Senior Vice President, Post-Secondary Partnerships – KIPP Foundation

Senior Vice President, Post-Secondary Partnerships 

About the Organization 

KIPP Public Schools is a national network of tuition-free 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 275 schools, nearly 16,500 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 Our Values:  

Focus on Excellent Results: Winning for Children and Families – Denying people of color and people experiencing economic hardship  excellent outcomes from public organizations is longstanding and only perpetuates inter-generational racism and poverty. We pursue  excellence at a world-class level because our children and families deserve nothing less. We focus on excellent results, generated by  excellent daily action, because intentions alone will not enable our children to lead fulfilling lives. 

Courageous Action: We do Hard Things All day, Every Day – Our work is centered on reversing the impact of generational racism and  poverty on children of color from low-income families. This work is inherently challenging and will never be easy. Our mission  requires that, through concerted action, we embrace, confront, and overcome adversity. 

Resilient Solutions Focus – Find a Way or Make One – We doggedly pursue solutions to every problem we confront. For every  problem, we find or invent a solution. We are smart, optimistic, and thoughtful in crafting solutions, but also timely, recognizing that  our children only have one life to live. We embrace a growth mindset, believing that simply because we have not achieved our  ultimate aims today does not mean that we cannot tomorrow. We chase the continuous improvement of ourselves, our interpersonal  relationships, our teams, and our organization. 

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About The Position  

The Senior Vice President (SVP) for Post-Secondary Partnerships will be responsible for envisioning and executing a strategy to maximize  college and career outcomes for KIPP’s 175,000 students and alumni, centered in our mission of ensuring KIPP alumni have access to  post-secondary opportunities that enable them to break cycles of poverty and lead choice-filled lives. While the stated mission of many colleges and career-and-technical education programs reflects priorities concerning access, affordability, and economic  outcomes for students from low-income communities, the reality of the services provided, and outcomes produced, by many post secondary institutions belies these commitments. Rooted in affordability, completion rates, and economic outcomes, the SVP will be  a national leader in defining quality post-secondary outcomes and will entrepreneurially build and execute partnerships with those  post-secondary institutions that in fact, rather than simply in rhetoric, deliver against these priorities.  

The SVP will oversee all college and career partnerships for the KIPP Foundation and will be charged with 1) evaluating existing  partnerships and continuing, refreshing, or discontinuing those partnerships based on their efficacy in enabling KIPP alumni to realize  strong career and leadership opportunities, and 2) building new partnerships with postsecondary institutions that are demonstrably  committed to serving KIPP alumni in ways that produce career and life success. The ideal candidate will be a student-centered, data anchored social entrepreneur who holds themselves accountable for outcomes and is passionate about proactively identifying,  cultivating, and closing partnership arrangements with university presidents and CTE providers that lead to outcomes that empower KIPP alumni to fulfill their potential. The SVP will partner with our KIPP Forward Match practitioners to ensure that our high-school college and career counselors are armed with fresh, accurate information about those post-secondary placements that will optimally  serve our alumni. The SVP, Partnerships manages two Senior Directors of Partnerships (one for College and one for CTE) and reports  directly to the Chief of Staff to the CEO.  

Responsibilities  

1. Partnership Design  

a. Envision the standards and metrics that constitute quality post-secondary partnerships, including evidence  concerning the persistence services provided to KIPP alumni by the post-secondary institution as well as data  concerning completion rates, affordability, and economic outcomes. 

b. Design, develop and continuously improve infrastructure and processes to source, manage, and sustain healthy  partnerships that will serve KIPP’s goals and strategies. 

c. Write and negotiate MOUs with partners that are beneficial for KIPP students’ post-secondary success   

2. Partnership Procurement  

a. Assess the quality of KIPP’s current post-secondary partnerships and make recommendations on which partners to  sunset, sustain, or amplify. Proactively and assertively negotiate refreshed arrangements for those partnerships  where existing agreements or realities do not align with qualitative expectations. 

b. Proactively and assertively pursue partnerships with new post-secondary institutions that align with qualitative  expectations 

c. Collaborate with the CEO to set and meet ambitious performance expectations rooted in consistent growth in the  number and quality of postsecondary partnerships serving KIPP alumni. 

d. Continually monitor our portfolio of partnerships and ensure our partnerships produce outcomes aligned with our  qualitative expectations, including measurable outcomes concerning affordability, completion rates, and economic  security for KIPP alumni.  

e. Use a quality partnerships tool and rubric to assess the health of our national partners and guide KIPP regions in  doing the same through offering substantive training.  

f. In partnership with different functions and with KIPP regions, ensure partnership agreements are executed at the  highest level. 

3. Team Leadership and Management  

a. Serve as member of the Expanded Leadership Team and contribute to org-wide initiatives, while always operating as  a culture and brand ambassador for KIPP to both internal and external audiences. 

b. Lead and manage a high-performing and equity-driven team to deliver a partnership strategy that aligns with KIPP’s  goals and vision. 

c. Foster a team culture that aligns with KIPP Foundation’s core values  

d. Drive development across the team to ensure each team member is thriving and unleashing their full potential for  the benefits of students. 

e. Provide strategic coaching and support to key stakeholders within KIPP’s network to ensure implementation of  partnership agreements focused on KIPPsters’ post secondary success.  

  

Skills  

• Mission & Student Focus: Demonstrated commitment to education equity; a passion for KIPP’s mission; desire and ability to  uphold KIPP’s values (Focus on Excellent Results, Courageous Action, and Resilient Solutions Focus) 

• Relentless Focus on Solutions and Results – Set culturally competent and ambitious goals with team to achieve measurable  outcomes; create an environment in which all systems and processes support high levels of efficiency to ensure that chief  priorities are accomplished successfully; champions the ongoing spirit of improvement and professional growth across the  organization while holding teams accountable to results.

• Critical Thinking and Strong Judgement – Ability to problem solve and to navigate and lead through complexity; effectively  leverages data effectively for strategic decision-making and driving improvement; can make courageous yet necessary  decisions in the interest of students and families with experience working with and in the interests of communities of color;  

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

• Communications: Effective communicator who can express KIPP’s brand for various audiences, designing messages that  resonate and motivate, and ensuring messages are conveyed in right mediums and right channels to maximize reach and  impact 

• Partnership, Alliance-Building and Stakeholder Management – Can generate excitement, enthusiasm, and commitment across  internal and external stakeholders (from universities to CTE-focused organizations to board members to KIPP leaders and  staff members) to advance KIPP’s Mission; has the interpersonal, diplomatic, and communications skills necessary to develop  successful working relationships with diverse constituents.  

• 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. 

Experience and Qualifications  

• 8+ years of progressive leadership experience supporting clients or staff across multiple regions and programs • 8+ years leading partnerships to strong measurable results at a national scale  

• Commitment to education equity, social justice, and a passion for KIPP’s mission and values, including a demonstrated  commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

• Experience with the K-12 Charter School Sector is strongly preferred 

  

Work Conditions  

• Travel requirements: 25% approximately 

• Full Time Regular  

Location  

It is preferred, but not mandatory for this role to be based out of a KIPP Foundation office. This role also offers the option of working  from a remote office full-time. KIPP Foundation office is in NYC and Chicago.  

  

Compensation and Benefits.  

In compliance with local law, we are disclosing the compensation, or a range thereof, for roles in locations where legally required.  Actual salaries will vary based on several factors, including but not limited to external market data, internal equity, and relevant  experience. The salary range for this position is $240,000-$283,000. In addition, KIPP Foundation provides a variety of benefits to  employees, including: 

• 25 holidays for + 18 days additional flexible PTO days (flexible PTO increases to 23 days for years 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/attractions, backup 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,  life/disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts 

KIPP Foundation embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of the students and communities with  whom we work and the world that around them. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility  to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual  orientation, gender identity or expression, age, mental or physical disability, and genetic information, marital status, citizenship status,  military status, protected veteran status or any other category protected by law.