Chief Schools Officer

Company Description

KIPP — the largest nonprofit network of college-preparatory, public charter schools in the nation—has demonstrated, at scale, that all children have the potential to excel academically regardless of race or zip code. KIPP Public Schools is a network of 279 schools with more than 16,000 educators and 210,000 students and alumni, including Indianapolis. KIPP Indy Public Schools (KIPP Indy) was founded in 2004 with one class of fifth-grade students and has grown to serve 1,500 students across three schools. Of the students that attend KIPP Indy, 93% qualify for free and reduced lunch, 95% are African American or LatinX, 12% receive special education services, and 8% are designated as Emerging Bilinguals. As we continue to grow, our mission remains the same: to create joyful, academically excellent schools in which teachers, students, and families are all united around the same goal of preparing students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose —college, career, and beyond— so they can lead fulfilling lives and create a more just world.

Job Description

POSITION OVERVIEW
The Chief Schools Officer (CSO) is responsible for the overall quality of school programming and maintains a laser focus on increasing academic outcomes for KIPP Indy students. They pursue this work through excellent management and development of a cohort of school leaders, and collaboration cross-organizationally with other development, operations, technology, talent, curriculum, and finance leaders. The SLM reports to the Head of Schools and serves as an integral member of the Regional KIPP Indy academic leadership team, which is responsible for driving the overall direction and strategy for the region. This is an ideal opportunity for a dynamic and visionary organizational leader with significant team leadership and school improvement experience to play a critical role in expanding and shaping a premier K-12 network committed to supporting students to graduate college and succeed in school and life.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Team and Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a member of KIPP Indy’s Region Wide Leadership Team (RWLT) to set vision and direction, establish and refine strategic priorities, and lead organizational culture
• Collaborate with RWLT to support organizational health, mitigate and address risks, and model core values
• Build deep relationships with school and regional leaders, acting as a strategic advisor to them and problem-solving as issues arise
• Cultivate relationships with critical KIPP Indy stakeholders, including families, board members, community partners, and partners
• Participate in and staff all KIPP Indy Board of Directors meetings and functions
• Manage School Leaders and school leadership teams across the KIPP Indy network of schools
• Support the organization’s growth strategy, collaborating with the RWLT to evaluate the financial implications of different growth scenarios

Lead KIPP Indy School Leaders

• Manage, supervise, and evaluate network school leaders to drive toward school improvement initiatives and regional results.
• Champion KIPP Indy core values and build a community of team and family members dedicated to achievement, inclusion, and belongingness.
• Collaborate with the Head of Schools and Talent Team to hire school leaders and assistant school leaders.
• Cultivate school leader leadership competencies in academics, school culture, people management, and team leadership talent through leveraging coaching and professional learning opportunities.
• Nurture a healthy school leadership pipeline and engage in regional and organizational succession planning efforts.
  

Building Academically Excellent and Joyful Schools

• Support school leaders to internalize and implement KIPP Indy’s academic and school culture strategy within and across school campuses.
• Facilitate annual planning processes, including master schedule development, with a cohort of school leaders in alignment with regional and state-wide goals.
• Organize and implement mechanisms to monitor progress toward short and long-term goals and initiatives.
• Develop a deep understanding of KIPP Indy’s high-quality instructional materials and facilitate school leader capacity for strong implementation at their respective school campuses.
• Examine student learning and culture data within and across schools to identify school and cohort priorities.
• Collaborate with regional leadership and the state-wide academics and operations departments to implement initiatives aligned to school, cohort, and state-wide priorities.
• Champion emerging bilinguals, students with IEPs and 504s to receive exceptional services and support, in compliance with state and federal regulations.
• Supports the development of strong school operational systems and processes with a focus on data collection, scheduling, and Special Education programs and services.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

• A master’s degree in education or a related field from an accredited college or university (required)
• 3 years of teaching experience with a record of results of leading students to significant academic growth.
• 5-10 years of experience as a school leader leading schools serving a similar student population to KIPP Indy; experience leading school improvement preferred.
• 3-5 years of experience managing school leaders, particularly in school transformation settings.
• Demonstrated success leading teams to accelerate progress for students in transformation settings.
• Demonstrated success leading teams to accelerate progress for students in transformation settings.

COMPETENCIES

• RESPECTING COMMUNITY. Demonstrates knowledge of and respect for the cultures of the community served.
• DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS. Develops mutually beneficial relationships and partnerships based upon trust, respect, and achievement of common goals.
• DATA-BASED IMPROVEMENTS. Uses data to accurately assess areas for improvement and teaches others to do the same.
• BACKWARD PLANNING. Methodically backward plans to achieve short- and long-term goals.
• PRIORITIZING. Manages time and resources effectively, prioritizing efforts according to organizational goals.
• FOLLOW THROUGH. Follows through on commitments and promises with an appropriate sense of urgency.
• INITIATIVE. Takes initiative, going above and beyond typical expectations and making necessary sacrifices to achieve exceptional results
• FINANCIAL DECISIONS. Uses financial information to make sound decisions
• VIABILITY. Maintains a focus in the organization on the critical details essential to keeping the business running, such as risk management and compliance systems
• ANTICIPATING PROBLEMS. Anticipates and identifies problems in a timely manner.

Additional Information

Salary is commensurate with experience and includes a highly competitive benefits package. Opportunities for performance-based bonuses are also available.

KIPP Indy is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.