Chief Operating Officer at Envision Education – Oakland, California

Application Deadline: April 5, 2026

Start Date: July 2026

POSITION SUMMARY

As a member of the Cabinet and reporting directly to the CEO, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) will play a key role in leading and optimizing Envision Education’s operations to deliver the best possible outcomes for students, clients, and employees. In addition to serving as a vital thought partner to the CEO and other senior leaders, the COO will manage the teams charged with delivering exceptional network and school operations, human resources, facilities management, security, student enrollment, and information technology.

This is a senior leadership position and thus the COO must possess a deep commitment to adult learning and data-driven continuous improvement. The ideal candidate believes that effective and efficient operations, grounded in equity and anti-racism, are the core foundation for the success of others. While this role is highly strategic, this individual must also be willing to roll up their sleeves and work alongside operational teams within our schools in order to fulfill Envision’s mission of preparing Bay Area students for success in school, college, and life.

The Chief Operating Officer will manage a high-performing and diverse team to successfully build an environment of collective responsibility and exceptional impact while creating policies, procedures, and internal controls to track operational performance and progress toward strategic goals.

Who We Are

Our mission is to transform the lives of students - especially those who will be the first in their families to attend college - by preparing them for success in college, career, and life. Envision Education currently operates four small schools in San Francisco, Oakland, and Hayward, as well as a national educational consulting firm called Envision Learning Partners. Envision Education has made an explicit commitment to becoming an exemplary network of schools with an instructional and cultural vision rooted in pro-Black and anti-racist frameworks. The following represents Envision Schools’ vision for 21st-century skills, character traits, and cognitive and social-emotional skills that learners need for success in college, career, and life.

• Knowledge and Love of Self and Land
• Collectivism
• Critical Thinking
• Self Determination
• Criticality
• Leadership

Who You Are

• You are equity-focused. You are unapologetic about your deeply held belief that all children can achieve. You believe that anti-racist and pro-Black practices and frameworks are essential to change the status quo for all students.
• You are collaborative. You make decisions in partnership with others, focused on what is best for the students.
• You are invested in our core values. You hold high expectations for the entire school community. You examine your own biases in your pursuit of equity for all.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Operational Strategy and Systems Building:

• Lead the activities to drive Envision’s operational strategy that result in a 5-year growth plan and long-term vision to increase Envision Education’s student enrollment by 40%
• Build and elevate internal operational systems and strategies that can scale to Envision Education Schools; establish clear structures to remove barriers and streamline processes in hiring, onboarding, and retention.
• Develop accountability systems with the rigor and efficiency necessary to drive results; foster a culture of problem-solving, risk assessment, continuous improvement, and quality control.
• Establish teams and reporting structures that clarify roles, responsibilities, and systems of communication that effectively sets up the organization to address its greatest challenges and strategic Northstar supporting our “One Envision” priorities.
• Provide expertise and insights on the operational needs of the organization, specifically from a school-operations perspective.

Leadership and People Management:

• Maintain the culture of Envision Education while systematically growing the team and staff capacity; define and implement how Envision Education effectively communicates and collaborates across teams to maximize impact and support organizational goals.
• Develop, coach, and empower a diverse staff and build team capacity to deliver results and design an organizational structure that defines and brings clarity to systems and promotes a healthy culture.
• Build equity into structures, systems, and processes to support an anti-racist, pro-Black culture and that guide the direction of Envision Education with the future in mind.
• Build relationships centered around trust, establishing efficient internal processes and rigorous, efficient accountability systems to drive results that live and demonstrate Envision Education’s values

Process and Change Management:

• Define key metrics and systems (OKRs/KPIs) to allow the Board/stakeholders to track performance against strategic goals. Track progress across systems, platforms, partners and communities to ensure organizational success.
• Foster a culture of problem solving, risk assessment, continuous improvement, and quality control established/maintained through consistently modeling behaviors, identification of training needs, elevating internal processes and establishing accountability systems with the rigor and efficiency necessary to drive results.

LOCATION

This opportunity is an in-person role located primarily at Envision Education’s office in Oakland, California, and includes periodic visits to our school sites in Hayward, Oakland, and San Francisco as well as in-person participation in off-site retreats, conferences, and meetings.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Salary Range: $179,115 - $207,117 plus benefits.
• Paid sick and personal necessity leave.
• Excellent health benefits package with employer contribution to benefits
• Optional Flexible Benefits Plan, including dependent care, medical care, parking, and transit
• 403(b) Plan
• Life Insurance at no cost to employee.

As an equal opportunity employer, we believe deeply in diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all people. Envision Education recruits, employs, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, disability, age, veteran status, and the many other characteristics that make us diverse.

Studies have shown that women and people of the global majority are less likely to apply if they do not meet every one of the qualifications. We are interested in finding values-aligned educators and leaders from a variety of backgrounds. We encourage you to apply, even if you don’t meet every one of our qualifications listed. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualifications of this position, we encourage you to apply and share your experience and questions as part of your cover letter.