Program Manager of Academic Operations
Philadelphia, PA
Network Support – Academics /
Full-Time 2025-26 School Year /
On-site
About Mastery:
Founded in 2001, Mastery Schools is a public charter network of 23 K-12 schools in Philadelphia and Camden, serving more than 14,000 students.
At Mastery, we’re on a mission to provide all students with the academic and personal skills they need to succeed after graduation and pursue their dreams. Student achievement is not just a goal for our organization; it's the reason we exist, and every member of our team is dedicated to securing student success. We are also committed to pursuing equity, actively disrupting systemic racism, and addressing the disparities that limit our students' choices.
Our culture is built on respect, service, and the belief that the success of our students, their families, and the communities we serve will help us achieve our mission. We foster a positive, open, and inclusive environment where honesty, humor, and continuous improvement are celebrated.
Join us in creating a model urban school district that serves all students with excellence. Together, we can make a lasting impact.
Position Summary:
The Program Manager is responsible for supporting the operational systems and infrastructure of the Academic Team.
The Program Associate works directly with the Senior Director of Academic Operations and the Academic team to
ensure that the team functions effectively and efficiently to provide high-quality support to schools.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Essential Job Functions:
- Procurement
- Lead the project management of centralized ordering of instructional materials across all Mastery schools
- Develop and lead systems to communicate with academic team members and school leaders to identify ordering needs, monitor status, track spending against budgets and proactively manage timelines
- Manage curriculum vendors towards meeting team goals for customer service and timelines
- Develop guidance and training for schools on inventorying and management of curriculum materials, exchanging excess curriculum materials across campuses and collecting/donating outdated materials
- Financial Management and Compliance
- Lead the management of all academic team financial processes, including securing purchase orders, reconciling credit card expenses, and liaising closely with the Finance team to ensure strong compliance and timeliness
- Coordinates travel booking and registration for academic team members for external PD events
- Maintain systems for accurate tracking of academic team expenses to ensure we remain on-track with budget
- Review monthly budget vs. actual data to identify discrepancies, issues and risks to to ensure the academic team remains on-track for staying within our annual department budget
- Academic Operations Support
- Develop progress monitoring and reporting tools to provide data to high school leaders and NST leaders on meeting high school graduation requirements
- Lead the maintenance of clean and accurate network-wide course catalog aligned with network’s K-12 academic programming in close collaboration with the Data team and Academic team
- Develop guidance, processes and systems to support school leaders on using accurate eSchool course codes for school scheduling
- Support the review of draft school schedules to ensure strong adherence to network-wide scheduling parameters
- Coordinate new course request approval process with schools and academic team
- Conduct progress monitoring and quality checks of network-wide and school-by-school quarterly interim progress reports, report cards and course failure data to identify trends and inform action steps to improve implementation of network grading policies and expectations
- Support Academic team colleagues and schools in high-fidelity administration of PA & NJ state assessments (e.g. PSSA & Keystones for PA; NJSLA, NJGPA & Start Strong in NJ) via training, preparation and on-site support
- Summer Learning
- Support the planning and implementation of systems and processes for providing high-quality summer learning programming to K-12 students, including staffing, family registration and eSchool data management
- Develop network-wide progress monitoring and reporting tools for key metrics and outcomes
- Serve as a super user for the Apex online learning platform used for high school credit recovery to support design, configuration and implementation of summer HS credit recovery courses
- Other Job Functions
- Professional Development Operations and Logistics
- Support the logistical planning and execution of centrally led network-wide professional development and academic team events
- Special Projects
- Provide support on ensuring central office academic team has effective and efficient systems and processes in place
- Manage special projects ranging from data analysis to operational systems efficiencies to supporting large network events
- Complete other duties as indicated or assigned
Qualifications
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a diverse group of people
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to handle multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously
- Strong customer service orientation and a commitment to ensuring a high level of personal and professional care for all colleagues and stakeholders
- Ability to foster a cooperative work environment
- Ability to work with computers, various software programs and other technology, especially the Google Suite and Microsoft Office suite
- Ability to compile and analyze data using Excel and/or Google Sheets to identify trends
Experience and Education
- Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of at least three (3) years of professional experience related to program management OR high school diploma and a minimum of at least six (6) years of professional experience related to program management
- Prior experience working in public education and/or charter schools highly desirable
Physical/Environmental
- Ability to physically perform the essential duties of the role as required, and to work in the environmental conditions required, such as: traveling to network campuses; maneuvering in office spaces (including standing, walking, sitting for ong periods of time, speaking loudly and clearly, seeing and hearing things both near and far away); stooping, kneeling, reaching file cabinets/shelves; fine finger and hand manipulation in use of computer, chalkboard, dry erase, &/or projectors; filing, scanning, coping, typing, mailing, and making phone calls; sitting for up to two (2) hours looking at a computer monitor, using a keyboard/mouse, and typing.
Other Requirements
- Position requires local &/or regional travel to Mastery and other sites. Must have valid driver’s
- license and vehicle, or access to reliable transportation.
Salary and Bonus Information:
- Program Managers of Academic Operations at Mastery can expect a starting salary between $71,415 - $84,100, based on education and experience, with opportunities for growth as your career progresses. Each offer is made in alignment with Mastery’s compensation philosophy and commitment to pay equity, ensuring fairness and consistency across our team.
Mastery's Benefits Package:
We offer a full benefits program and opportunities for professional growth. Some of our most popular benefits include our 403(b) retirement plan for PA employees (with a 5% match from Mastery), enrollment in the State of New Jersey Pension Plan for NJ employees, a robust Employee Assistance Program, mental health and counseling programs, an annual Professional Development Fund, and discounts and perks at a myriad of retailers, travel organizations, insurance providers, and so much more, as well as a Benefits VIP Helpdesk to help you navigate various benefits-related topics. Please go here to see all of our Benefits offerings!
Annual Calendar:
As you plan to make Mastery your new work home, please feel free to review our Calendar for the 25/26 School Year. We like to think our calendar is a benefit of working here too!
Why You Should Apply:
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. Mastery may consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.
