Managing Director of High Schools

  • Full-time
  • Grade Level: High
  • Start Date: Next year opening
  • Department: Regional Support and Leadership

Company Description

KIPP Nashville Public Schools is a network of high-performing, free, open enrollment K-12 schools that has been committed to positively affecting student outcomes in Nashville since 2005. KIPP Nashville is part of the acclaimed KIPP Network, which educates 100,000+ students nationwide and supports students from Kindergarten through college, career and beyond. Through the KIPP Forward program, our team helps students identify their career of highest aspiration and develop the skills and confidence to chase their dreams.
 
The mission of KIPP Nashville is to, together with families and communities, create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence they need to pursue the paths they choose - college, career and beyond - so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. If you share in this belief, if you have a proven willingness to do what it takes for students to be their best, if you thrive in an environment that is both collaborative and entrepreneurial, then you are already a KIPPster.

Job Description

The Managing Director of High Schools (MDHS) is a senior leader at KIPP Nashville, contributing to fulfilling KIPP Nashville’s ambition in meaningful ways.  The MDHS drives student outcomes through vision casting, program design and leadership, and principal and leader management. The MDHS is an expert at school leadership, and understands instruction, academics operations, believes in family engagement, and has experience building strong school culture with staff and students. 

 

The MDHS reports to the Chief of Schools and will guide, support and lead our high school principals. 

 

Key Responsibilities:

  • Set the bar – Set the vision, standard, and goals for KIPP Nashville’s growing high school team
  • Manage principals – Manage high school principals to ensure they thrive in leadership and help our students achieve ambitious goals.
  • Manage Director, KIPP Forward – Work closely with the Director of KIPP Forward to ensure our students are accessing, matriculating, and persisting in college at ambitious rates, and that our students find fulfilling career opportunities.
  • Lead schools to achieve KIPP Nashville’s ambition - In partnership with Head of Secondary Schools and Instructional Team, create vision for grade band, including student experience, diversity, equity and inclusion practices, academic programming, school culture, teacher and school leader professional development, and family engagement. 
  • Direct the launch of a new KIPP high school in Antioch – Lead the visioning, planning and implementation of opening a new high school in South Nashville.
  • Implement academic strategies and instructional programs – Design plans and supports for high school instruction, monitor progress on the plan, communicate about gaps, and support principals and school leaders to achieve goals.  Support of programming includes monitoring and supporting assessments, curriculum implementation, coaching, student culture, and special education. 
  • Provide support for school safety – Collaborate with stakeholders including community members, regional team, and others to ensure our high schools are safe and that student discipline provides all students with an equitable opportunity for a great education.
  • Develop and support school leaders on talent, family engagement, and operations strategy - Support principals as they manage staff  (developing teachers, hiring and retention of staff, school leader professional development), create strong student culture (extracurricular supports, after school, school-wide culture systems), engage families, (communication, home visits) and coordinate operations.  
  • Support special education - Support principals and school leaders in designing and implementing supports for students with IEPs.  Support creation of ongoing professional development for all teachers around special education. 
  • Manage crisis situations – Support principals when urgent situations arise, including coordinating with network teams, supporting family engagement, and facilitating communication. 
  • Music – Collaborate with the regional director of music to ensure our high schools have thriving music programs that reflect the excellence established at KIPP Academy Nashville.
  • Athletics – Support principals in making strategic investments to develop regionally strong and competitive athletics programs for our students.

 

The MDHS will have a deep passion for building great schools, a commitment to equity – including a demonstrated believe that students of all racial identities deserve access to excellent instruction – and extensive experience as a school leader.  He/she is excellent at building relationships with network leaders, school leaders, teachers, students and families. The individual will have a history of collaborating with diverse groups of stakeholders to achieve ambitious outcomes, an established track record of leading change management efforts, and an ability to influence others especially when no direct reporting relationship exists. Additionally, successful candidates will leverage data and excellent listening skills to shape their perspective and resulting programs and strategies. 

Qualifications

  • 5+ years experience as the principal or principal-manager for a high-performing high school
  • Ability to build relationships, impact & influence, and motivate action
  • Desire and ability to drive improvements through others
  • Excellence reflex – makes places better through presence, coaching, and development
  • Systems-orientation and thinking -- someone who can build systems and bring a vision to life
  • Ability to view the work from a K - 12 perspective, and the impact of K-12 decisions on postsecondary outcomes for kids
  • Bachelor's degree required

Additional Information

Our comprehensive compensation package includes life insurance and long-term disability coverage provided by KIPP Nashville, voluntary medical and dental plans, in addition to retirement benefits and an annual salary increase. Salary is commensurate with experience. To establish equitable salary practices, the compensation package is derived from the regional KIPP Nashville Public Schools pay range. This position is exempt and will follow a 12-month schedule.

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