Director of Growth Planning

Director of Growth PlanningKIPP Team & Family is on a path to serve over 24,000 students across 40+ schools in New Jersey and Florida by 2033. Getting there requires more than ambitionit requires exceptional planning, coordination, and execution across dozens of moving pieces: real estate acquisition, financial modeling, talent recruitment, academic program design, operations setup, and community engagement.We're looking for a strategic planner and project management leader who can bring rigor, clarity, and coordination to our growth efforts. You'll be the person who ensures that when we commit to opening a new school or expanding to a new region, we do it with excellencethat timelines are realistic, dependencies are clear, teams are aligned, and leadership has the information they need to make smart decisions.This isn't about managing growth strategy (that lives with senior leadership) or doing the frontline work (that happens within functional teams). This is about being the orchestrator: the person who sees across all the workstreams, identifies what needs to happen when, produces the analysis and documentation that drives decisions, and keeps complex, multi-year projects on track.If you're energized by bringing order to complexity, translating strategy into executable plans, and enabling teams to do their best work through clarity and coordination, this role is for you.You'll report to the Chief Growth & Advancement Officer, who oversees Development, Advocacy, and Growth across both New Jersey and Florida. You won't have direct reports, but you'll work closely with leaders across every department: Real Estate, Finance, Operations, Talent, Academics, Marketing & Communications, and Development.Your success depends on building strong relationships across these teamsbecoming a trusted partner who helps them plan better, see around corners, and coordinate their work with others. You'll also work closely with the Co-President and present to the Board of Directors when growth decisions require their input and approval.In Year One, you will:Establish yourself as the go-to person for growth planning coordination across the organizationBuild trust and working relationships with leaders in every functional area involved in growthDevelop planning templates, timelines, and processes that bring clarity and consistency to how we approach new launchesProduce high-quality strategic documents (market analyses, launch plans, board presentations) that enable confident decision-makingSuccessfully coordinate planning for at least one major growth initiative from pre-launch through openingIdentify and help resolve bottlenecks, dependencies, and misalignments before they become crisesIn Year Two and beyond, you will:Own the planning process for multiple concurrent growth projects across different stages (exploration, pre-launch, launch, stabilization)Continuously refine and improve our growth planning practices based on lessons learnedBecome an institutional expert on what it takes to launch with excellence in our contextEnable faster, smoother launches as our processes and shared understanding matureHelp leadership make increasingly sophisticated decisions about where, when, and how to growManage Growth Project Planning from Pre-Diligence to Launch:Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans for each growth initiative, from initial exploration through successful launch and stabilizationIdentify all critical workstreams (real estate, fundraising, finance, operations, talent, academics) and the dependencies between themWork with functional leaders to establish realistic timelines, milestones, and deliverables for their areas of responsibilityCreate clear visibility into project status, risks, and blockers through dashboards, status reports, and regular check-insProactively identify gaps, misalignments, and potential issues before they derail timelinesBuild strong frontline relationships with team members across departments to understand their work and coordinate effectivelyEscalate issues to the CGAO and Co-President when cross-functional conflicts or resource constraints require senior leadership interventionFacilitate planning meetings and working sessions that drive alignment and progressEnsure lessons learned from each launch inform planning for future growthDraft Key Documents for Decision-Making and External Engagement:Produce market analyses and viability assessments that synthesize demographic data, competitive landscape, regulatory environment, and strategic fitCreate launch plans and readiness documents that clearly articulate what needs to happen, by when, and by whomDevelop board presentations and decision memos that frame choices, present options, and recommend paths forwardDraft materials for donor conversations, government partners, and community stakeholders that tell a compelling, data-informed story about our growthTranslate complex, multi-workstream plans into clear executive summaries that enable quick understanding and decision-makingMaintain living documents that track assumptions, decisions, and changes throughout the lifecycle of each growth projectEnsure all documentation is high-quality, accurate, well-organized, and accessible to relevant stakeholdersConduct Pre-Diligence on Emerging Markets:Collaborate with the Finance Team to build and revise financial models to help drive growth planning.Lead exploratory research on potential new markets to assess whether KIPP should pursue growth in specific geographiesAnalyze demographic data, educational outcome reports, enrollment trends, and competitive landscape using tools like ESRI, Census data, and state/local education dataInvestigate regulatory and policy environments to understand charter authorization processes, funding structures, and operational requirementsIdentify key questions that need answers before making a go/no-go decisionConduct stakeholder interviews and site visits to gather on-the-ground intelligenceSynthesize findings into clear, actionable recommendations about market viability and strategic fitPresent pre-diligence findings to leadership and facilitate decision-making conversations about which markets to pursueDrive Continuous Improvement in Growth Planning:Document processes, templates, and best practices so institutional knowledge doesn't live only in people's headsIdentify patterns across growth projectswhat consistently works well and what consistently causes problemsRecommend process improvements and organizational changes that would enable smoother, faster, better launchesBuild tools and resources that make planning more efficient and effective (templates, checklists, data dashboards, etc.)Help the organization get better at estimating timelines, costs, and resource requirements based on historical performanceFoster a culture of learning and improvement within the growth functionRequired Experience and Qualifications:5-7+ years of professional experience in strategic planning, program management, project management, or related roles managing complex, multi-stakeholder initiativesProven track record of successfully coordinating work across multiple teams or departments toward shared goalsStrong analytical and research skills: You can gather data from multiple sources, identify patterns and insights, and translate analysis into clear recommendationsExceptional writing and communication skills: You produce documents that are clear, well-structured, and tailored to different audiences (board members, donors, internal teams, government partners)Project management expertise: You know how to build realistic plans, track progress, identify risks, and keep complex projects on trackRelationship-building ability: You can build trust and credibility with people across different functions and levels, even without formal authorityComfort with data and tools: Experience with demographic analysis tools (Census data, ESRI mapping, etc.), project management software, financial modeling basics, and presentation toolsBachelor's degree required; Master's degree in business, public policy, urban planning, education, or related field preferredPreferred Experience:Charter school or education organization growth/expansion experience: You've been part of opening new schools or expanding education organizations and understand the unique complexities of this workExperience managing large-scale organizational growth or expansion projects in nonprofit or for-profit contexts (multi-site rollouts, market expansion, new product launches, etc.)Real estate or facilities planning experience, particularly in education or public sector contextsExperience working in fast-growing, entrepreneurial organizations where you had to build processes and bring structure to ambiguity