Qualification & Experiences
● Has 6-10+ years of relevant professional experience
● Has built and scaled systems or organizations, not just operated within them
● Has led multi-functional teams (e.g., finance + people + ops)
● Is equally comfortable with ambiguity and execution
● Has demonstrated ability to drive alignment across diverse stakeholders
● Brings high ownership and a bias for action
● Is deeply motivated by building systems that enable social impact at scale
Responsibilities
Strategy and Systems:
● Create and own a vision and strategy for The Circle’s operational backbone, which is
aligned with org goals and direction.
● Design, implement, and continuously improve systems, processes, and structures across all operations functions.
● Set standards and best practices that enable consistency, quality, and scalability.
Leadership:
● Oversee five functions - fundraising, finance, talent, admin and technology - ensuring
each function is effective and aligned with organizational needs.
● Build and maintain strong alignment within the operations vertical, ensuring clarity on priorities, goals and division of labor.
● Establish and strengthen rhythms and structures for intra vertical and inter-vertical collaboration and coordination.
People & Team Development
● Drive engagement, retention and growth of team members.
● Coach, mentor and develop 4-5 direct reports, building their capacity as leaders and people managers.
Financial Stewardship:
● Own financial planning and budgeting for operational costs at The Circle.
● Monitor costs, ensure financial discipline, and enable effective resource allocation.
Monitoring & Evaluation
● Partner with the M&E / R&D team to define organizational health metrics
● Build systems to track, review, and act on these metrics
● Enable data-driven decision-making across operations
Director, Operations
Operations
Summary
As we enter our fifth year of operations at The Circle, we are doubling down on building a strong and robust organizational backbone for our rapidly growing organization. The Circle is soon entering Phase Two of our organizational journey, where we are embarking on a mission to deepen, grow and expand our impact through our two core programs. Over the next five years, by 2033, we’re striving to have launched 125 models that are impacting 75,000 students while simultaneously infusing the system with 3000 highly prepared teachers.
As Director of Operations, you will architect and lead The Circle’s operational backbone—building the systems, teams, and rhythms required to scale a high-impact network. You will be accountable for transforming operations from a set of functions into a cohesive, high-performing engine that enables The Circle’s next phase of growth.
You will oversee and manage the operations vertical across five core functions that are central to The Circle’s success:
- Development and Fundraising: fueling our work to raise the funding and support
needed to champion this work
- Finance: ensuring that we have a financial backbone that powers high-quality and
reliable management of our budget
- Talent: building a world-class team with high quality, mission-driven people
- Administration: ensuring that our operations keep us both effective and efficient
- Technology: building the technological backbone to keep us connected and moving into the 21st century
This role combines strategy and execution - you will set direction, build systems, and ensure high-quality implementation. While you will not be expected to be the deepest expert in each domain, you will be responsible for ensuring excellence, integration, and performance across all five. You will work closely with The Circle’s CEO and leadership team to enable organizational effectiveness, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.
What You Will Build:
● A cohesive, high-functioning operations backbone that enables The Circle to scale to 125 models and 75,000 students
● A financial and fundraising engine that is predictable, disciplined, and growth-oriented
● A high-performing operations leadership team across finance, talent, tech, and
admin
● Clear organizational rhythms and decision-making systems that increase speed and alignment
● A data-informed culture, where key organizational health metrics are defined, tracked, and used