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.

About the Opportunity

The Regional Director of Schools is a key member of the Regional Leadership Team who oversees the region's annual planning and goal-setting, drives strategic growth planning and execution, works closely with the Regional Superintendent, and leads key strategic and logistical projects for the organization.  The Regional Director of Schools must excel at building relationships across a wide variety of constituencies, managing multiple priorities, program design and management, and driving results. The Regional Director of Schools is a critical thought-partner to and reports to the Regional Superintendent.   

The Candidate

Successful candidates must demonstrate a deep belief in the capacity of all students to achieve at high levels, demonstrate strong instructional expertise and have the ability to work collaboratively with a diverse set of leaders and teachers to improve student achievement. Additionally, 

• A minimum of 3 years’ experience as a Successful School Leader

• Preference will be given to candidates with experience leading organizational turnaround work 

• Instructional expertise and experience across multiple grade bands, PreK- 12 

Duties and Essential Job Functions:

Specific Duties 

• Lead Regional Annual Planning and Goal-Setting Process Work in collaboration with the Regional Superintendent and Regional Leadership Team to identify and create scope of annual region-wide initiatives. 

  • Manage all aspects of the planning process to ensure that operating plans and related goals are aligned and integrated throughout the organization. 

  • Develop region-wide, Board-approved performance outcomes with targets that align with school and regional School Support Partners (SSP) department-level outcomes and targets. 

  • Coordinate across the region to identify common trends in priorities across schools, identify opportunities to build collaboration and common work across schools, and potential regional professional development / action learning projects to create, share and capture knowledge and expertise. 

  • Lead the region’s progress monitoring efforts towards regional and departmental/school goals throughout the year. 

  • Work across KIPP School Support Partners departments to ensure effective and proactive communication with schools.

  • Work with the Regional Superintendent to constantly assess and provide solutions towards improving organizational effectiveness within the region.

  • Ensure that dashboards with timely and relevant information are available and utilized to monitor progress and inform decision-making.   

  • Collaborate with the executive assistant to the Regional Superintendent to ensure regional priorities are accurately reflected in the Regional Superintendent’s calendar and the meetings of the regional school leader management team and regional Cabinet. 

• Drive Strategic Growth Planning and Execution of Strategy Lead the Regional Leadership Team through ongoing strategic growth planning. 

• Engage School Leaders, Board members, and other stakeholders, as necessary. 

• Present growth plans to the Board for approval. 

  • Oversee execution of growth plan. Periodically, revisit the growth plan to re-assess organization’s capacity to grow given internal performance and sustainability and external environment and conditions.   

  • Work Closely with the Board of Directors Manage staff preparation and materials for effective Board meetings. 

  • In conjunction with the Board Chair and CEO, develop and manage the Board calendar. 

  • Participate in all Board meetings and in Board Committee meetings, as appropriate. 

  • Lead Board development, including the periodic assessment of Board capabilities against the evolving needs of the organization.   

• Serve as Member Regional Leadership 

  • Support and facilitate effective and efficient Regional Leadership Team staff meetings. 

  • Plan and execute school leader training and professional development of regional school leadership (via school leaders meetings, and other opportunities for development)

  • Drive accountability across the Regional Leadership Team; follow up on decisions and commitments made by the Regional Leadership Team, working with the other Chiefs to ensure implementation. 

  • Sets organizational directive for change efforts, catalyzing Regional Leadership Team to achieve change at scale. 

  • Represent KIPP Texas in external meetings, as appropriate.  

  • Lead and Manage Key Strategic Projects Lead key strategic analysis and projects as assigned by the Regional Superintendent, State Superintendent and/or CEO. 

  • Evaluate strategic options and recommend a course of action. Promote and model the rigorous use of data analysis and experience to shape strategy and decision-making.   

• Improve outcomes and support three key areas of regional health: Talent, Enrollment and Attendance, and discipline 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• 3-5+ years of experience as a principal in a high performing school serving a similar student population to KIPP Texas

• KIPP Texas experience preferred

• An understanding of the specific, unique characteristics of public charter schools, Texas-specific knowledge preferred

• A proven track record of success managing high-performing school leaders to achieve ambitious goals; previous experience supporting the full array of responsibilities and challenges faced by school principals preferred 

• Outstanding leadership and management skills, particularly as it relates to building teams, working through others, promoting collaboration, managing conflict, goal setting, and holding people accountable

• An entrepreneurial spirit and demonstrated success in building a program, department, or organization

• The flexibility needed to accommodate the breadth and depth of responsibilities and priorities

• Outstanding written, speaking, and organizational skills including excellence in backwards planning long-term goals, accountability, and progress monitoring systems

• Ability to interact with a broad range of stakeholders with different interests and needs

• Deep commitment to improving the lives of students from low-income communities

Required Education and/or Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree Req.

Funding:

The Regional Director of Schools will be funded directly from the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) grants awarded by the Texas Education Agency under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (ESSER II) and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ESSER III). This position will be funded solely (100%) from the ESSER II and III allocation for administrative expenses through September 30, 2023, and may continue to be funded through September 30, 2024, depending upon the availability of ESSER grant funds. At the end of the grant period this position may be eliminated unless other sources of funds are secured to maintain this position or a similar position. The employee must sign this job description acknowledging receipt of the job description and signing their acknowledgement that this position is grant funded and is temporarily aligning with the terms of the grant period.

Compensation:

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, including medical, dental, and vision options, as well as life insurance, fertility, and disability plans starting as low as $25/month.

KIPP provides equal employment opportunity 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