Managing Director of High Schools - New Jersey

About KIPP New Jersey

KIPP New Jersey is part of the nationally recognized “Knowledge Is Power Program” network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students for success in college and in life. In 2002, KIPP New Jersey first opened its doors in Newark’s South Ward as a single class of 80 fifth graders and has since grown to educate over 7,738 students in grades K-12 across 15 schools in Newark and Camden. More than 90% of KIPP New Jersey students currently qualify for free or reduced meals. 

By 2025, KIPP New Jersey will have fifteen schools in Newark and seven in Camden providing a world-class education to over 11,600 students. To learn more, visit www.kippnj.org.

The Managing Director of High Schools, KIPP NJ will be responsible for leading and managing excellent KIPP High Schools in NJ  that are academically high-performing and culturally affirming for students, families and staff, and deeply embedded in and connected to the communities they serve. 

The Managing Director will be responsible for ensuring that KIPP New Jersey High Schools are delivering an excellent college-preparatory educational experience to their students, marked by high academic performance and a learning environment in which kids feel so safe, known, and loved that they run to school everyday.

The Managing Director will be responsible for executing with fidelity the strategic plan priorities related to academic, talent, and equity initiatives across the schools.

The Managing Director of High Schools KIPP New Jersey will be a member of the leadership team of, and report to the CAO, of a charter management organization (CMO) that manages the KIPP schools in Newark and Camden, New Jersey, and in Miami, Florida.  The CMO provides support in the areas of curriculum and instruction, leadership development, operations, real estate, finance, fundraising, human resources, and other back office functions. The principal role of the Managing Director is to manage the Heads of Schools, school leaders and other regional staff and to partner with CMO teams to build a high-performing region.

Key Outcomes/Metrics

The Managing Director’s primary priorities will be the short-term and long-term performance of the schools, as well as the development of talent throughout the region.

Some more details on how we approach these priorities:
1. School Performance

We measure school performance through an index that incorporates annual achievement measures like test scores as well as staff engagement survey results, school culture walkthroughs, student attrition, teacher attrition, and other indicators of school health.  While academic achievement is the most heavily weighted of those indicators, we view them all as important in providing our kids with a school experience that will help them unlock their potential for choice-filled lives in which they are equipped to be the leaders who change our world for the better.

Successful school performance will be measured by:

• Student achievement on standardized tests and internal academic assessments, as well as the state report card
• Measures of student and staff culture including surveys, attrition data, and walkthroughs

2. Talent Development

As long as there are more kids and families who want schools like ours, we feel it is imperative that we provide them.  The Managing Director is thus responsible for developing instructional talent in the region to ensure that leaders are well-positioned to open new schools and assume the role of leading and sustaining high performance in existing schools.  

Successful talent development will be measured by:

• Ensuring that we are cultivating, developing and retaining our strongest Teachers, Assistant Principals, Principals in Residence and School Leaders
• Prioritizing  on-time school openings, preparation of leaders for succession, and successful outcomes of new leaders 
• Meeting annual employee retention goals

Key Responsibilities

The Managing Director's responsibilities will be focused on the following:  

Academics and Instruction

• The Managing Director will serve as the region’s HS instructional leader, directly managing  Heads of Schools who in turn manage our School Leaders. The MDoS will also manage one School Leader him/herself, in order to remain close to the work of managing schools. S/he will inform the development of  organization-wide academic priorities and initiatives, and execute on them with fidelity.  Specifically, s/he will:

  • Using the CMO’s strategic priorities, develop regional goals and academic goals with School Leaders which will be approved by the CAO and CEO to ensure alignment with the organization-wide strategic plan and academic priorities

  • Provide management and support to the Head of Schools and individual School Leader(s), including making hiring and firing decisions 

  • Monitor key indicators of school health and ensure the schools are providing an excellent learning experience for their kids consistent with the organization-wide strategic plan and priorities

• Provide input to the CAO in curriculum and assessment development and ensure implementation with fidelity
• Provide input on org-wide instructional systems (e.g. data protocols, lesson plan internalization) and implement with fidelity
• Provide input to the Managing Director of Special Education in the development of the strategy for support of students with special needs and execute strategy with fidelity

Organizational Culture

• Develop strong organizational culture for the entire HS region, creating cohesion, accountability, and purpose for the entire region, including the leadership team, but not limited to them.
• Create alignment and collaboration between and among schools, school leaders, and other regional and school-based leadership.

Talent Development

• Manage and lead a high performing, cohesive leadership team to ensure academic excellence in our schools and execute strategic plan programmatic priorities
• Develop or ensure the development of emerging leaders to foster regional growth and successful succession transitions through the development of HOSs
• In partnership with the Talent Team, recruit and develop future School Leaders and Heads of Schools
• Provide input on organization-wide talent acquisition, leadership development and retention strategies and and execute across schools with fidelity
• Provide input on organization-wide Race, Equity, & Inclusion (REI) strategy and execute with fidelity

School Culture

• Collaborate on the development of an organization-wide student culture system and execute with fidelity across schools
• Support the Head of Schools and School Leaders in the resolution of student and family grievances when necessary

Other

• Provide input to the Managing Director of KIPP Through College (KTC) in college placement goals and strategies
• Ensure regional constituents are kept fully informed of key developments and both national KIPP initiatives and KIPP CMO initiatives. Leverage opportunities to engage in national dialogue, as well as opportunities to design network process and protocol

While the MDoS will have input in the following areas, a Managing Director of Operations will be principally responsible for all financial, operational, and external aspects of our work across KIPP New Jersey High Schools.  The MDoS will work closely with the MDO, who will report to the COO with a dotted line to the MDoS.

Finance and Operations

The MDoS will:

• Provide input on various aspects of the region’s budget and own decision making on school facing budget needs (e.g. staffing) in accordance with a CMO-approved staffing plan
• Provide input on accountability systems to ensure KIPP New Jersey’s High School’s progress toward shared goals
• Provide input on the long‐term financial plan and collaborate with the MD and the Finance and Development teams 
• Provide input on potential board members and meet with them as needed
• Prepare board presentations on student outcomes and other key metrics and present to the local boards as needed
• Provide input to the COO, CFO and MDO on setting growth goals and execute against those growth goals with fidelity in the area of leadership development 
• Provide input to the COO, CFO and MDO on real estate and facilities planning and acquisition

Management

• The MDoS will manage the following staff:

  • Head of Schools (who manages three School Leaders)

  • One or more School Leaders

  • Director of Student Experience

  • The T&L function for the grade span, via a Managing Director of Teaching & Learning or direct management of Achievement Directors

Must Haves:

• Experience in charter schools
• Experience managing or coaching school principals
• 5+ years managing or coaching high-performing leaders in a results-driven environment
• 8+ years of work experience
• Bachelor’s degree
• Experience in charter schools
• Experience managing or coaching school principals
• 5+ years managing or coaching high-performing leaders in a results-driven environment
• 8+ years of work experience
• Bachelor’s degree

Compensation & Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary, KIPP NJ offers a full comprehensive benefits plan, including health care, retirement, a school laptop and transportation benefits for TEAMmates commuting into New Jersey from the New York area. 

KIPP New Jersey | KIPP Miami is an equal opportunity employer.