Business Services Manager

About Odyssey: K-12 education is one of the most consequential determinants of a child’s future — and many families have had limited ability to shape how and where their child learns. Education Savings Account (ESA) programs are changing that. One of the fastest-growing public education initiatives in the U.S., they give states the ability to put education funding directly in the hands of families, who can then choose the learning experiences that best fit their child — from schools and tutors to therapy, curriculum, and technology. But once these policies are signed into law, states face an enormous operational challenge. They must stand up entirely new programs, manage the secure and compliant flow of public funds, approve and monitor thousands of vendors, support families at scale, and prevent fraud — all while delivering a high-quality user experience. That’s where Odyssey comes in. We partner with state agencies to design, launch, and operate ESA and school chocie programs on their behalf. We provide the technology, program operations, vendor ecosystem, and family experience that make these programs actually work in the real world. Today, we operate across 10 states, and our platform powers programs serving 250,000+ students and over $2B in annual education funding — and we’re just getting started. Most recently, we launched the Texas Education Savings Account (EFA) program — the biggest day-one ESA launch in the country — which has already received nearly 200,000 applications. It’s the kind of moment that captures exactly what we’re building toward: programs that work at scale, from day one, when it matters most. We’re backed by respected investors, including a16z and Tusk Venture Partners, and we’re building the team that will take us to the next stage. Odyssey sits at the intersection of GovTech, EdTech, and FinTech. We are a public-sector operator, a technology company, and a program delivery partner all at once. The work we do is civic infrastructure — it determines whether families can access life-changing educational opportunities. WHY THIS WORK IS DIFFERENT We’re in the weeds with state partners, internally with our product teams, and turning ambiguous policy into real systems that families depend on. This means building a platform that meets each state’s configuration needs while being flexible enough to support all customers. We are not building be-spoke software! If you want a highly structured environment, this will feel uncomfortable. If you want ownership, speed, and problems that actually matter, you’ll feel right at home. About the Role: We’re looking for a strong people leader and operator to own performance, quality, and execution across our Business Services Operations functions, including Vendor, Verification, and School support workflows. In this role, you’ll be responsible for driving operational excellence, leading frontline teams, and ensuring we consistently meet company goals and customer experience standards. You’ll partner closely with Strategy, Growth, and Support leadership to translate business objectives into clear operational strategies, while using data and insights to continuously improve performance. This is a hands-on leadership role that balances people development, risk management, and process improvement in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment What You’ll Do: Performance & Strategy - Own Vendor, Verification, and School KPIs and SLAs, ensuring alignment with company expectations - Develop and execute Business Services Operation strategies in partnership with Strategy and Growth teams - Leverage performance data, reporting, and trends to drive insights, recommendations, and improvements - Ensure company goals and customer experience standards are consistently met across all Business Services Operation programs People Leadership & Enablement - Directly lead and develop Support Specialists through coaching, motivation, and ongoing performance support - Enable Support Specialists to deliver high-quality service across all support channels - Act as a key liaison between frontline support teams and Support leadership, ensuring clear communication and alignment Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence - Partner closely with Support Managers to enhance processes, workflows, and operational efficiency Monitor Business Services Operation programs performance and proactively share feedback and insights with Support leadership - Champion a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and operational rigor across the Support team About You: - A confident people leader who enjoys coaching, developing, and supporting frontline teams - Data-driven and comfortable owning performance metrics, KPIs, and SLAs - Calm, structured, and solutions-oriented, especially when handling escalations or operational risk - Collaborative and experienced partnering cross-functionally to execute strategy - Process-minded, with a passion for improving workflows and driving consistency - Clear and empathetic communicator who can navigate complex or high-stakes situations - Motivated by mission-driven work and improving outcomes for customers at scale Additional Details: - Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. - We believe that everyone at Odyssey should be compensated fairly. We set our salary bands based on compensation data from hundreds of companies at our stage. The salary range for this role is $60,000 - $80,000 depending on experience, interview performance and location. - Priority will be given to candidates who are based in the New York Tri-state area, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Iowa, Utah, or Wyoming - Odyssey benefits include Medical/Dental/Vision plan(s), health services, short term disability, unlimited PTO and more. Our Commitment to Equal Opportunity Employment: Odyssey is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.