Director of School Operational Vitality, Diocese of San Jose

The Director of School Operational Vitality plays a critical role in advancing the mission of Catholic education in the Diocese of San José by providing leadership and expertise in ensuring the operational sustainability and growth of Catholic schools in the diocese.  This position is responsible for adopting and maintaining standards for operational vitality in the areas of financial and operational planning, funding, enrollment, marketing, and facilities improvements.  Reporting to the Superintendent, this individual contributor position supports all 26 diocesan Catholic schools and 1 diocesan high school.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING (and other duties as assigned):

The Director works closely with school leadership to identify and address challenges related to sustainability, enrollment, and funding, and creating action plans to address issues. Ideal candidate will be highly strategic, analytical, detail-oriented, collaborative, and passionate about using data to strengthen Catholic education in Silicon Valley.

The Director serves as a resource and liaison to pastors, principals, and school boards on operational vitality, facilitating professional development for school leaders in the area of operational vitality, fostering partnerships with parishes, community organizations, and other stakeholders to enhance resources and opportunities for schools.

This position is responsible for the sustainability of day-to-day operations in collaboration with Principals, Associate Superintendents, Directors of Enrollment & Marketing and Diocesan Finance and Communication teams, as follows:

Finance & Operations

• Drive the budgeting, financial planning, and management to ensure long-term stability, including budgets, forecasting, tuition & scholarship models, funding strategies and financial reporting to maximize resources for all schools within the Diocese.
• Establish guidelines for setting tuition and student fees across all schools.
• Drive the generation of regular reports on tuition and student fees and payments across all schools, ensuring accurate tracking, trend analysis, and alignment with financial sustainability goals.

• Establish guidelines for the diocesan-wide tuition assistance process and develop protocols, communicate deadlines, support equitable decision-making, and coaching school leaders on implementation.
• Generate monthly financial reports and analysis for presentation to the Department of Catholic Schools.  These reports should include trends analysis financial and operational risk assessments.   Proactively and collaboratively work with the Department of Catholic Schools on solutions for presentation to diocesan leadership.  Once recommendations are approved, collaboratively work with school leaders on the implementation.
• Provide training to school finance staff to interpret financial reports and understand the tuition assistance processes.
• Monitor the accurate and consistent use of enrollment, finance, and fundraising systems such as TADS across all diocesan schools.
• Lead the development and maintenance of financial policies and procedures for all schools in alignment with diocesan policy.

Enrollment & Marketing

• Support efforts to increase enrollment via diocesan-wide strategies and marketing plans.
  • Generate monthly reports and analysis on enrollment trends and key performance indicators across all 26 diocesan Catholic schools, and present these to diocesan leadership.
  • Identify schools with enrollment concerns or at-risk metrics and collaborate with the Associate Superintendents and Director of Communications to develop responsive strategies and targeted support.
• Maintain an accurate, centralized database of prospective families by partnering with school-based Directors of Enrollment and Marketing to track inquiries, applications, and pipelines.
• Ensure seamless integration of various data sources to provide a holistic view of student information and financial metrics.
• Identify and analyze trends in student enrollment, financial aid, and tuition to assist leadership with making informed decisions.
• Track and report on demographic shifts and local market trends to inform school-specific and system-wide enrollment strategies.
• Train the Directors of Enrollment and Marketing on interpreting data reports and developing local action plans to improve enrollment and retention outcomes.
• Partner with the Diocesan Department of Communications to ensure school marketing and messaging are aligned with diocesan-wide branding and communication strategies.

Funding Management & Advancement

• Develop a school-wide system for tracking and analyzing donor giving data, campaign performance, and advancement trends across all diocesan schools to inform leadership decisions and growth strategies.
• Provide Advancement Directors with clear reports, dashboards, and coaching on interpreting data to strengthen campaign effectiveness and donor engagement.
• Flag emerging challenges in school fundraising performance and collaborate with school staff and diocesan leadership to recommend solutions and corrective actions.
• Partner with the Department of Catholic Schools to identify and promote best practices for advancement data tracking, stewardship, and donor relationship management.
• Generate monthly reports and analysis for presentation to the Department of Catholic Schools and diocesan leadership.

Facilities Management & Improvements

• Develop policies and guidelines for schools on facility maintenance and capital improvement plans to ensure operational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Train the school leaders on these policies and guidelines to ensure consistency and compliance.
• Assist in the assessment and allocation of resources for facility needs, ensuring safety, functionality, and attractiveness.

THIS POSITION SUPERVISES:

• n/a

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, data science, education, or a related field
• Minimum of five years of professional experience in data analysis, finance, advancement, or school operations
• Familiarity with Catholic school systems or educational settings preferred; Catholic school experience is a plus
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and data visualization/reporting tools.  Has the ability to perform complex data analysis, create dynamic reports, automate tasks, and handle large datasets efficiently.
• Knowledge of enrollment and financial systems, such as TADS, is preferred.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to accurately manage multiple projects and data streams.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, translating complex data into clear, actionable insights.
• Highly effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across diverse teams.
• Commitment to working independently while also being a proactive member of a collaborative team environment.
• Practicing Catholic preferred.
• Has knowledge of the Catholic Church structure, culture, and its mission.
• Willing to support teachings and values of the Catholic Church.
• Able to build professional trust, partner with stakeholders, and lead collaboration within and among diocesan offices.
• Travel and work long hours as may be required from time to time.

Salary Range: $131,681.00 to $150,000.00 per year based on education and experience.

How to Apply: Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume at [email protected]