KIPP Delta is part of the nation-wide KIPP non-profit network of 242 college-preparatory, public charter schools educating early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students.  KIPP Delta currently serves over 1,100 students in Helena and Blytheville, AR.

The Managing Director of Academics (MDA) serves as the senior-most academic leader at KIPP Delta Public Schools overseeing curriculum, instruction, assessment, academic data systems, and Special Education. The MDA leads the academic vision for the network to ensure KIPP Delta Public Schools realizes its mission that every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities. The MDA will ensure our academic bar of excellence aligns with and leads to top-tier student outcomes by vision-setting and strategically planning; implementing, assessing, and continually improving strategy; and leading a team to work on behalf of students, families, faculty, and schools to fulfill our mission and vision.  

KDPS leaders make decisions, conduct difficult conversations, and build highly collaborative teams, all while shaping a joyful organizational culture. Self-reflective and humble, our leaders are open to feedback and committed to continuously improving. The Managing Director of Academics reports to the Executive Director and also serves as an integral member of the KIPP Delta senior leadership team. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

Academic Vision & Strategy

• Sets and communicates the vision, with the help of key stakeholders, for academic excellence aligned to college-readiness.

• Defines the academic strategic plan by leading the academic planning process including naming region-wide academic goals and priorities, identifying key performance indicators, and creating a system for monitoring and evaluating performance against the goals.

• Supports academic team in building out short and long-term strategies to achieve KIPP Delta’s academic vision and provide the right tools, coaching, and support to faculty and leaders to drive outcomes in schools.  

• Ensures that the regional academic team, school leaders, and teachers can meet the goals and priorities by developing and/or providing the enabling tools, structures, and systems necessary to drive continuous improvement aligned to our academic vision.

• Evaluates and ensures that our PreK-12 curriculum enables us to meet the academic bar of excellence and meet the obligations of state guidelines which may include piloting, selecting, and overseeing the purchasing of curriculum.

• In partnership with the director of data, builds and maintains a system for region-wide visualization of student data, including but not limited to attendance, behavior, and assessment data.

• Uses a variety of methods to consistently review student performance and teacher effectiveness data, and supports school leaders to do the same at the school level. Responds swiftly to support or re-adjust strategy in alignment with data. 

KIPP Delta and Academic Team Leadership

• Owns outcomes of the KIPP Delta Academic Team including Curriculum & Instruction, Special Education, Data & Assessment, and KIPP Forward; manages 3-5 director-level direct reports

• Builds and manages a high-functioning, cohesive, effective team of individuals who provide a variety of essential academic support services to all schools.

  • Provides leadership, development, feedback, and support to ensure that each member of the team is on track to meet his/her goals; evaluate performance.

  • Analyzes academic programming across the region to ensure a system of supports to meet the needs of all students, including special populations (e.g. special education and English language learners).

• Serves as a member of KIPP Delta’s leadership team that sets and oversees strategy for all KIPP Delta programming; works with KIPP Delta leadership to develop a vision and comprehensive long-term plan for the design of the schools.

• Recommends to the KIPP Delta Executive Director system-wide outcome goals, monitors, analyzes data, and reports to the Executive Director on the progress toward achieving the goals.

Training and Development 

• Plans and executes on the delivery of summer and weekly professional development for teachers and leaders, including designing schedules, content, and lesson plans, and ensuring high quality delivery of professional development aligned to our academic vision.

• Assists Executive Director with the planning and execution of school leader meetings to ensure alignment with academic vision and priorities.

• In alignment with KIPP Delta’s academic vision, builds and supports a system for improving teacher and leader content knowledge and pedagogy through a variety of structures, including and not limited to content teams, co-observations, video study, etc. 

• Partners with the Executive Director and HR/Talent team to attract, develop, and retain school leaders and emerging school leaders. 

Compliance

• Ensures region-wide state and federal academic compliance. 

• Supports school leaders through compliance issues, including monitoring academic areas of Arkansas Standards for Accreditation; internal, federal, and Arkansas Department of Education monitoring of special education; and school and family engagement and assessment laws. 

• Presents at board meetings and interacts with Board Members as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master's level degree preferred.

• 8+ years of work experience, including 3+ years of as a high-performing principal, principal manager and/or regional academic leader, who has documented results driving academic outcomes at scale and closing gaps between racial, ethnic and economic groups; PK-12 and charter experience strongly preferred. 

• A deep commitment to the mission of KIPP Delta and an unwavering belief in the potential of all of students. 

• An unwavering commitment to anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion, with an ability to serve as an exemplar for the organization’s values and foster an inclusive and respectful workplace. 

• A strong desire to collaborate with school leaders and central office teammates in service to five unified schools. 

• Experience coaching teachers/school based leaders and/or managing adults, required.  

• Deep experience in the design, integration, implementation, and management of an instructional model, including knowledge of curricula, instructional practices, school operations and management, and talent development.

• Ability to analyze and use data on a regular basis to drive decision making.

• Proven leadership and management skills, particularly in building teams, working through others, promoting collaboration, managing conflict, goal setting, and holding self and others accountable.

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

• Must live within commuting distance of Helena or Blytheville, AR or a surrounding community, or be willing to relocate. This role is 100% in-person.

Salary

KIPP Delta offers competitive salary and benefits packages. The salary range for this position is $85,000 to $100,000 commensurate with experience. 

As an equal opportunity employer, KIPP Delta does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, or any other basis made unlawful by applicable federal, state, or local laws or regulations.