outcomes.

Strong family-service mindset; clear, compassionate communication; bilingual a plus.

Proven ability to manage budgets, contracts, and vendors with attention to detail and accuracy.

Strong systems-builder with the ability to create processes from scratch and adapt them as the school grows.

Clear communicator with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate across multiple teams.

Preferred Qualifications

Texas public charter experience; PEIMS/attendance systems; facilities/child nutrition oversight; vendor/contracts management.

Spanish proficiency; CPR/First Aid; experience with enrollment CRMs.

Certifications/Licensure

Required:

DPS fingerprint clearance per

TEC §22.0835 .

Preferred/Role-based:

CPR/First Aid;