Job Description
RICARDO FLORES MAGÓN ACADEMY
K–8 Public Charter School · Denver, Colorado
Position: Director of Special Projects
Full-time · In person · Reports to the Head of School and Executive Director
Our Mission
Rooted in the teachings of Ricardo Flores Magón, RFMA prepares every Magonista, kindergarten through 8th grade and regardless of home language or background, for high school, college, and life. We do this through rigorous academics, comprehensive literacy, pride in culture, and social consciousness, creating the conditions for community empowerment and self-defined excellence.
Why You'll Love Us
"Desde kínder, mi hija ha crecido en RFMA no solo como estudiante, sino como persona. Aquí la conocen, la retan y la quieren, y nunca le han pedido que deje su idioma o su cultura en la puerta."
"Since kindergarten, my daughter has grown at RFMA not just as a student but as a person. Here they know her, challenge her, and love her, and they have never asked her to leave her language or culture at the door." – RFMA Parent
Three commitments ground our work and the promises we make to families:
• Academics. Every Magonista deserves rigorous, grade-level content and the instruction, support, and encouragement to master it.
• Cultura e Identidad. Our bilingual, culturally grounded school honors families' languages and heritage as assets.
• Conciencia Social. Inspired by Ricardo Flores Magón, we grow young people who think critically, speak up for their communities, and see themselves as agents of change.
Compensation & Benefits
• Salary: $92,500
• Relocation support (up to $3,000)
• $0-premium Kaiser medical option, $0 employee-only dental, vision, company-paid life and short-term disability insurance, and a free Employee Assistance Program; coverage begins the first of the month after hire
• PERA Retirement
• Weekly 1:1 coaching with the Head of School and Executive Director
• Ten hours of one-on-one onboarding coaching across your first six months with an experienced former school Chief Operating Officer, covering entry planning, your first 90 days, and early operational and compliance priorities
• Summer training and ongoing operational leadership PD
• Membership on the RFMA leadership team
Why We'll Love You
• You're mission- and values-driven. You are committed to educational equity and justice, with a laser focus on academic achievement.
• You love kids and families. You build and keep meaningful relationships with families in English and Spanish.
• You love working with people. You push colleagues to achieve more than they could alone because you care about them.
• You carry deep humility while remaining results-oriented. You bring hard skills and a learner's disposition.
• You never give up. You stay calm, levelheaded, and optimistic when things feel impossible.
• You communicate effectively. You share the "why" along with the "what" and listen as well as you speak.
• You bring problems forward early, with clear, reliable information and a recommended path.
What You'll Do
The Director of Special Projects is RFMA's senior operations leader. The role holds operations, finance, federal programs, authorizer compliance, and vendor management, and it supervises the front office, health, custodial, and food service teams that shape every Magonista's day from arrival through dismissal. You will be evaluated on six core competencies: daily school systems; team coaching; finance, payroll, and grants; federal programs and compliance; vendors, facilities, and technology; and bilingual partnership with families and school leadership.
Leadership & Strategic Operations
• Serve on the leadership team as an extension of the Head of School and Executive Director, implementing strategic priorities and bringing problems forward early.
• Build operational systems that support academic success and a warm, predictable culture across K–5 and middle school (6–8), keeping teachers focused on teaching and Magonistas focused on learning.
• Anticipate problems before they reach families, improve systems through feedback and data, and lead operational PD for staff.
Daily School Systems & Duty Schedules
• Run arrival, breakfast, lunch, recess, transitions, and dismissal across K–5 and middle school.
• Build and maintain staff duty schedules, covering every post daily and adjusting for absences, PD days, testing windows, and special events.
• Set expectations for each post, monitor that supervision is active and safe, and refine schedules using feedback and safety data.
Front Office
• Supervise the Front Office Manager and ensure a welcoming, organized, professional, bilingual front office.
• Oversee attendance, records management, communication systems, and the campus-wide calendar.
• Maintain accurate, confidential student files and compliance documentation, including secure handling of special education and other protected records.
Health Services
• Supervise the school nurse and oversee health office procedures, student health records, and medication and care plans.
• Communicate dietary, allergy, and health plan information to food service and duty staff, and coordinate immunization records and required health reporting.
Custodial Staff & Facilities
• Supervise in-house custodial staff, including schedules, cleaning checklists, task assignments, performance, and campus-wide cleanliness standards.
• Coordinate custodial coverage for events, deep cleans, and breaks, and manage supply inventory and ordering.
Food Services
• Supervise in-house food services staff and daily breakfast and lunch.
• Manage menus, ordering and deliveries, meal counts, point-of-sale or roster systems, lunch schedules, and cafeteria setup and cleanup.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state school meal program requirements, including free and reduced-price meal applications and reporting, and communicate meal information to families in English and Spanish.
Finance, Payroll & Grant Management
• Manage financial and payroll data and grant budgets accurately and on schedule, working with RFMA's financial services partner on budgeting, payroll, purchasing, and reporting.
• Bring the Head of School and Executive Director clear, reliable financial information for decisions.
• Manage purchasing, inventory, and vendor orders to protect the school's resources.
Federal Programs & Authorizer Compliance
• Administer federal programs and meet every authorizer and state requirement, report, and audit on time.
• Serve as the primary operational liaison to the Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI) and other partners on reporting, deadlines, and compliance.
• Build compliance calendars and systems so compliance is routine work rather than a deadline scramble.
Vendors, Facilities, Technology & Safety
• Manage contracted providers, including [transportation, facilities, and other contracted services], and hold them to their commitments.
• Coordinate maintenance requests and facility needs with [the facility owner / facilities vendor], and manage school assets.
• Lead the technology team and manage operational technology systems across campus.
• Lead campus safety systems, including emergency preparedness plans, drills, and crisis-response procedures.
Family Engagement & Community Partnerships
• Communicate fluently in Spanish and English with families, staff, and partners, carrying RFMA's mission of culture, language, and community into operations.
• Coordinate school-wide events, including family nights, Cafecitos, orientations, cultural celebrations, and the 8th grade promotion ceremony.
• Support enrollment, registration, and onboarding for new Magonistas and families.
Team Coaching & Supervision
• Supervise and coach a team of four across the front office, health, custodial, and food service functions through clear expectations, co-doing the work, observation and timely feedback, accountability systems, and weekly 1:1s.
• Oversee staff PTO systems, support hiring and onboarding of operations team members, and train all staff on operational procedures, emergency protocols, and compliance.
Logistics & Special Projects
• Oversee logistics for field trips, state testing, after-school programming, special events, and school-wide initiatives, and jump in wherever needed.
Position Requirements / Preferences
• Full commitment to RFMA's mission, vision, and values, and unyielding optimism that every child can perform at or above grade level.
• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree.
• Ideally, three or more years in a public education setting; candidates from similar operational leadership roles in the nonprofit or for-profit sector are welcome to apply.
• Experience supervising and coaching a team and leading school or organizational operations.
• Experience managing budgets, payroll data, or grants; experience with federal programs or authorizer/state compliance strongly preferred.
• Strong track record of positive relationships with staff, students, and families; excellent verbal and written communication.
• Demonstrated cultural competence and a humble commitment to continued growth in this area.
• Exceptional time and task management, openness to feedback, and willingness to take responsibility for outcomes without excuse.
• Ability to work full-time and in person, including some evenings and weekends. This is not a remote role.
• Bilingual required (English / Spanish).
Apply Today
Use this link to apply.
Priority application deadline: week of October 26, 2026. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Anticipated start date: January 2027.
As an equal opportunity employer, Ricardo Flores Magón Academy hires without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.