Chief Operating Officer

# Chief Operating Officer Hot JobU Prep Academy District - DETROIT, MI 48202## Description About U Prep Schools:  University Prep Schools ( U Prep  or the  Network ) is Detroit's largest public charter school network, serving approximately 4,600 students across 10 schools spanning kindergarten through 12th grade. The network is organized across three distinct K-12 districts:
University Preparatory Academy (UPA), University Prep Science & Math (UPSM), and University Prep Art & Design (UPAD).U Prep is grounded in the belief that every student deserves access to a culturally affirming, academically rigorous program in an environment where they are known, valued, and challenged. Its four-pillar academic model, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Project-Based Learning, CREW, and Distributed Leadership, shapes everything the organization does.

The systems built, the people developed, and the decisions made across U Prep are expected to serve one north star: creating the conditions for rigorous teaching and learning in every classroom, every day.

Commitment to U Prep's Core Values is non-negotiable:
• We work well by ourselves and in teams
• We care about people
• Our actions have a purpose
• We think big and do
• Learning is excitingU Prep operates through a distinctive structure designed to combine public-school accountability with the flexibility of an independent management model. Grand Valley State University serves as the charter authorizer for the Public School Academies of Detroit (PSAD), whose Board governs the three U Prep districts. Each district contracts with Detroit 90/90, a nonprofit educational management organization that employs the network's staff and provides centralized leadership and operating support.

A defining part of U Prep's history is its long-standing partnership with the Thompson Schools Foundation. Through affiliated entities, Bob and Ellen Thompson invested approximately $123 million in nine school facilities between 2003 and 2013 and lease those buildings to the schools for just $1 each per year. That investment created a high-quality physical platform for the network and helped level a major facilities disadvantage faced by many charter schools.

U Prep is now entering an important new chapter. Its Strategic Plan calls for stronger teacher quality and retention, school culture, student wellness, college and career readiness, and organizational efficiency. The plan places particular emphasis on modernizing HR and data systems, improving communication and transparency, standardizing policy execution, strengthening accountability, and aligning resources more directly with student outcomes.

The organization is financially strong and operates at significant scale. Enrollment remains the lifeblood of the network, with the majority of funding tied directly to student enrollment and additional federal funding. This financial strength creates the capacity to invest thoughtfully in technology, talent, and operating infrastructure while preserving long-term  May 2026, Djeneba  DJ  Cherif was appointed CEO and Superintendent of University Prep Schools after progressing through academic leadership roles within the organization since 2018.

She is building a high-energy leadership team focused on innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

The Opportunity:

Townsend Search Group has been retained by U Prep to identify an exceptional Chief Operating Officer (the “COO”). The COO will report directly to the CEO and serve as a full member of the U Prep Executive Leadership Team alongside the Senior Executive Director of Academics, Executive Director of Elementary Schools, and Executive Director of Secondary Schools. The COO will be responsible for ensuring that every…