Director, College Advancement (South)

KIPP Foundation; New York (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

KIPP Foundation is seeking a Director of College Advancement to lead regional college access strategies across the South regions. You will drive enrollment, persistence, and completion by coaching school leaders and implementing college readiness programs at scale.

You will oversee a portfolio of high schools, collaborate with KIPP network teams, and manage regional events and campaigns to improve college access. A strong track record in leadership and program management is essential.

Qualifications

• Demonstrates passion and commitment to KIPP’s mission and values.
• Ability to lead, coach, and develop regional directors and school leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and optimize College & Career Readiness across multiple regions and high schools.
• Coach Regional Directors and High School Directors to improve counseling practices and student outcomes.
• Monitor enrollment, matriculation, and college completion trends to identify gaps and opportunities.
• Develop and disseminate tools and guidance for college and career preparation at regional levels.
• Collaborate with network teams to align strategies across KIPP regions and schools.

Skills

Mission focus

Self-management

Job description

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.

Job Description

About The Position

The College Advancement and Partnerships team at the KIPP Foundation is charged with building a national vanguard of college access, persistence, and completion—uniting schools, regions, states, and partners to help ensure that more KIPPsters graduate from college than students in the nation’s top economic quartile. We provide students the developmental and differentiated supports necessary to apply, get in, matriculate, and enroll in college at scale. Where prudent, we also support students in adjacent, valuable pathways, empowering them with choice on the back end, because they got into college on the front end.

This team is seeking a Director of College Advancement to lead and support our South regions to become regional experts in college access, persistence, and completion strategies. The Director will drive year-over‑year increases in BA/BS enrollment, all pathways enrollment, and estimated college completion rates by leading and coaching both students and school-based leaders. This Director will oversee a portfolio of 2 regions, 15‑17 high schools, and approximately 1,500–1,800 seniors, as well as KIPP networkwide campaigns that drive college enrollment such as our fall college enrollment verification campaign. This position reports directly to Vice President of College Advancement.

Responsibilities

Regional College and Career Program Leadership

• Implement and continuously improve the performance of College and Career Readiness and Access across a portfolio of high schools and regions.
• Lead integration of college and career planning, including college and career exposure, applications and personal statements, or various postsecondary pathways.
• Ensure high-quality delivery of college and career seminars, supporting school teams to meet student outcomes in Match, Counseling, and Enrollment.

Coaching and Professional Development

• Coach and mentor Regional Directors and High School Directors to improve counseling practices, implementation of One KIPP Match Program Practices, and student outcomes.
• Provide targeted, data-informed feedback to schools and regions to support continuous improvement.
• Facilitate professional development for regional staff.

Student and Portfolio Outcomes

• Monitor regional data on enrollment, matriculation, and estimated college completion to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities.
• Drive improvements in senior outcomes, including best‑fit college placement, Early Decision participation, and successful enrollment to postsecondary pathways.
• Support differentiated interventions for regions, schools and students to ensure equity in access, persistence, and college completion.

Program and Resource Management

• Develop, maintain, and disseminate regional-, high school-, student-, and family-facing tools, resources, and guidance for effective college and career preparation.
• Lead or manage strategic initiatives that improve student engagement, application completion, and college readiness.
• Coordinate logistics, communications, and operations for regional events, professional development, and network convenings.

Cross-Team Collaboration and Strategy

• Partner with K-8 and high school teams to align regional college and career strategies with the broader KIPP network.
• Contribute to the refinement and evolution of the and implementation of College Advancement strategy across your region.
• Collaborate with network teams on strategic projects to enhance counseling, match, and college access initiatives.

Qualifications

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