Director of Professional Learning

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

The Director of Professional Learning (DPL) owns the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of a coherent, equity-centered regional professional learning system for all school-based roles (school leaders, assistant school leaders, instructional coaches, teachers—including SpEd/ENL—and paraprofessionals). This role ensures that professional learning is aligned to the region’s instructional priorities and results in measurable improvements in adult practice and student outcomes.

The DPL leads the New Teacher Mentor Program for teachers in years 1–2 and partners closely with the VP of Academics & Instruction to set PD priorities, standards for quality, and measures of impact. The DPL collaborates with school leaders, Talent, and regional teams to ensure professional learning is coherent, well-implemented, and responsive to school needs.

Position Type: Full-time, Exempt, 12 Month Position

Responsibilities:

Reporting and Collaborating: 

Professional Learning Systems (Owner):

• Own the regional PD strategy, annual PD calendar, learning pathways, and quality standards for all school-based roles.

• Design coherent professional learning experiences aligned to instructional priorities and observed needs across schools.

• Lead the New Teacher Mentor Program (Years 1–2), including mentor selection, training, coaching structures, and continuous improvement.

• Partner with the VP of Academics & Instruction to align PD scope and priorities to regional instructional goals.

Design, Delivery & Facilitation:

• Design and facilitate high-impact PD for leaders, coaches, teachers (including SpEd/ENL), and paraprofessionals.

• Build facilitator capacity and model high-quality adult learning design and facilitation.

• Ensure PD experiences include clear application, practice, and follow-up to support implementation in schools.

Measurement & Continuous Improvement:

• Establish and monitor measures of PD effectiveness (participation, quality, implementation, and impact on practice).

• Use observation data, feedback, and implementation evidence to iterate on PD design and supports.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partner with school leaders to align PD to school priorities and implementation needs (without owning teacher evaluation).

• Collaborate with Talent/HR on onboarding and early-career supports (without owning certification compliance).

• Coordinate with academic content leads and Special Populations partners to ensure PD supports inclusive instruction.

Autonomy & Decision Making

• This role owns the regional professional learning system, including PD strategy, calendar, content, facilitation standards, and measures of effectiveness. The DPL sets expectations for PD quality and coherence, manages facilitators and mentors, and iterates on PD design based on evidence of impact. The DPL does not own performance management of teachers or school leaders.

Outcomes:

• Coherent, high-quality regional professional learning system implemented with fidelity across schools.

• Measurable improvements in adult practice tied to PD participation and follow-through.

• Effective design and implementation of the New Teacher Mentor Program, resulting in strong early-career teacher retention and growth.

• High participant satisfaction and demonstrated application of learning in classrooms and leadership practice.

• Strong alignment between PD priorities and regional instructional goals.

Qualifications

Requirements:

Required

• 4+ years of successful classroom teaching experience

• Proven record of driving results in a K-12 educational environment

• Experience designing and facilitating professional learning aligned to instructional priorities

• Strong understanding of adult learning and change management

• Ability to build coherent PD systems and manage complex, cross-functional projects

• Experience developing adults and leading facilitators or coaches

• Demonstrated experience designing and leading professional development across multiple school sites or campuses

• State teaching certification

• Bachelor's degree in education

• Advanced degree in education, leadership, curriculum & instruction, or related field

Preferred: 

• Formal training in coaching frameworks (i.e. Relay Graduate School of Education, New Teacher Center, CT3, Jim Knight Impact Cycle, etc.)

• Formal training in adult learning design and facilitation (i.e. Learning Forward, Association for Talent Development, etc.)

• Experience leading new teacher development or mentoring programs

• Experience in high-performing K-12 school environments

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 for this role is $85,000- $120,000. This role is performance bonus eligible.

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.