Network and Voice Director - (Immediate Opening)

Role Mission: This immediate, full-time opening for the role of the Network & Voice Director is responsible for managing and maintaining the existing Network Team and its staff. They are responsible for providing secure, robust, and reliable infrastructure with the highest level of customer service deliverable that allows key stakeholders to enrich our student’s educational experience for a successful transition into college and citizenship.

Required Skills/Responsibilities

• Superior troubleshooting, meditation, problem-solving and analytical skills
• Ability to work under varying degrees of pressure with flexible hours supporting night or weekend work as needed
• Can effectively communicate with peers as well as leadership roles all aspects of your role and projects
• Ability to mentor and coach team members
• Proven forward planning and strategic thinking skills
• Skilled at working with and instruct vendors and/or end users on troubleshooting tasks and/or projects
• Professional experience in an IT role supporting multiple platforms and applications

Required experience

• Education:  Bachelor’s Degree Required
• Minimum 6 years of experience in an enterprise-level organization, K-12, or higher education within an Information Systems team and at least 1 years within an IT leadership or lead role
• Ability to obtain or have obtained a senior IT leadership or network-based certification within the last 5 years
• Experience designing secure networks, systems, and application architectures
• Experience planning, researching, and developing Information System policies, standards, and procedure

Accountabilities:

Design, Implement and enforce network policies, standards, and configurations to ensure 100% BoY (beginning of year) deliverables by FDOS (first day of school) for all 149 campuses

• Network topology for all campuses is designed and documented
• Network bill of materials for all new campuses is created
• Work internally with other departments to provide needed services necessary to assist
• Regularly evaluate and manage resources needed to balance the changing needs and deliver a successful beginning of year.
• Work with third party vendors to provide needed services two weeks prior to the beginning of the school year

Monitor network performance, troubleshoot problems, and outages to maintain 99.5% uptime for the year

•        Leads design, execution, and support of network and server infrastructure for Headquarters and Campuses across all of IDEA with an ensured availability
•        Develops strategy for cost-effective scaling of infrastructure in alignment with IDEA’s growth plan.
•        Minimizes outages through proactive design and redundancy
•        Ensuring all applications are monitored and steps are taken proactively for issue prevention rather than issue resolution
• Continuously identifying problems in the existing systems and upgrade them with the new and more efficient ones

Ensure 100% of network connected systems and resources are at a Security Maturity Level of at least "2 – Repeatable" in accordance to the Texas Cyber Security Framework

• Designs specifications for establishing security in all networks and protecting any vulnerable system, server, or database

•    Oversees compliance on all network infrastructure
•    Ensures CIPA, COPPA, and FERPA guidelines and regulations are met district wide

85% Employee Retention

•        Develop trust and leverage influence of team to drive strong results.
•        Develop current team competencies and skill sets to be systems thinkers and contributors to the business purpose of the managed departments.
•        Ensure depth of cross training and knowledge transfer among team members to develop flexibility and career paths over time.
•        Ensure the IT team receives strong evaluations of customer satisfaction and data accuracy/consistency from key stakeholders

Cultivate internal talent to have resources readily available as business needs change by ensuring at least 2 I.T. network-based community-driven educational opportunities or 1 network-based industry certification completed by end of Q3 by each employee.

• Maintain and cultivate skills by ensuring each employee completes at least two I.T. network-based community events/workshops or an I.T. network-focused industry certification per year, as budget provides, completed by the end of Q3.
• Ensure training and classes pertain to current and/or foreseeable business needs and match employee career interests when possible
• Prepare employees to be ready to accept more responsibility as needs arise

Physical Requirements

• Working on a computer and typing for long periods of time
• Ability to lift 30-50 lbs. and the use of ladders and tools necessary at times for IT equipment installations and replacements
• Valid driver’s license from state of residence and ability to travel within the United States of America using all modes of travel

Commitment to Diversity and Core Values:

To achieve our mission of 100% College For All, IDEA commits to being a diverse, equitable, inclusive and anti-racist organization, where we honor and include the voices, values, and beliefs of all our students, staff, alumni, families, and community members. Click here to learn about IDEA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Anti-Racist and Anti-Bias commitment. 

Our core values are:

• We Act with Integrity: We put the best interests of the IDEA Team & Family—and most importantly our students—at the forefront of all our decisions and actions, taking personal responsibility to model the honest and ethical behavior we want our students and each other to demonstrate every day.
• We Build Team & Family: We foster a sense of belonging and inclusivity by treating every member of the IDEA Team & Family—our students, staff, families, and community—with compassion, respect, and humility. We maximize our individual best efforts through collaboration and support of each other in the focused pursuit of our collective mission.
• We Achieve Academic Excellence: We believe ensuring college success for 100% of our students is the best way to help them succeed in life and in seeing obstacles they face as opportunities for learning and growth. Every member of the IDEA Team & Family works together to ensure each student on every campus and in every classroom receives a high-quality education.
• We Deliver Results: We set ambitious goals, hold ourselves and each other accountable for achieving results, and believe that our students will succeed to and through college.  Our results show what’s possible when the adults in the system get it right and represent the collective effort and focus of the entire IDEA Team & Family.
• We Ensure Equity: We set high expectations and share compassion and empathy for every member of the IDEA Team & Family. We differentiate our support and resources, proactively address racism and discrimination, and advocate alongside our students and staff to empower them with the opportunities to succeed and ensure the respect they deserve.
• We Bring Joy: We create a positive, uplifting, and joyful environment for every member of the IDEA Team & Family, every single day. We operate with a sense of optimism, and our traditions celebrate learning, growth, and the accomplishments of our students, staff, and community.
• We Sweat the Small Stuff: We embrace that achieving excellence lies in paying attention to and carrying out the details—the ‘small stuff’—that go into effective execution and positive implementation. Every step of the way, the IDEA Team & Family prioritizes actions contributing to our mission of College for All.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Salaries for this role typically fall between $82,090 to $100,971, commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications
• This role is eligible for a performance bonus based on individual and organizational performance and goal attainment

Other Benefits: 

We offer a comprehensive benefits plan, covering the majority of the employee premium for the base medical plan and subsidizing the majority of costs for a spouse/domestic partner and children. Other benefits include dental and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, com‐muter benefits, referral bonuses, professional development, and a 403(b) plan. We also offer an inclusive environment where staff are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work every day. IDEA may offer a relocation stipend to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable. 

To Apply 

Please submit your application online through Jobvite. It’s in your best interest to apply as soon as possible.  

About IDEA Public Schools  

At IDEA Public Schools, we believe each and every child can go to college. Since 2000, IDEA Public Schools has grown from a small school with 150 students to the fastest-growing network of tuition-free, Pre-K-12 public charter schools in the United States.    

IDEA Public Schools boasts national rankings on The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report’s top high schools lists. IDEA serves nearly 75,000 college-bound students in 137 schools across Texas, Southern Louisiana and Florida and is on-track to maintain its legacy of sending 100% of its graduates to college. Be on the lookout for IDEA schools opening near you—with new launches in Jacksonville, FL (2022). Cincinnati, OH (2022), and Arkansas (2023)!     

When you choose to work at IDEA, you are part of our IDEA Team and Family. You will work alongside team members who set and reach ambitious goals every day, are excited to continue to grow with IDEA, and work relentlessly to make college for all a reality.