Manager of Development & Communications

Company Description

Who we are: KIPP St. Louis is a part of a national network of free, open-enrollment, public charter schools offering a choice to families and children in St. Louis City. As the largest charter school system in the city, we are driven and committed to our mission, vision, and equity statement.

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.

Vision: Every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities.

KIPP St. Louis currently educates over 2,000 students and at full growth, we will educate nearly 3,600 students and hundreds of alumni. Today, our St. Louis network consists of PreK-12th grade.

What makes KIPP St. Louis unique?
We believe that our educators are proving what's possible in urban education each and every day, by inspiring students and helping them discover the joy of learning. KIPP schools support our educators to help students achieve academic excellence, building the skills and confidence they need to succeed.  

Together, we are raising the bar for every student, every day.

Job Description

Position Overview 
KIPP St. Louis has unveiled an ambitious five-year Strategic Plan 2030. The Manager of Development and Communications is responsible for high-quality execution of the region’s fundraising and communications strategy. This role ensures that grant submissions, donor systems, events, marketing campaigns, and communications production are delivered with excellence, accuracy, and timeliness.

The Manager owns execution. The Director owns outcomes.

Position type: Full-time, exempt, 12 Month    

Reporting & Collaboration​

• Direct Manager: You report to the Director of Development and Communications.

• Direct Reports: None.

• Lateral Leadership: None.

• Lateral Managers: None.

• Key Collaborators: CEO, Director of Development and Communications, Cabinet, Finance team, school leaders, regional team members, and external vendors.

Autonomy & Decision Making​

• The Manager exercises strong judgment in managing timelines, coordinating cross-functional inputs, and ensuring deliverables meet quality standards. The role is responsible for elevating risks, missed deadlines, or data gaps to the Director in a timely manner.

Inputs: What will I be doing in my day-to-day work?

Communications & Content Execution

• Manage the regional communications calendar aligned to fundraising and enrollment priorities.

• Produce and deploy content aligned to the Director’s narrative strategy.

• Manage network social media, website updates, and marketing materials.

• Create and maintain template libraries for schools and regional teams to streamline messaging.

• Ensure all regional communications are accurate, polished, timely, and aligned to brand standards.  Coordinate closely with graphic designers and external creative vendors to ensure brand alignment and high-quality execution.

• Develop and maintain template libraries for schools and regional teams to streamline print and digital communications.

• Execute the Director’s internal communications strategy, ensuring clarity, consistency, and impact across the region.

Grant Drafting & Support

• Draft grant proposals and reports aligned to the Director’s funding strategy.

• Gather programmatic data, budgets, and outcomes in partnership with schools and Finance.

• Maintain a grant submission calendar and tracking system.

• Ensure timely submission of grant applications and reports.

CRM & Monitoring Systems

• Maintain disciplined CRM updates and donor data hygiene.

• Track donor touches and engagement activities.

• Produce routine development reports and pipeline summaries for Director review.

• Monitor fundraising progress toward goals and elevate risks proactively.

Events Execution

• Lead logistics and operational execution of cultivation and signature events.

• Manage vendor contracts, including photography, videography, design, and event production.

• Track event budgets and provide post-event ROI analysis.

Marketing & Enrollment Support

• Execute recruitment marketing campaigns aligned to enrollment priorities.

• Ensure that the website and marketing materials reflect current campus configurations and the regional strategy.

• Support storytelling efforts that align directly with fundraising and external positioning priorities.

Outcomes: What will I be evaluated on?

• On-time and high-quality grant submissions and reporting.

• Accurate and disciplined CRM and donor tracking systems.

• Successful execution of revenue-aligned events.

• Clear, consistent, and error-free communications.

• Communications and storytelling that directly support fundraising strategy.

What skills should I already bring, i.e., what should I already have a track record around?

• Managing complex cross-functional projects with precision and follow-through

• Leading projects to drive results

• Clear, compelling, concise written and verbal communication, and

• Self-starter with the ability to juggle multiple priorities with great attention to detail, and deliver consistent and timely results.

What should I know a lot about already, i.e., what should I have expertise in?

• Effective fundraising and cultivation strategies,

• Proven communication strategies, and 

• Planning and hosting exemplary events and fundraisers.

KIPP uses Indicators of Excellence (IOE) to codify what great looks like in daily work.  For this role, the IOEs include:

• Ownership and Stewardship

  • Takes responsibility for the integrity and excellence of communications, grant submissions, events, and donor systems. Follows through consistently and meets deadlines.

• Monitoring and Quality

  • Maintains accurate CRM records and tracking systems. Ensures materials are polished, data-informed, and error-free.

• Coherence

  • Executes communications and events in alignment with the Director’s strategy and regional priorities. Maintains consistency across messaging and platforms.

• Data-Driven Decision Making

  • Tracks engagement, campaign performance, event ROI, and fundraising progress. Uses data to refine execution and elevate insights to the Director.

Qualifications

What you bring to the table:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree 

• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in development, communications or non-profit operations

• Experience supporting fundraising efforts (grant writing, donor communications, events)

• Strong written communication skills (donor-facing materials, family-facing, reports, emails)

• Ability to manage projects and timelines across multiple stakeholders 

• Team player with strong interpersonal, stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.

• Ability to develop and execute content across channels (email, website, social media)

• Experience creating or supporting storytelling that advances fundraising or organizational priorities

Preferred

• Experience writing or supporting grant proposals and reports

• Experience coordinating fundraising events or campaigns

• Familiarity with CRM systems and donor tracking

• Experience in education or mission-driven organizations

• Exposure to major gifts or donor stewardship processes

• Experience managing or contributing to social media strategy and execution 

Additional Information

What we bring to the table:

KIPP St. Louis is committed to pay equity and to ensuring that we do not unintentionally perpetuate historic wage gaps that persist due to individual negotiations.  As a result, salaries are not negotiated.  We are transparent about salaries in our job postings so that candidates can make an informed decision before beginning the hiring process.  The salary range is $65,000 to $90,000.

We are a fast-paced, energetic team and family with passionate people who are leading a movement and to cultivate their best working environment, we provide the following:

• $0 deductible healthcare plan option, including medical, vision, and dental. 

• Employer Paid Short-Term Disability. 

• $50,000 life insurance policy at no cost to the employee. 

• Retirement plan through PSSRSSL with an employer match up to 14% and an optional 403b as a supplement to our pension program

• Employee Recognition: When we succeed together, we celebrate together with our annual gala award ceremony, holiday party, and more!

• Public Service student loan forgiveness program qualified employer. 

• Ongoing professional development.

• Generous time off:

• Paid leave for illness, personal days, bereavement, jury duty, and military-related leave

• Paid parental leave for new families

• Paid holidays, as well as a one-week Thanksgiving break, a two-week winter break, a week-long spring break

• Wellness days provided throughout the year

Hiring Timeline and Steps

• This role will be posted from April 3 to April 8, 2026.  The anticipated start date for the role is as soon as possible, with the latest start of July 6, 2026.