Chief Schools Officer at KIPP Memphis – Memphis, Tennessee

COMPANY OVERVIEW

KIPP Memphis Public Schools is part of KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program), a national network of tuition-free, open-enrollment, public schools that are successful in helping students develop the knowledge, skills, character, and habits needed to succeed in college and the competitive world beyond. There are currently 275 KIPP schools across the nation serving nearly 120,000 students. Founded in 2002, KIPP Memphis serves over 1,200 K-12 students in our three North Memphis schools and almost 900 alumni on their journeys to-and-through college with our KIPP Forward Program.

As a leader in providing high quality education for students who need us most, the KIPP Memphis team and family serves as a model of excellence and collaborates with other community organizations to raise the overall quality of education in Memphis. The mission of KIPP Memphis 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 just world.

JOB SUMMARY

The Chief Schools Officer (CSO) is responsible for driving educational excellence across all schools. The CSO establishes a clear vision and strategic direction for instructional leadership, school culture and school improvement initiatives. The CSO ensures significant student achievement gains. They work in close collaboration with the Chief of Academics and Managing Director of Teaching and Learning to meet goals and strategic plans set forth by the region. The CSO supervises, coaches and supports principals and monitors teacher coaching. They oversee the functions of all schools and principals.

Essential functions of the job may include but are not limited to the following:

• Enforces accountability and quality control measures for all schools; sets region-wide standards for school performance and student achievement
• Ensures compliance with all federal, state, local, and region policies and procedures
• Supervises, evaluates, supports and coaches Principals
• Drives region-wide multi-year planning and strategy to drive excellence across all schools
• Develops a strategy to implement the region’s instructional vision and establishes student achievement goals
• Directs and administers the delivery of innovative turnaround strategies to increase student achievement
• Researches cutting-edge practices and innovations in programs
• Communicates with all schools and departments on a regular basis to ensure effective systems and structures are in place to accelerate a results-focused drive towards completing the goals of the region
• Builds teacher capacity by ensuring successful innovative programs are shared region-wide
• Collaborates with leaders to design, test and measure ideas that will transform the schools
• Ensures effective management, coaching and mentorship of teachers in ways that drive significant student achievement gains
• Drives school leader development by providing overall instructional leadership for the region;
• Works with the Chief Academics Officer to develop a pipeline for recruiting school leaders and growing internal school leaders, so that each school has an effective principal
• Collaborates with the Chief Academic Officer to develop a program for training school leadership
• Creates a system to evaluate principals and provides professional development including teacher coaching, use of data, school culture and discipline
• Serves as a key contributor in the Chief Executive Officer’s cabinet to set the overall vision and provide leadership to the region
• Performs related responsibilities as required or directed

One KIPP Responsibilities

Leadership Development lead

• Sets vision and manages in-region leadership pipeline from Assistant Principals to School Leader Managers
• Leads implementation and evaluation of regional leadership pipeline talent systems
• Ensures leadership development is aligned within the region and with the Foundation
• Codifies instructional leadership best practices across the region
• Serves as a secondary leadership coach for Assistant Principals and new School Leaders

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Master's degree
• Active Tennessee Administrator License
• 10+ years of experience in a leadership position, including 5+ years of experience coaching teachers, leading professional development, and performance management
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to swiftly and accurately understand complex data and perform analyses
• Outstanding leadership skills and ability to build high-performing teams through recruitment, selection and professional development
• Experience closing student achievement gaps between racial, ethnic and economic groups

Knowledge, Skills, and Ability Required:

• Passion for serving students and improving educational outcomes
• Committed to ensuring that KIPP Memphis students graduate from high school with the skills necessary to be successful in life
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to tackle the fiscal challenges of the school region in a complex, changing political and educational environment
• Ability to manage daily administrative tasks without losing sight of long-term goals & planning
• Excellent organizational, planning and implementation skills
• Ability to establish relationships and communicate effectively with multiple constituencies
• Reflective and able to execute in an efficient manner with managers, peers and support personnel

Other Qualifications

Satisfactory criminal records check, pre-hire and annually thereafter, if applicable. Must be eligible to work in the United States and provide work authorization. Occasional travel to KIPP Memphis campuses required.

Physical Requirements

Regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, hear, operate a computer, hand-held learning devices and other office equipment, reach with hands and arms, and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.