Company Description

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 59 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 34,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission is to create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose —college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

Founded in Houston in 1994, and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in our classrooms, in our offices, and in the communities we serve is unwavering. We are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. Join our Team and Family and champion equity, chase excellence, persist with purpose, bring joy, and help us rise together.

KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students and approximately three times higher than the average of students from low-income communities.

Job Description

Team Purpose: The Strategy Team, a sub-team under the broader Advancement Team, exists to collaborate cross-functionally with stakeholders, clarify ambiguity in internal and external opportunities, and create solutions to support the current and future state of the organization. The Team is directly responsible for the planning, execution, and progress monitoring of the KIPP Texas multiyear plan.

Role Overview: The Senior Director of Strategy will directly report to the Managing Director of Strategy. The Senior Director will be responsible for leading the design and scoping, planning, execution, and progress monitoring of cross-functional strategic projects identified as priorities for KIPP Texas. While strong project management skills are a necessity in this role, the successful candidate will also be a proven problem solver who can leverage impact and influence to find clarity in complex and gray situations. The Senior Director will also be responsible for people management in developing direct reports to successful outcomes within their assigned project portfolios.

The Senior Director will be responsible for the oversight and leading of a portfolio of strategic projects and workstreams. Projects belonging include, but are not limited to: assessing strategic initiatives and interventions based on organizational health and competitive landscape, collaborating with cross-functional partners to enhance and support planning and execution, codifying cross-functional playbooks and policies, and shepherding the KIPP Texas multiyear plan creation, execution, and progress monitoring.

This position may be based out of the Austin, Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio offices. Some travel may be required.

Key Responsibilities

• People Leadership and Development: Organizes time and interests of direct reports to ensure system priority needs are being met; Creates a cohesive and highly effective project team through coaching and developing extraordinary talent

• Communication & Team Champion: Champion and communicate consistently and with convection around the work of the Strategy Team and the importance of multiyear planning, growth, and strategic projects to allow the organization to operate and scale effectively

• Internal Stakeholder Management: Identify all key stakeholders to expansion and create an engagement plan that engages stakeholders at the right level and right time. This includes developing agendas and facilitating cross-functional team and executive leadership team meetings, engaging senior leaders across the network, and drafting communications to the Board and other high-level stakeholders. Intentionally build buy-in and gather feedback on the project when appropriate. Build influence across KIPP Texas to ensure project success

• External Stakeholder Management: Alongside senior leadership and partner departments within KTX, engage community leaders and families as necessary with projects; support Development team with key updates on current projects and impact to our existing communities

• Project Design: Execution and Progress Monitoring: Own operationalizing set project milestones, creation of new critical milestones for each unique project, and ensure communication and accountability with project design and completion are clear throughout the central office of KIPP Texas

• Creating Clarity for Organization: Prioritize critical areas for execution on projects; effectively use influence with other departments to ensure risks are elevated and critical work is owned; Balance a data-driven, analytical, and rational problem solving skill set with the understanding that people and relationships matter (leading with both head and heart). Utilize both qualitative and quantitative data synthesis to formulate recommended solutions on the right path forward. Demonstrate an adaptive mindset with an ability to concurrently see the big picture while focusing on the details (can see the forest for the trees)

• Building and Using Influence: Builds influence throughout multiple layers and departments through the organizations; manages relationships with senior leaders effectively to build relationships and to increase understanding of key priorities and promote work of team

• Risk Mitigation: Identify, analyze, and respond to risk factors with critical projects; elevate risk, as necessary, to Advancement team or executive team leadership as well as solutions to address risks to the organization

Team Culture: Contribute to team culture through authentic engagement and participation in meetings and retreats. Participate actively in development opportunities, including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) sessions, and lead sessions for the team as asked and/or interested. Give honest, constructive feedback via established feedback mechanisms (e.g., staff surveys) to ensure the continued improvement of the team and the organization. Seek to work by the values of the organization and to act in alignment with the Advancement Team’s agreements. Represent the Advancement Team responsibly to other stakeholders within and outside the organization.

Qualifications

Skills and Qualifications:

• Deep experience leading cross-functional projects/initiatives; Operations, Talent and/or Finance experience preferred

• Demonstrated ability to have impact and influence across multiple functional areas (e.g., academics, talent, finance, operations, etc.).

• Experience fostering strong working relationships with C-level executive team members and senior leaders.

• Experience directly and/or indirectly leading teams and direct reports to strong outcomes

• Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills.

• Excellent listening and verbal communication skills.

• Strong stakeholder management and service-orientation.

• Self-directed and results-oriented, demonstrating initiative and follow-through.

• Experience with charter or charter-like schools, non-profit strategy, non-profit consulting, and/or with students in low-income urban environments is required.

• Ability to model KIPP’s values at all times.

Required Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year university.

• Minimum of 6 years of work experience in a project management, strategy, education, or consulting-type role preferred.

Required Licensure/Certification/Specialized Training:

• N/A

Physical Requirements:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

• Considerable time is spent at a desk using a computer/laptop

• Attending conferences or training sessions

Work Environment:

• Typical office environment with frequent interruptions. Hybrid policy requires three days in office per week.

• This role can be based in the following locations with KIPP Texas Public Schools: Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio

Travel Requirements:

• Ability to travel to various locations, travel time approximately 10-20% of the time

Additional Information

Compensation & Benefits

Salary is based on years of experience, degree of education, and level of expertise.

As a full time KIPP Texas employee you are eligible to participate in all KIPP Texas’ benefit plans. KIPP Texas offers a robust variety of benefits choices with competitive rates, including medical, dental, and vision options, as well as life insurance and disability plans.

KIPP provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.