Director, College Partnerships (West)

The KIPP Foundation is investing heavily in resources and strategies to increase the number of KIPP alum who graduate from college. To that end, we’re hiring several new Directors of College Partnerships to identify, cultivate, and formalize college/university partnerships that position KIPP alum to enroll and persist in colleges compatible for their aspirations and needs. Our incoming Director of College Partnerships – West will oversee this work in our Western portfolio, which comprises KIPP regions in California and Colorado + college/universities in those areas and several surrounding states. We will consider you our primary point person and expert on college partnerships across the Western terrain. In this role, you’ll: identify and cultivate university partnerships; negotiate and formalize MOUs that capture partnership agreements, and; collaborate with our national College Advancement and regional KIPP Forward teams to ensure partnerships are leveraged and aligned to students’ needs. This is an excellent opportunity for a mission-aligned individual who enjoys building and leveraging relationships to achieve ambitious goals. Our ideal hire will have excellent communication and enjoy leveraging them to inform and invest others in our vision and efforts. You’re someone who is comfortable working autonomously while also being invested – and skilled - in collaboration that will maximize collective opportunities and performance. You have the organizational, project management, and portfolio management skills to structure fast-paced work across a broad geographic portfolio and matrixed organization. You are invested in data-informed decision making and have the skill required to track and analyze data, at the portfolio level, that helps you make strategic partnerships decisions. You’ll report to our VP of College Partnerships and sit, alongside a suite of Directors of College Partnerships, on our broader College Advancement and Partnerships team.

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that increase college enrollment and completion for KIPP students & alum. This will require a blend of: fortifying existing partnerships, reactivating dormant partnerships, and building entirely new partnerships with national universities, regional institutions, HBCUs, and HSIs. b.

stewarding the development of clear commitments and measurable, symbiotic goals that fuel our path to our 2030 vision c.

fulfilling agreements as outlined and revising commitments as needed to align with evolving context, outcomes, and needs

a. Partner with our national College Advancement Team and regional KIPP Forward teams to integrate partnerships into student advising and match strategies b.

, fueling cohesion, ability to reach ambitious goals, and stronger collective performance

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of strategies, plans, wins, and challenges with college partners b.

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including the determination of partnerships criteria, baseline MOU structure, goals, benchmarks, and accountability structures.

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Demonstrates passion for, and commitment to, KIPP ’s mission and core values. •

Practices self-awareness at work, understanding that it is foundational to leading self, leading people, and leading results; uses reflection, self-understanding, and feedback to grow, and persist through challenges, and as a result, are cognizant of the impact of their behavior on others, and intentional about the decision to adjust or not adjust their behaviors. Displays an owner’s mindset by taking ownership of successes and failure. •

Engages in the work of personal development at working, knowing that personal development is ongoing and vital to their personal and professional success; hold themselves accountable to evolving, growing, learning and unlearning in ways that improve results for students, adults, and the larger community.

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: Can generate enthusiasm, Investment and commitments, with internal and external stakeholders, to advance KIPP 's mission •

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. •

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. •

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. •

: Addresses the root of problems and removes obstacles from work. Shows initiative in generating and recommending ideas and solutions within their own workstreams. Anticipates risks and develops proactive solutions that support their team.

Remote, with strong, but not required, preference to live in one of the states in our Western portfolio (currently California + Colorado; subject to modification).

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.

: 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

: 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. Originally posted on Himalayas