Director of Strategy

Company Description

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 59 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 34,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission is to 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 fair world.

Founded in Houston in 1994 and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, we are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. KIPP Texas is a team and family with an unwavering commitment to creating classrooms, offices, and communities rooted in belongingness, academic success and joy.

KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students.

Job Description

The Strategy Team, a sub-team under the broader Chief of Staff Team, exists to collaborate cross-functionally with stakeholders, clarify ambiguity in internal and external opportunities, and create solutions to support the current and future state of the organization. The Strategy Team is directly responsible for the planning, execution, and progress monitoring of the KIPP Texas multiyear plan.

The Director of Strategy will report to the Managing Director of Strategy and act as a strategic leader responsible for the vision, execution, and continuous improvement of a high-priority function, program, or statewide function. They will be responsible for leading the design, prioritization, and execution of cross-functional strategic initiatives identified as priorities for KIPP Texas. While strong project management skills are a necessity in this role, the successful candidate will also be a proven strategic leader who can define how work gets done.

The Director’s project portfolio includes, but is not limited to: assessing strategic initiatives and interventions based on organizational health and competitive landscape, collaborating with cross-functional partners to enhance and support planning and execution, codifying cross-functional playbooks and policies, and shepherding the KIPP Texas multiyear plan creation, execution, and progress monitoring.

Role Responsibilities

Clarity & Ambiguity: Lead the organization through its most complex and ambiguous strategic challenges, balancing data-driven analysis with the understanding that people and relationships matter.

• Demonstrate an adaptive mindset with an ability to see the big picture while driving clarity on the details.
• Demonstrate the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities.
• Show strong comfort with ambiguity and the ability to move work forward even when the path is not clearly defined.

Technical & Analytical Proficiency: Define the scope, sequencing, and prioritization of KIPP Texas’s strategic project portfolio.

• Establish and own the criteria by which initiatives are selected, assessed, and advanced—balancing organizational health, competitive landscapes, and long-term goals.
• Exhibit proficiency in data analysis and problem-solving frameworks to translate executive vision into functional strategy and coordinated cross-functional execution plan.
• Identify, analyze, and respond to risk factors across the life of strategic initiatives, ensuring that strategic work is completed on time, within scope and budget, and that outcomes are tracked against meaningful measures of organizational impact.

Communication & Influence: Exhibit exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to distill complex data into clear narratives for executive audiences.

• Identify and engage key stakeholders of the strategic portfolio, building coalitions, relationships, and buy-in across KIPP Texas to drive project success.
• Influence senior leaders across the network on sequencing, scope, and strategic direction.
• Draft and own communications to high-level stakeholders.

Team Culture: Contribute to the Chief of Staff Team culture through authentic engagement and by participating in and leading development opportunities.

• Model the values of the organization and the community agreements of the Chief of Staff Team.
• Represent the Chief of Staff Team responsibly to other stakeholders within and outside the organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year university.
• Minimum of 5 years of work experience in a project management, strategy, education, or consulting-type role preferred. 

Competency and Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to have impact and influence across multiple functional areas (e.g., academics, talent, finance, operations, etc.).
• Articulate, professional demeanor with strong self-confidence and initiative. 
• Experience fostering strong working relationships with critical stakeholders
• Excellent analytical, problem solving, and critical thinking skills.
• Excellent organizational and planning skills.
• Excellent listening and verbal communication skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and service-orientation.
• Self-directed and results-oriented, demonstrating proactivity and follow-through.
• Experience with charter or charter-like schools, non-profit strategy, non-profit consulting, and/or with students in low-income urban environments is preferred, not required.
• Ability to model KIPP’s values at all times.

Additional Information

What We Bring to the Table:

• The starting salary for this position is $85,000 and is commensurate upon experience and internal equity.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans with coverage options for employees and their families. 
• Competitive vacation and flexible paid time off (PTO) policies.
• Paid family leave.
• Flexible spending account or high-yield HSA.
• Employee assistance programs. 
• KIPP also offers the following employee-paid benefits: legal plans, LifeLock identity protection, life insurance and disability insurance.

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 essential functions.
• The person in this position needs to be able to move about inside and outside the school throughout the workday.
• The candidate is expected to attend conferences, meetings and training sessions both virtually and in person within the Region. 

Additional Requirements:

• Reliable transportation is needed for travel between campuses
• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress.
• Work with frequent interruptions.

Work Environment: 

• Hybrid work - Reports to the central office or schools three days a week

Travel Requirements: 

• Minimal travel: May travel to other school sites or regional offices for professional learning, meetings and other work related activities.