Specialist – Student Information Systems (SIS) bei YES Prep Public Schools

Job Description

POSITION: Specialist – Student Information Systems (SIS)

REPORTS TO:   Director – Student Information Systems

POSITION TYPE: 12 – month

START DATE: Immediate

COMPENSATION: $54,911-$65,894, Home Office Grade 4

At YES Prep, work for a mission that impacts the life trajectory of students and their families. YES Prep creates pathways to extraordinary opportunity through best-in-class development, competitive compensation and benefits, and recognition for your impact. Grow as an authentic leader and be part of a high-performing, team-oriented culture. 

Some quick stats about us:

• 21,000+ Students
• 2,400 Team Members
• 16 Secondary Campuses
• 11 Elementary Campuses
• 92% Students Who Qualify for Free/Reduced-Price Lunch
• 96% Hispanic & African-American Students
• 90% Students Who Are Accepted to a 4-Year University
• 88% First-Generation College Students
• Ranked in the Top 100 High Schools in the Nation, U.S. News & World Report

We serve the students of Houston, Texas, the 4th largest city across the United States. There are over 20 public-school districts and other great public charter school options  within Houston’s city limits serving our increasing population. We are a rapidly growing organization, committed to creating life-changing opportunities for over 23,000 students by 2025.

THE OPPORTUNITY

YES Prep needs a dynamic Student Information System Specialist with a robust set of experiences, to make our mission a reality. As a YES Prep employee, you will achieve jaw-dropping results, create pathways to opportunity for our students, and build transformative relationships.

To put it simply, the SIS Specialist will be responsible for configuring and maintaining student information system modules to align with YES Prep and state/federal requirements. The SIS Specialist will ensure efficient use of the student information system and provide technical support to SIS end-users, including district and campus staff. 

THE ROLE

When you join the YES Prep team, some of the exciting work and responsibilities will include:

• Specializing in student information system modules and functionality to ensure system and data is accessible to SIS end-users including staff, students, and parents;
• Providing application technical support and training to Skyward users remotely via Microsoft Teams or by traveling to campus sites;
• Participating in stakeholder working groups and facilitating meetings on SIS capabilities and procedures;
• Working alongside with federal and state compliance team to ensure SIS alignment with regulatory requirements;
• Maintaining Texas transcript, grading templates and SIS configurations in accordance with the Academic Achievement Record (AAR) standards;
• Leading coordination with the software development team to ensure successful SIS data integrations into SIS via imports, API, or SFTP each semester;
• Working with vendor to verify successful completion of the SIS patch installations and updates;
• Creating reports, dashboards, and letter templates, and managing the SIS report directory;
• Partnering with the District Assessment Manager to ensure state (STAAR) and district test scores (MAP) are accurately uploaded and maintained in the SIS;
• Overseeing the Secondary Course Catalog in Skyward and coordinating with School Operations and Academic departments for master scheduling;
• Ensuring attendance, discipline, grading, and scheduling configurations are current and compliant with state requirements;
• Resolving support tickets submitted by SIS end-users via SolarWinds;
• Updating training material and resources on the SIS SharePoint Site and professional development center;
• Managing end-of-year system rollover process to ensure successful completion;
• Developing expertise in providing technical support to SIS platform users;
• Providing strategic input and making decisions to guide SIS operations and improvements;
• Performing additional duties as assigned.

THE PERSON

We seek staff with a multitude of backgrounds, talents, interests, and ideas. Certain traits consistently shine through our most successful employees: passion for the mission, drive for results, care for students, and resilience. Other traits needed and desired for this role are:

MUST HAVES

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year educational institution or equivalent experience
• Two years of experience in a secondary school environment
• Experience with data tracking, people and project management, and communication with a customer-service focus
• Understanding of the student registration process, master scheduling process, and other core campus SIS processes
• Proficient in current MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access)
• Excellent organization, time management and follow-up skills; high sense of urgency;
• Ability to anticipate and resolve problems
• Ability to maintain the highest level of confidentiality
• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core values of YES Prep Public Schools
• Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback
• Demonstrated ability to work on a team
• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress

THE MUST HAVE BELIEFS 

• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core values of YES Prep Public Schools 
• Desire to disrupt systemic status quos in education 
• Willingness to go above and beyond to disrupt said status quos 
• Passion to develop resiliency through a relentless pursuit of jaw-dropping results 
• Conviction that high expectations + high accountability = high performance and high growth 

THE NICE TO HAVES

• Experience with Skyward Qmlativ or similar SIS Platforms
• Certifications such as Microsoft Excel Expert, or PowerBI reflecting strong skills in data analysis and reporting.
• Background in data integrations between SIS platforms and third-party applications.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once

THE PERKS

• Compensation – This position is an exempt, salaried position; offers commensurate with experience.

• Health and Supplemental Insurance – A $0 monthly medical option or a $24 monthly option that includes $50 YES Prep Paid Health Savings Account contribution, in addition to a variety of supplemental benefits including Dental, Vision, Disability, Life, etc. Employees must work 20+ hours a week to be eligible for a full spectrum of benefits, and 10 hours a week minimum for medical benefits.

• Retirement Plans – Participation in Teacher Retirement System of Texas and an optional 457b Retirement Plan.

• Paid Time Off – Employees working 20+ hours a week receive 15 days of Paid Time Off in addition to the system closures during the Academic Calendar.

• Paid Leave Programming – In the event you need to be out due to medical needs (including maternity and paternity leave), YES Prep offers paid leave, paid out at 100%, based on eligibility and tenure.

• Professional Development - YES Prep values longevity and performance over time. We invest in developing leaders through high-quality programs, effective coaching, and ongoing professional development.

• Award Winning Culture – The strong cultures of our campuses and Home Office are just one of many reasons we were named Houston’s Best Place To Work in 2018, 2019, and 2021. We won the  2012 Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education    and were a 2016 finalist as well.

YES Prep