KIPP Public Schools is a national network of public charter schools that prepares students with the skills and confidence to create the future they want for themselves, their communities, and us all. We are a network of 280 schools, nearly 15,000 educators, and 175,000 students and alumni.    

 
Our mission: Together with families and communities, we 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. 

Our vision: Every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities. 

The KIPP Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports KIPP schools across the country. The KIPP Foundation trains and develops outstanding educators to lead KIPP public schools; provides tools, resources and training for excellent teaching and learning; promotes innovation; and facilitates the exchange of insights and ideas across KIPP and other public schools and organizations. 

About The Position 

The Director, Staff Writer will be responsible for creating high-quality content that expresses KIPP’s brand and communicates progress on key priorities with internal and external audiences. The Director, Staff Writer will craft communications that inspire action and drive impact. They will both work independently to plan, draft, and execute communications, as well as work cross-team to workshop, iterate, and align on copy that best suits the audience and platform. This person needs to come with a love of writing, a commitment to KIPP’s mission, and an excitement to work in close partnership with a collaborative team. The staff writer is part of the marketing and communications team and will report directly to the VP of Marketing and Communications.   

Responsibilities 

The Director, Staff Writer will focus on the following, as part of a larger, integrated team-wide marketing and communication strategic plan:    

Project & Client Management: 

• Interview and assess the needs, priorities, and key milestones of multiple internal clients and stakeholders to recommend a content creation scope and sequence that effectively communicates progress on key priorities; clients may include Office of the CEO, Office of the President, Talent, Development, K-12 Program Leads, Senior Director of Media Relations, and Data Team 

• Effectively balance and deliver on content scope and sequence with timeliness and prioritization  

• Communicate timeline expectations, review windows, and progress to completion with relevant clients and project stakeholders 

Content Creation & Copy Editing:  

• Write for both routine communications (e.g., monthly network-wide emails from the Office of the CEO that support implementation and communicate progress on key priorities) as well as for ad hoc communications needs (e.g. announcement of new initiative or response to crisis situations)  

• Research, draft, route, and finalize editorial and opinion content aligned with storytelling arc of the year key milestones in the voices of program leaders, edited to fit platform parameters 

• Prepare leadership talking points and speeches for funder meetings, conferences, and speaking engagements; draft and edit talking points for program leads as needed 

• Collaborate with the Marketing and Communications Team to edit and improve accuracy, grammar, brand messaging, and editorial style for written content across all channels, including social media, video scripts, website copy, press releases, and messaging guides 

Skills  

• Communications: Ensures content written persuasively, clearly, and professionally, using correct grammar, vocabulary, and tone; responds promptly to concerns and ensures that stakeholders are aware of actions that are being taken and explain the rationale for decisions and/or outcomes to the stakeholder 

• Process & Project Management: Can effectively manage complex projects with multiple stakeholders to deadlines and goals while balancing multiple short- and long-term projects; demonstrates a disciplined, independent, and innovative approach to translating strategy into priorities and project plans, even in unstructured spaces; continually applies strong attention to detail to the execution of all projects and constantly looks for ways to improve and to scale learning quickly; 

• Relationship Building and Stakeholder Management: possesses a high level of self-awareness and cultivates strong, collaborative relationships at all levels; convinces others by identifying benefits for all; encourages team to seek and share diverse perspectives to inform decision-making and planning; strong customer-service orientation, with deep value placed on the end-user experience. 

• Judgment and Decision-Making: Uses sound judgment in making decisions; is comfortable making "leaps of faith" when experience and data point to a logical direction. Autonomously manages competing priorities and acts to obtain desired outcomes 

• Cultural Competence & Commitment to Equity: A proactive cultural leader and team player who thrives on collaboration and learning; can effectively collaborate with teammates across lines of difference. 

• Mission & Student Focus: Passion and demonstrated commitment to education equity; a passion for KIPP’s mission; desire and ability to update KIPP’s brand values (affirmation, joyful excellence, community, collective power, and optimism)

Experience and Qualifications 

• Minimum 5 years of writing experience, ideally in the marketing and comunication space 

• Demonstrable published articles portfolio that can showcase understanding of writing styles, strong research and analysis, outstanding English writing skills 

• Avid follower of current events 

• Proficient in MS Office, WordPress, and other relevant digital tools (HubSpot a plus) 

• Work experience in the education sector is highly preferred 

• Bachelor’s degree or relevant experience in Journalism, Communications, or relevant field 

Work Conditions 

• Travel requirements: 10% 

• Full Time, Exempt 

• Some evening/weekend work is expected as needed for finalizing content ahead of a deadline or supporting edits of rapid responses/crisis communications  

Location 

This role also has the option of working from a remote office full-time or to be based out of a KIPP Foundation office. KIPP Foundation office is in NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington DC.    

Compensation and Benefits 

The salary range for this position is $120,000-$145,000, commensurate with relevant experience. 

Our comprehensive benefits package include:  

• 20 vacation days + 18 days additional flexible PTO days (flexible PTO increases to 23 days for year 3 and 4 and to 28 days for years 5+).  

• 100% paid parental leave  

• 100% coverage of the premium for employee and 75% for employee + family’s medical/dental/vision plans. 

• Wellness benefits such as fitness reimbursements, discounted tickets to theme parks/attraction, back-up care support for children and adults/elders, and our employee assistance program 

• Finance Security benefits include such as a 401K retirement plan with 4% match, employer sponsored legal plans, and life/disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts