Senior Director, KF Operations Process

About the Organization 

KIPP Public Schools is a national network of tuition-free public charter schools that prepares students with the skills and confidence to create the future they want for themselves, their communities, and us all. We are a network of 279 schools, nearly 16,500 educators, and nearly 210,000 students and alumni.

Our 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. 

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

The KIPP Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports KIPP public charter schools across the country. The KIPP Foundation helps to develop outstanding educators to lead KIPP schools; provides tools and resources for excellent teaching and learning; promotes innovation; and facilitates the exchange of insights and ideas across KIPP and other public schools and organizations. 

About Our Values: 

Excellent Results for Students: We value results over effort and know that our work is not finished until all students thrive. We maintain high expectations for self, team, and students. We drive outcomes by operating with agility, removing barriers, differentiating support, and prioritizing student-centered solutions—especially for those at the margins. 

Collective Impact: We are one team. We win together. We embody a one-team mindset by working collaboratively across teams, aligning goals, and leveraging the strengths of all teammates. We build trust-based relationships and ensure inclusive decision-making by engaging those closest to the work. We provide clarity through simple, repeatable systems and goals that enable transformational outcomes. 

Courageous Action: Our belief in what we can achieve is unwavering, fueling our optimism and commitment to overcome any challenge. We demonstrate an unwavering belief in students' potential and a commitment to addressing systemic inequities. We approach challenges with resilience, a solutions-focused mindset, and adaptability. We foster a psychologically safe environment centered on trust and accountability where feedback is encouraged. We leverage data to reflect on progress, own setbacks, celebrate successes, and continuously improve to maximize impact. 

About The Position 

The Senior Director, KF Operations, Processes drives operational excellence across the Foundation and KIPP Network by designing, owning, and continuously improving the core processes and systems that enable work across the Network and Foundation. This leader sets the vision and multi-year roadmap for how internal processes are designed, governed, connected, and continuously improved so that KF operates as a high-functioning organization in service of regions, schools, and students. The role serves as the senior owner of KF’s core operational systems and ways of working and reports to the SVP People and Ops. 

Responsibilities 

1. Set Vision and Roadmap for KF and Network Processes  

• Build and maintain a multi-year roadmap for KF and Network operational process development and improvement (e.g., project management, knowledge management etc).  

• Serve as the org-wide “business owner” for core operational processes, ensuring clarity of ownership, accountability, and sustainability.  

• Ensure all processes align to KF’s strategic priorities and enable a high-functioning, coordinated organization. 

1. Drive Process Design, Integration, and Continuous Improvement: 

• Design, oversee, and continuously improve cross-functional KF-facing and Network processes to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and scalability (including, but not limited to: Knowledge Management, Network Feedback Loop, contact management, and KIPP Pulse). 

• Conduct regular reviews of process performance and lead improvements based on data, feedback, and organizational needs. 

• Ensure strong integration across interconnected processes (e.g., talent-driven goal setting, finance-driven budgeting, ops-driven planning). 

1. Cross-Functional Alignment and Coordination:  

• Partner with senior leaders and functional teams to build shared understanding, clear roles, and strong adoption of KF and Network processes. 

• In partnership with IT and other teams, oversee the selection, design, and governance of enabling systems and tools required to execute operational processes. 

1. Change Leadership: Lead the change management strategy for new and evolving processes, ensuring adoption through clear expectations, training structures, and reinforcement mechanisms. 

Skills and Mindsets 

• Mission and Student Focus: Demonstrates passion and commitment to KIPP’s mission and possesses the desire and ability to uphold KIPP’s core values (Focus on Excellent Results, Collective Impact, and Courageous Action)  

• Self Management: Demonstrated record of setting ambitious goals and achieving them with consistency. Invests in developing teammates’ skills and mindsets to address gaps in achieving team growth; determines what quantitative and qualitative data are most relevant to their goals and supports the team in creating and monitoring systems for collecting, reviewing, and acting upon data to drive outcomes; able to monitor progress, communicating status to the right stakeholders and adjusting plans and use of time to ensure systems are yielding desired outcomes. 

• Work Management: Effectively drives work they own through clear action planning. Manages time effectively around competing priorities. Skilled in creating and executing project plans through partnership with stakeholders and effective delegation to achieve intended results on time. Skilled in knowledge management. 

• Process Management: Able to build and align goals and project plans with organization priorities; leverages relevant organizational processes and systems to execute work; can build and maintain knowledge management systems; effectively develops and codifies cross-team processes relevant to their team’s work that improve work quality and efficiency; uses data to drive process improvements in support of organizational priorities. 

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Efficiently defines the right metrics to evaluate work and ensures critical team actions, decisions, and recommendations are driven by data; effectively works with team to resolve issues around data to ensure sound data-informed decisions. 

• Communication and Change Management: Effectively articulates case for change through clear and compelling presentations and translates this into actional plans.  Effectively tailors communications and engagement approach for different audiences to deepen investment and drive actions and behavior change that would lead to org-wide goals.  Acts as a champion for change with cross-team stakeholders. 

• Collaboration: Has the interpersonal, diplomatic, relationship building, and communications skills needed to develop successful working relationships with diverse constituents to deliver results. Evolves and adapts plans and approach with diverse stakeholders to drive results. Possesses excellent communication skills with aptitude for translating complex information into a clear and persuasive narratives that convince others by identifying benefits for all. 

Experience and Qualifications 

1. 7+ years of professional experience, including 3+ years leading organizational process design and improvement. 

1. Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional initiatives in matrixed organizations. 

1. Strong track record of building and sustaining operational systems at scale.

Work Conditions 

• Travel: Moderate Travel: 11-20% (20-40 days per year)

• Full, exempt role 

Location 

It is preferred, but not mandatory for this role to be based out of a KIPP Foundation office. This role has the option of working from a remote office full-time. KIPP Foundation offices are in NYC and Chicago. 

Compensation and Benefits 

In compliance with local law, we are disclosing the compensation, or a range thereof, for roles in locations where legally required. Actual salaries will vary based on several factors, including but not limited to external market data, internal equity, and relevant experience. The salary range for this position is $156,000 - $188,500. In addition, KIPP Foundation provides a variety of benefits to employees, including:  

• 25 holidays for + 18 days additional flexible PTO days (flexible PTO increases to 23 days for years 3 and 4 and to 28 days for years 5+). 

• 100% paid parental leave 

• 100% coverage of the premium for employee and 75% for employee + family’s medical/dental/vision plans. 

• Wellness benefits such as fitness reimbursements, discounted tickets to theme parks/attractions, backup care support for children and adults/elders, and our employee assistance program 

• Finance Security benefits include such as a 401K retirement plan with 4% match, employer-sponsored legal plans, life/disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts 

KIPP Foundation embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of the students and communities with whom we work and the world that’s around them. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, mental or physical disability, and genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, military status, protected veteran status or any other category protected by law.