Portfolio Strategy Job Descriptions:

Transcription

1 Portfolio Strategy Job Descriptions: Chief Executive Officer Chief Portfolio Officer Chief Transition Officer Chief Academic Officer Chief Communications Officer Chief Financial Officer Chief of Data and Accountability Chief Talent Officer Counsel and Compliance Manager Enrollment Manager Facilities and Transportation Manager (Chief Operations Manager) Center on Reinventing Public Education University of Washington 425 Pontius Ave N, Suite 410 Seattle, WA

2 Chief Executive Officer Primary Goal: Leading the districts transition to the portfolio model and being the public face of the strategy Leading a small leadership group that will remission the central office, and in doing so, greatly reduce its size Hiring a cabinet that understands the portfolio strategy and has the skills necessary for implementation Using legal advice to formulate sustainable actions, not to avoid risks of legal action at all costs Structuring the cabinet so that portfolio strategy issues are given top priority. Managing (via a Portfolio Management Office) performance contracts with schools, which provide schools with autonomy in exchange for high level accountability Reviewing annual slate of school openings, closings, expansions from the Portfolio Management Office and recommending actions to the Board. Working with the Board to pass the annual slate of school openings and closings Recognizing progress but pushing for continuous improvement in the district Building a diverse coalition of support for the portfolio strategy in the community that includes political figures, the business community, foundations, and families Leading efforts to secure external funding for the transition to portfolio when needed Explaining the portfolio strategy to the public and building support by clearly framing the strategy with regards to its impact on kids Working with unions and existing bureaucracy to build compromises and systems that allow for full scale portfolio implementation Ability to make hard judgments about schools and not think of them as permanent institutions Ability to delegate responsibility to others, supervise on consistency of actions with overall strategy Strong conflict management skills in order to navigate the strategy shift successfully Capacity to explain portfolio actions to a broad variety of audiences, both internal and external Willingness to be open and clear about decision criteria Strong relationship/coalition builder who can cultivate the support needed for portfolio implementation Willingness to rethink the status quo, including a willingness to consider facing litigation and challenges to fully explore what is possible for the district Ability to work with a diverse array of individuals in order to move the district forward 2013 Center on Reinventing Public Education

3 Chief Portfolio Officer Primary Goal: Overseeing the district- wide portfolio strategy, which primarily includes overseeing the schools within the portfolio and making informed decisions about which should be closed, transformed, expanded, or opened Working with a diverse array of schools providers (not just the district) to ensure that students are being offered the best opportunities possible Tracking school data Making recommendations (to be approved by CEO and Board) on schools continued existence in the portfolio, based upon data over time Identifying programs and schools that are successful and expanding or duplicating them Using data to identify neighborhoods that are lacking quality options and creating new schools to serve students in these areas based on student/family need Coordinating across central office teams (data, talent, communications, enrollment, finance, etc) to ensure that work is moving forward in a cohesive manner that supports the portfolio strategy Identifying components of the portfolio strategy that the district still needs to improve upon and driving the improvement work Developing leaders for new schools and recruiting promising school providers Matching neighborhoods in need with providers and facilities Explaining action criteria, evidence, and options to parents and neighbors Working with enrollment and transportation to make sure kids who need options can get them Deep understanding of the portfolio strategy and commitment to moving the district in that direction Ability to frame the portfolio strategy for a variety of audiences Strong organizational skills that enable involvement with and understanding of the many different departments that are contributing towards the portfolio strategy Data savvy, and able to communicate to less data comfortable audiences about what data means Personable and able to work well with individuals across the district Willingness to do the hard work of closing schools Ability to translate the portfolio strategy into action at the district level that moves the district towards the strategy and sets up an annual continuous improvement cycle

4 Chief Transition Officer Main Goal: Shifting the district from a traditional management model to the portfolio model Overseeing communication of the portfolio strategy internally and externally Communicating internally about how the strategy will shift job functions and working to keep only those staff members committed to the transition Helping the CEO map out a central office redesign plan and sequence of actions that will support the portfolio strategy Recruitment and hiring of any needed new central office staff who understands the portfolio strategy Driving the transition process by identifying areas of the portfolio strategy that the district needs to develop further and moving the district forward on those elements Working with the CEO to build a diverse coalition of community support behind the portfolio strategy Keeping CEO appraised of progress as implementation occurs and any issues that arise, and suggesting how the CEO can intervene to get the district on target Drafting white papers that are needed for internal and external communication about the strategy A strong commitment to and understanding of the portfolio strategy Ability to be successful working closely with the CEO and all central office staff Mastery of tracking techniques for complex projects Willingness to make hard choices for the district and central office during the implementation of the portfolio strategy Clear writing voice and ability to explain aspects of the portfolio strategy

5 Chief Academic Officer Primary Goal: Supporting all schools transition to full autonomy within five years and then overseeing support to schools, as well as managing the transition period when many schools are not yet autonomous Assessing initial readiness of all district schools for autonomy Providing training in new functions of autonomous school leaders for principals expected to gain autonomy within the first two years of the transition Identifying principals who cannot be expected to operate autonomously and will need to be moved out of their schools Identifying potential alternative supply of autonomy- ready principals among the current teaching staff Informing talent/hr about needs for new principals from outside the district who are autonomy- ready Setting true prices for district- provided professional development and other school improvement services Ensuring schools are free to purchase from outside providers Initiating spin- off of the highest- quality instructional services units into nonprofits Tracking unmet school needs and locating or encouraging formation of new providers Helping pair schools with high- quality providers when schools request assistance Evaluating performance of vendors to ensure that external providers are of a high quality Overseeing traditional CAO functions during the transition to ensure that school that are not yet autonomous still have enough support this task may be carried out by a deputy Ability to critically evaluate traditional central office academic support functions to evaluate which functions could be provided as well or better by external operators An understanding of outcome driven performance management in order to evaluate external providers Strong business skills to help identify (or to find consultants who can identify) which district service units can successfully be spun off into non- profits and to help support that transition The ability to communicate about the transition to a variety of groups (district service providers, principals, talent/hr office) An understanding of the skills that make principals autonomy- ready Deep understanding of the portfolio strategy and willingness to abandon centralized control functions.

6 Chief Communications Officer Main Goal: Overseeing the communication about the strategy and building of coalitions that support the strategy Explaining the portfolio strategy to the community Communicating the need for school closure and helping facilitate family understanding of criteria, processes, and possible benefits to children Setting clear public benchmarks for the success of the strategy and communication about progress towards these Targeted outreach to build a diverse coalition (foundations, business leaders, families, teachers) of community support to add sustainability to the strategy Leading communication around the enrollment strategy to ensure that families are receiving the information they need to choose good options for their students Driving internal communication around the strategy to ensure that there is buy- in and understanding throughout the district Working with Chief Transition Officer to produce any needed white papers or messaging during the transition to the portfolio strategy Supporting principals as key partners in the district s communication efforts Deep understanding of the portfolio strategy Ability to explain the portfolio strategy in a variety of ways based upon the audience Strong writing skills Experience working with reporters and editorial boards Works well with the Chief Transition Officer Works well with principals Willingness to work with external public relations experts when needed Understanding that shifting to the portfolio strategy is highly political and challenging and will require a high level, extensive, and campaign- like outreach/communication strategy

7 Chief Financial Officer Main Goal: Leading the move to pupil based budgeting and reduced central office costs so that schools have the maximum amount of funding to spend autonomously Manage transition from project- to pupil- based funding Advising the CEO and Board on pupil weighting Assess ways to increase the amounts of money transferred to schools by reducing central office fixed costs Developing ways to transfer funds to schools as soon as enrollment numbers are known Coordinating with Enrollment to adjust funding as schools enrollments change Creating the simplest possible reporting forms for schools to record their expenditures and anticipate audits Advising central office unit heads on how to cost out their services, account for staffing expenses Analyzing the imputed rental value of district- owned facilities that different schools enjoy Alerting CEO to snags in increasing the share of total funding controlled by schools Experience as CFO, accountant, auditor Expertise on cost allocation Ability to communicate results of financial analysis to educators, the public Ability to work with other central office heads who are struggling with cost and downsizing issues Commitment to maximizing school autonomy and control of resources

8 Chief of Data and Accountability Main Goal: Tracking the data needed to drive the portfolio model continuous improvement cycle and ensuring that everyone involved in the strategy (central office, principals, teachers, families) has the data they need to make informed decisions Tracking school performance data Feeding data into the continuous improvement cycle to help identify programs that should be expanded or replicated and programs that need extra support or closure Providing principals and teachers timely access to performance data on their own schools and others. Producing a common school report card and other data displays that will identify schools with lower performance and a flat or negative improvement trajectory Ensuring that families have the information they need to make informed choices about where students will attend schools Managing performance data for teachers and principals and ensuring that everyone is receiving data in a timely manner Tracking data about the success of the strategy Creating and understandable accountability system which will be used to evaluate schools and make decisions about the future of schools Strong quantitative and qualitative data skills Ability to translate data in a way that is understandable to others in the district and the general public Understanding of the portfolio strategy and a belief in the continuous improvement cycle for the district Commitment to providing data for performance management decisions on schedule Thanks creatively about how to define metrics and ensure that data is being used to improve opportunities for students Strong ability to communicate data and accountability information

9 Chief Talent Officer Main Goal: To be the human capital leader of the district and ensure that the district can attract and retain the administrators, principals, and teachers needed for a successful portfolio model Make the city/district a magnet for talent Build a pipeline that will provide the autonomy- capable principals needed in a portfolio district Track schools ability to get needed talent and sound the alarm if schools are not able to recruit who they need Recruit new teacher providers and assess the quality of educators entering and leaving the district Help schools find teachers and leaders who are good fits Revamp the applicant vetting process to make it more selective and designed to find individuals who will thrive in a high accountability and high autonomy environment Collect and provide data to schools that school leaders can use for personnel decisions Clear legal hurdles to ensure that principals have control over compensation, hiring, and work rules in their buildings Manage traditional HR functions such as payroll, benefits, and processing of applications probably through supervision of a deputy who will manage these functions. Provide required reports to the state Comfortable with using data and packaging data into understandable and digestible forms for schools Can creatively think about sources of talent to ensure that the district has the largest pool to pull qualified applicants from Past human capital experience with a focus on talent management Ability to work with labor organizations and existing stakeholders to find compromises that enable autonomy at the school level

10 Counsel and Compliance Manager Main Goal: Serve as legal advisor to the CEO focusing on how the CEO can work with existing laws to implement the strategy. Identify ways to interpret and use existing law on behalf of the district s reform strategy Identify grey areas where some one might challenge the CEO's actions Advise how the CEO/district s actions can be defended If needed, provide the legal rationale that the CEO can use when he announces an action Avoid falling into the traditional general counsel role of avoiding any actions that could lead to legal challenges Regular communication with the CEO and other cabinet level administrators A corporate law mindset rather than a traditional school district general counsel mindset Willingness to engage respectfully with opposition in order to push the portfolio strategy forward In extreme cases, the ability to tell the CEO that a plan would not withstand a legal challenge Good working relationship with the CEO Creativity when interpreting legal framework to find ways that existing law works with the portfolio strategy

11 Enrollment Manager Main Goal: Ensuring that students in the district have a fair and accessible enrollment system that enables meaningful school choice Advising portfolio manager on availability of seats and student population changes in neighborhoods with many low performing schools Creation of a common enrollment system across all district schools and public schools run by outside operators (i.e. charter schools) Promptly calculating school enrollment levels to drive pupil- based funding; alerting CFO and schools to these levels and to changes throughout the year Annual execution of the enrollment process Ensuring that the enrollment system is fair for families Planning the enrollment system so that there are spots held, in a fair manner, for mid- year transfers Working with communications department and external partners to ensure that families are participating in the enrollment process Working with communications department and external partners to ensure that families have enough information to choose schools for their students Developing a mechanism to make good choices for children whose parents neglect to express a preference Understanding of how crucial choice is for the portfolio strategy Ability to work with non- district schools to create a mutually acceptable common enrollment system Ability to work with technical experts on student assignment algorithms Can explain to families, school leaders, and external stakeholders the benefits of a choice system and encourage participation

12 Facilities and Transportation Manager (Chief Operating Officer) Main Goal: Oversees the districts real estate portfolio and ensures that student needs which are critical to school attendance (transportation, food services) are met Creating an accounting and payment system that will let schools make purchases from the funds transferred to their accounts on the basis of enrollment Helping schools that want to leave the district s payroll and benefits systems find and evaluate other providers Overseeing the team that manages business operations such as payroll, facility maintenance, transportation, food services, and facility leasing Ensuring that the district owned real estate portfolio is maintained Helping district and non- district schools find space in district buildings Overseeing facility leasing to district and non- district schools Ensuring that students are getting to school, whether by providing transportation directly or releasing fund to schools to buy transportation directly Supporting schools that are purchasing transportation directly by finding quality provider options Helping make arrangements for older students to take public transportation Working with enrollment office to make decisions about choice zones in district that will make transportation options realistic and feasible Releasing food service funds to schools and connecting schools to quality food providers or managing district provided food services Willingness to consider district owned real estate resources as an asset that both district run and non- district run schools should have access to Strong understanding of district business operations and the ability to consider both direct provision of services and vendor provision as viable options Ability to help schools transition to a model where they must lease space and may have the freedom to purchase services from a non- district provider Can manage the complexities of student transportation Can organize this diverse set of responsibilities (transportation, facilities, food) to support the portfolio strategy