About KIPP New Jersey

KIPP New Jersey is part of the nationally recognized “Knowledge Is Power Program” network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students for success in college and in life. In 2002, 80 fifth graders walked through the doors of our first middle school in Newark, New Jersey and KIPP New Jersey has since grown to educate 8,135 students in grades K-12 across 17 schools in Newark and Camden. More than 90% of KIPP New Jersey students currently qualify for free or reduced meals. 

By 2025, KIPP New Jersey will provide a world-class education to over 10,300 students across fifteen schools in Newark and five in Camden. To learn more, visit www.kippnj.org.

We are hiring for Assistant Principals for KIPP Camden for the 2024-2025 school year! Candidates from any subject area are welcome to apply, but we are most interested in Middle School & High School candidates who specialize in either STEM or Humanities.

Here’s what you need to know:

Our schools are seeking awe-inspiring Assistant Principals (APs) to coach and grow our teachers who in turn support our students as they climb the mountain to college, career, and beyond. Our ideal APs were great teachers with strong results of their own, are instructional gurus who can teach their moves to others, and have experience leading, managing, and coaching adults in their schools. They love students and families, teachers, and the community they serve.

The AP’s primary responsibility is to drive and own instructional outcomes for students. We expect our Assistant Principals to focus >75% of their time on instructional leadership. APs are the backbone for a specific content area or grade level and see themselves as the key decision maker and leader for a subset of the student population. We expect our APs to coach a set of teachers, empowering our highest performing teachers to remain in their roles while improving the performance of new or underperforming teachers. APs will also perform key supporting functions for student and staff culture work. Finally, we expect our APs to perform their role through an equity lens, with an eye toward outcomes for traditionally underrepresented students and staff members.

Here’s what you’ll be doing:

Instructional Leadership

• Strong Content Knowledge: Knows essential content, rigor of standards, and highly effective teaching strategies well enough to establish and maintain a standard and coach it; is able to readily adapt to leverage resources across less-known or more nuanced subject areas
• Develops the capacity of teachers in achieving results through  observations, walkthroughs, real time coaching, and data analysis through O3s focused on student data and coaching towards goals
• Collaborates with Achievement Directors and other Teaching & Learning TEAMmates to monitor achievement data and IP and inform the instructional leadership development of teachers
• Audits, analyzes, and progress monitors data weekly to inform strategic decisions and priorities
• Designs and leads high quality professional development such that it results in improved teacher effectiveness
• Ensures there’s an effective testing environment, investment, and procedures for testing

Student Culture

• Consistently reinforces high expectations for all students all the time
• Actively develops school culture where students find joy in learning and where students are joyful and engaged
• Creates a culture in which teachers build strong and lasting relationships with students, especially the most challenging students
• Builds an inclusive student environment, ensuring that all student voices are heard and incorporated
• Speaks to violations of culture and holds staff accountable to values / professional infractions with interactions with kids

Staff Culture

• Celebrates and shows appreciation regularly for teammates
• Actively develops school culture where teachers find joy in teaching and student learning
• Consistently models and reinforces high expectations for all staff all the time
• Develops clearly articulated systems for how the staff culture will function (e.g., coaching, department meetings, etc.)

Community Engagement

• Engages families and community stakeholders proactively and productively as partners in school goals. Works with families who have concerns and helps address them.
• Creates a culture and expectation that teachers reach out to parents and enlist their proactive support in their child’s long-term success

Talent Management

• Ensures each direct report has a high quality performance management process including regular observations, assignment of microgoals, and thoughtful, written evaluations
• Identifies top performing teachers at regular points throughout the school year and works strategically to retain them
• Manages struggling performers through goal setting and increased support. Manages out low performers when necessary

• Bachelor’s degree
• Student Focus: Belief that all students, regardless of background, have the ability to go to and through college; demonstrated commitment to the school’s unique community
• Achievement Orientation: Demonstrated student achievement results in own classroom and from teachers that he/she manages
• Cultural Competence: Demonstrated ability to create inclusive environments that honor and support a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives
• Instructional Leadership: Adept at data analysis and strong content knowledge
• High Expectations: Sets and upholds high expectations for students academically and behaviorally
• Results through Others: Evidence of ability to teach other skills in classroom management and effective lesson execution
• Relationship Building: Evidence of ability to build strong relationships with students, staff, and families
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Experience coaching and managing others and/or leading a team to results

Compensation & Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary, KIPP NJ offers a full comprehensive benefits plan, including health care, retirement, a school laptop, and transportation benefits for TEAMmates commuting into New Jersey from the New York City area.