Job Description

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Chief Academic Officer (CAO) reports to KIPP Texas’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and serves as a member of the Executive Leadership Team. In partnership with the CEO, the CAO is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the learning experience for all KIPP Texas students (KIPPsters) from PreK-12, including support for alumni through college and career. Using an anti-racist and equity lens, the CAO establishes an inspiring, comprehensive academic vision with rigorous student outcome goals in alignment with KIPP Texas Public Schools' overall strategic plan, leads the design and implementation of KIPP Texas’ full instructional model and program, and drives outstanding student results across all KIPP Texas regions through school-based and regional staff by regularly progress monitoring student and school performance. The CAO manages the statewide Academics team and the KIPP Forward team. The CAO will collaborate with the Chief Schools Officer (CSO) and other leaders across KIPP Texas to ensure our schools are places our students want to run to every day. Together, we will ensure KIPPsters have the skills and confidence they need to be successful in college, career, and beyond. 

You know you are successful if: 

• You communicate and embody KIPP Texas’ culture and core values
• You lead with the highest ethics, build relationships based on trust, and inspire and motivate others to achieve rigorous goals
• You develop the next group of KIPP Texas and regional leaders through coaching, management, and impact and influence
• You establish and implement a strong academic vision and set clear direction
• You position all KIPP Texas’ four regions: Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio to achieve excellent academic results for every student and alumni;
• You partner with the School Support Partners (SSP) Team to meet all operational, financial, and other non-academic goals, ensuring a sustainable organization at all levels;
• You oversee the organizational process to align on the most critical outcomes and measures of success for students, alumni, and schools to ensure we are achieving our mission by operating high-quality schools
• You assist in creating and executing KIPP Texas multi-year Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion roadmap that moves us along on the anti-racism framework

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• TEACHING & LEARNING 
  • Sets the vision and leads the implementation of KIPP Texas PreK-12 instructional vision, strategy, and program to achieve breakthrough student results, promotes a strong culture of teaching and learning excellence, and fosters educational equity for all Little KIPPsters
  • Oversee the development of an effective statewide change management plan to achieve this vision including metrics, indicators, and key initiatives that align to the broader strategic plan
  • Lead the development and selection of high-quality curricular materials and aligned assessments across academic disciplines and grade levels that are designed to serve students at all levels and abilities in partnership with the Academic team, Regional teams, and schools
  • Oversees program design, implementation, and achievement of all specialized learning groups, including students with IEPs, emergent bilingual and multilingual students
  • In partnership with the talent team and the Chief of Schools and their team, oversee the support and development of teachers and school academic leaders to implement curriculum in a highly effective way, including professional development for teachers in pedagogy and their specific content areas
  • Use data effectively to drive instructional practice and, in collaboration with the CSO, improve and adjust academic strategy and program
  • Maintain a cutting-edge awareness of the promising practices and innovations in programs and policies for teaching, learning, and school design that are emerging locally and nationwide 
  • Create proactive systems that garner feedback from stakeholders (CSO, regional leaders, school leaders, staff, community partners) to inform school support and school improvement strategy and practice
• KIPP FORWARD; COLLEGE, CAREER, AND BEYOND
  • Lead processes to set vision, establish, implement, and monitor results of strategic objectives around KIPP Forward to achieve unprecedented post-secondary results and achieve college and career readiness for every student
  • Regularly monitor student progress on goal setting and interim measures to ensure all KIPP Texas KIPP Forward students are on track for achievement of post-secondary goals
  • Collect and use alumni data to evaluate effectiveness of and inform change in PK-12 academic strategy
  • Support development and execution of alumni strategy to ensure connections with graduates, to promote persistence in whatever path they choose, and to support path shifts or reformulation where necessary
  • Collect and use alumni data to evaluate effectiveness of and inform change in PK-12 academic strategy

   

• SENIOR LEADERSHIP
  • Be a senior leader who always models our mission, beliefs, and values
  • Make leadership decisions with students’ and families’ best interests and needs in mind and holds peers and staff accountable to do the same
  • Lead, develop, manage, and evaluate statewide Academics team 
  • Serve as the liaison between Academic Team and the KIPP Texas Executive Team
  • Work hand-in-hand with the Chief Schools Officer and other Chiefs, Regional Superintendents to achieve exceptional student results
  • Along with the CEO and other members of the Executive Team, serve as one of the most senior leaders in our organization, helping us achieve our goals and exercising strong judgment in making critical decisions about what we prioritize and how we operate
  • Leverage effective change management practices and strategies that are people- and relationship-centric
  • Model excellence as a manager, developing others, and modeling a KIPP Texas work ethic for teams
• EDUCATIONAL EQUITY
  • Establish and promote a clear vision of educational equity for all students as a guiding principle across all KIPP Texas schools, and ensure it is reflected in curriculum, instruction, and program offerings, including for all special population students and services
  • Lead from an equity-centered approach, centering the most marginalized students in the creation of strategy and execution of the instructional vision 
  • Conduct statewide instructional equity audit to ensure curriculum, assessment, and instructional program are culturally responsive 
  • Be a champion for equity in all regards, including doing the self-work necessary to help KIPP Texas become an anti-racist organization
• MANAGE EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS (AS NEEDED)
  • Serve as liaison to the KIPP Texas Board for matters related to Academics
  • Assess and select partners and consultants when needed
  • Serve as primary academic liaison to any external partners, including KIPP Foundation
  • Ensure partners are engaged appropriately and adhere to project workplans
  • Compile reports that highlight achievement of objectives, summary of participants’ experiences, and lessons learned for future research, design and innovation initiatives

Qualifications

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 5 years of experience in a school leader/principal role with a record of achieving outstanding academic results for students from traditionally under-resourced communities or populations
• Minimum 3 years of experience managing and/or coaching school leaders/principals to drive student academic results
• Ability to set a clear academic vision and aligned priorities, develop strategic plans, and empower others to achieve them
• Deep knowledge and experience in the design, integration, implementation, and management of school systems including knowledge of curricula, instructional practices, school operations and management, and teacher and leader development
• Structures work–can frame key questions, analysis/work to resolve those questions; can divide work into discrete pieces with clear activities/deliverables; thinks about the interdependencies of projects/efforts and proactively manages those touchpoints
• Drives to action, delivers results–ensures work is getting done; proactively recognizes and addresses hurdles; thinks beyond just “the work today” and incorporates that perspective into the planning and execution
• Ability to work independently but also comfortable asking for help/input from others where needed
• Comfort with ambiguity–works to resolve open questions, can define a process to resolve ambiguity, is comfortable that the plan may change 
• Concise and effective verbal and written communication skills–can talk easily to a variety of audiences
• Self-motivated and tenacious–looks for interesting and meaningful analysis and insights, seeks opportunities to do things better (doesn’t just wait for people to ask for an analysis)
• Ability to work urgently in a fast-paced and results-oriented environment 
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment in decision-making
• Demonstrated effectiveness in exceptional people leadership and management, including selection and hiring, coaching and development, managing and improving performance, building inclusive and effective adult culture, and retention and promotion of top performers
• Ability to be flexible and adapt to changing priorities
• Experience dismantling systems of oppression for students with adults and in schools, generally
• Ability to synthesize knowledge and present it to stakeholders in a comprehensive manner
• Strong organizational and planning skills

EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution, plus 3-5 years of proven teaching excellence 
• 7-10 years of experience with curriculum development, assessment, instructional enabling systems and tools, and building and executing an instructional strategy 
• A SYSTEMS-LEVEL THINKER AND BUILDER; the KIPP Texas CAO will need change management and organizational development skills, and you will need to regularly model this level of Statewide Leadership to support the overall strategy and success of KIPPsters across KIPP Texas. You are energized by building and implementing systems.
• A LEADER WITH A TRACK RECORD OF ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE WITH EQUITY; as a CAO at KIPP Texas, you must have experience directly leading affirming and empowering schools with a record of achieving outstanding academic and social results for students from economically disadvantaged communities. 
• AN ANTI-RACIST, EQUITY AND CULTURE CHAMPION;  the CAO will be among many models for how KIPP Texas exemplifies our core values and, specifically, what it looks like to lead for racial equity. You must approach all issues with an explicit values-based lens and bring a skill set that includes getting to the root of adaptive challenges and tackling equity issues manifested at the systemic level.
• A LIFE-LONG LEARNER; AS A CAO AT KIPP TEXAS, you must be deeply passionate about supporting all of our Little KIPPsters through a strong instructional model and curriculum design, socio-emotional learning, teaching, and pedagogy. You will be more than just a manager; you will be a life-long learner--someone who will continue learning about great instruction and culture. You will continually push KIPP Texas to get better. 
• A COLLECTIVIST LEADER;  the KIPP Texas CAO will have to make decisions that impact the lives of KIPPsters to and through college, career and beyond. You are someone who values diverse perspectives, especially from those most impacted by your efforts. Power is shared and distributed equitably.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.
• Considerable time is spent at a desk using a computer/laptop
• Attending conferences or training sessions

WORK ENVIRONMENT:  

• Typical office environment with frequent interruptions

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to travel to various locations, travel time approximately 40-50%

Additional Information

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

As a full-time KIPP Texas employee you are eligible to participate in all KIPP Texas’ benefit plans. KIPP Texas offers a robust variety of benefits choices with competitive rates, including medical, dental, and vision options, life insurance, and disability plans.

KIPP provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.