Chief Talent Officer

• Department: Regional Support and Leadership

About KIPP Texas Public Schools

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 57 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 34,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission 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.

Founded in Houston in 1994, and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in our classrooms, in our offices, and in the communities we serve is unwavering. We are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. Join our Team and Family and champion equity, chase excellence, persist with purpose, bring joy, and help us rise together.

KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students and approximately three times higher than the average of students from low-income communities.

About the Role

The CTO will play a pivotal role in supporting KIPP Texas’s ambitious goals outlined in the Committed to Excellence strategic plan. By ensuring our talent strategy directly contributes to elevating student performance and fostering innovation, the CTO will help scale our impact across all regions, ensuring every school is fully equipped to achieve its academic objectives. The CTO will also focus on building a high-performing, engaged workforce to support the organization's growth to serve 100,000 students by 2030.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

1. Strategic Talent Leadership
   1. Align talent strategy with the goals outlined in the Committed to Excellence plan, focusing on academic excellence, fully enrolled schools, and innovative schooling practices.
   2. Drive talent strategies that support the Transformation Schools initiative, ensuring high-quality educators and leaders are in place to uplift historically underperforming schools and sustain KIPP Texas’s expansion.
   3. Collaborate with the Executive Team to align talent strategies with organizational goals, ensuring talent initiatives are consistent with KIPP Texas’s mission and values.
   4. Innovate and implement best practices in talent management, leveraging data and industry trends to shape an agile, impactful Talent function.
2. Talent Acquisition & Retention
   1. Collaborate with school leaders to support fully enrolled schools, ensuring talent acquisition strategies align with regional enrollment targets.
   2. Focus on building and retaining talent that can execute KIPP Texas’s priorities, particularly in academic excellence and innovation, to meet the organization’s ambition to one day educate 100,000 students.
   3. Drive a culture of ownership around talent retention, implementing programs that enhance employee engagement, satisfaction, and career development.
   4. Foster partnerships with external organizations and networks to support recruitment efforts, particularly for high-impact roles in education and administration.
3. Talent Development & Performance Management
   1. Develop talent development initiatives that support KIPP Texas’s goal of creating transformational leadership and instructional excellence, a key pillar of the strategic plan.
   2. Focus on ensuring educators and staff are trained to execute innovative schooling initiatives, such as leveraging technology in the classroom to enhance student learning outcomes.
   3. Create performance management systems that drive alignment with the organizational goals of raising academic standards, improving STAAR performance, and increasing college readiness.
   4. Provide guidance and support to managers on handling performance issues, fostering professional development and effective employee-management relationships.
4. Employee Engagement
   1. Build a culture that aligns with the Committed to Excellence plan’s focus on academic achievement, student well-being, and community impact.
   2. Implement engagement strategies that support teachers and staff in achieving high levels of performance in a rapidly growing and evolving educational landscape.
   3. Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on issues related to talent, culture, employee relations, and organizational effectiveness.
   4. Develop and execute strategies to foster a positive work environment that reflects KIPP Texas’s core values, enhancing employee satisfaction and retention.
   5. Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and employees, providing guidance on conflict resolution, workplace disputes, and employee grievances.
   6. Lead organization-wide efforts to gather employee feedback (e.g., through surveys, focus groups), using insights to improve workplace culture and employee relations.
   7. Ensure all employee relations processes comply with applicable labor laws and handle investigations related to workplace issues, grievances, or misconduct with confidentiality and fairness.
5. Operational Excellence
   1. Ensure the Talent function operates efficiently to support the achievement of KIPP Texas’s strategic priorities, including academic excellence and fully enrolled schools.
   2. Manage the Talent budget, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively to support strategic priorities and drive measurable outcomes.
   3. Leverage data and analytics to align talent operations with the success metrics outlined in the multi-year plan, such as staff retention, student achievement metrics, and operational sustainability.
6. Human Resources (HR) Policy Development & Administration
   1. Establish comprehensive HR policies that align with KIPP Texas’s mission, vision, and values, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local labor laws.
   2. Regularly assess and update HR policies to reflect changes in labor laws, organizational goals, and best practices in the education sector.
   3. Ensure clear communication and understanding of HR policies among employees and managers by leading training sessions and creating accessible resources.
   4. Oversee adherence to all HR policies and procedures, ensuring consistent application across all KIPP Texas regions and schools.
   5. Implement and manage efficient HR administrative processes, including records management, employee documentation, and HR technology systems (e.g., HRIS).
   6. Design, implement, and continuously refine a competitive compensation strategy that attracts and retains top talent across KIPP Texas, considering budget constraints and market benchmarks.
   7. Oversee the administration of employee benefits programs, including health and wellness plans, retirement programs, and other non-monetary perks, ensuring alignment with employee needs and industry standards.
   8. Ensure equity in pay practices across the organization, conducting regular audits and analyses to address any disparities or imbalances.
   9. Develop and manage employee recognition programs and incentive plans to celebrate achievements and drive employee engagement and satisfaction.
   10. Lead communication efforts to ensure employees fully understand their total rewards package, fostering transparency and clarity around compensation and benefits offerings.

Qualifications and Competencies

1. Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or a related field preferred.
2. Minimum of 10 years of experience in strategic talent executive leadership, including experience building and leading high-impact talent teams and departments.
3. Minimum of 5 years experience in organizational leadership with a focus on sustaining overall organizational health.
4. Proven track record of driving innovation in talent strategy and execution, ideally in a mission-driven, multi-site organization.
5. Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust, influence, and inspire at all levels of the organization.
6. Expertise in talent acquisition, performance management, employee engagement, and organizational culture development.
7. Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with experience building programs that promote an inclusive work environment.
8. Data-driven mindset with strong analytical skills and the ability to use insights to drive decision-making.

What We Bring to the Table

The starting point for the salary range for this position is $245,000 and is commensurate upon experience and internal-equity.

Competitive vacation and flexible paid time off (PTO) policies.

Paid family leave.

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans with varying coverage for employees and their families, inclusive of virtual physician visits. High deductible health plan with HSA also offered.

Employee assistance programs.

Participates in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS).

457 Roth retirement plan option with KIPP matching contribution up to $1,200 a year. 403b plans also supported.

KIPP also offers the following employee-paid benefits: legal plans, LifeLock identity protection, life insurance and disability insurance.

Flexible spending account or high-yield HSA.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

The person in this position needs to be able to move about inside and outside the school throughout the workday.

The candidate is expected to attend conferences, meetings and training sessions both virtually and in person within the region.

Hybrid; 3 days working from a SSP Office (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, or Austin) and 2 days working from a home office.

Typical office environment with frequent interruptions.

KIPP provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.