Director, Business Operations

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Chicago School is seeking a Director, Business Operationsto lead key operations processes, risk management, and operational effectivenessactivities across the University. Reporting to the Associate Vice President Business Operations, this role works collaboratively with leaders across departments to strengthen organizational effectiveness, support informed decision-making, and help ensure institutional priorities are implemented successfully.

The Director serves asan operational leader responsible for managing university-wide processes and priorities. The roleis responsible forensuring critical operational activities are executedconsistently,stakeholdersremainaccountable for assigned responsibilities, and University leaders receivetimelyinformation to support effective decision-making. Working collaboratively across departments, the Director helps translate institutional priorities into structured processes, measurable outcomes, and sustained operational improvements.

This position is remote and may be based anywhere within the United States. Preference may be given to candidateslocatednearone of The Chicago School's campuses.Occasionaltravelmay berequiredto support meetings, planning activities, training, and University events. Travel istypically toone of theuniversity’scampus locations and varies based on business needs.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Operations Management

• Develop,maintain, and administer the University’s operational calendar, ensuring process owners understand expectations, meet established deadlines, and complete required deliverables.

• Maintain and oversee operational review and implementation processes, ensuring initiatives are appropriatelydocumented, communicated, implemented, andevaluatedin accordance withinstitutional requirements.

• Develop andmaintainimplementation tracking tools, documentation, and reporting processes that support accountability, transparency, and informed decision-making.Identifyimplementationrisks, barriers, and dependencies,coordinate resolution efforts, and escalateissues asappropriate.

• Lead special projects and initiatives as assigned; support cross-functional efforts related to institutional priorities and emerging operational needs.Complete operational and financial analysesrequiredto ensure priorities are supported by near-term budgets and longer-term financial planning.

Risk, Compliance, and Continuity

• Maintain and oversee the University’scross-functional risk and compliance committee and related activities, including thecompliance calendar, business continuity planning,and the enterprise risk management framework.Collaborate with leaders and teams to ensure inclusive planning and aligned implementation.

• Manage the University’s policy and procedure administration process, including repository management,drafting and review requirements, and accountability for policy owners.

• Ensureuniversity-widecompliance obligations are tracked and completedin a timely manner(e.g.,recordsretention and destruction activities).Produce recurring reports and recommendationsregardingcompliance obligationsand areas of potential riskforUniversityleadership.

Operational EffectivenessOversight

• Develop and manage operationaleffectivenessreview cycles for assigned departments, including timelines, reporting requirements, stakeholder communications, and final reporting.

• Establish andmaintainreview criteria, performance measures, documentation standards, and reporting expectations that support meaningful assessment and continuous improvement.

• Ensure findings, recommendations, and improvement plans are documented, communicated to relevant stakeholders, and translated into actionable follow-up activitiesthat are completed on-time and to a high-quality standard.

• Monitor progress on improvement plans and follow-up actions, holding stakeholders accountable for agreed-upon commitments and timelines.Produce recurring reports thatidentifytrends, opportunities, operational challenges, and areas requiring leadership attention.Partner withleaders and departments toensure review findings inform planning, resource allocation, operational priorities, and decision-making.

Team Leadership and Development

• Hire, supervise, develop, and evaluate assigned personnel.Support professional development and continuous learning opportunities that strengthen individual and team performance.

• Establish goals, priorities, and performance expectations for team members and monitor progress toward establishedobjectives.Ensure work products are delivered accurately, on time, and in alignment with departmental and institutionalobjectives.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree orthe equivalentin terms of formaleducation andtraining in a related field.

• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in higher education, operations, compliance, assessment, project management, organizational effectiveness, ora related area.

• Experiencedeveloping and managingcross-functional projects, initiatives,and/or institutional processes.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Higher education experience.

• Experiencedriving financial modeling,institutional assessment, continuous improvement, compliance, risk management,and/or operational review processes.

• Experience developing reports, dashboards, or performance measures to support organizational decision-making.

• Technical capability with businessintelligenceand productivitytools (e.g., Power BI,Workday,Office 365)

• Experience with process mapping, workflow design, process automation, or continuous improvement methodologies.

• Experience analyzing operational, financial, or performance data to support organizational decision-making.