Director of College

About KIPP Texas Public Schools

 KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 54 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 32,000 students across Austin, Dallas, 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 fair world.

Founded in Houston in 1994 and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, we are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. Join a Team and Family with an unwavering commitment to creating classrooms, offices, and communities rooted in belongingness, academic success and joy. If you are passionate about joining a mission and values-driven community who wants every child to want to run to school, the KIPP Texas Team and Family is for you

KIPP Public Schools is a national network of 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 278 schools with nearly 16,500 educators and 190,000 students and alumni.

The Director of College & Career Counseling is responsible for developing and managing a college and career counseling program and team that will ensure that every student deepens their knowledge about themselves and their top careers of highest aspiration, and builds and executes a strong plan that will allow them to make the best postsecondary choice. The Director of College & Career Counseling is responsible for building relationships with the school leadership team, national organizations and college/ universities that will lead to resources for students. It is the ultimate goal of the college & career counseling department, through guidance and education, to ensure that all graduates have the ability to maintain success in their academic, professional and personal lives. Finally, the Director of College Counseling is charged with keeping the college & career counseling program woven into all aspects of KIPP high school campus to ensure that the program does not work in isolation from the school's mission.

This role is an ideal opportunity for a highly motivated, collaborative, results-driven and service minded leader with a passion for supporting students in building and succeeding in their postsecondary plan for their career of highest aspiration. We are looking for a leader who can see the bigger picture, coach and develop our counselors and manage the day to day operations.

Duties and Essential Job Functions:

● Manage, Develop and Lead the College & Career Department at a KIPP HS

○ Coach and support the College & Career Instructors through curriculum assessment, classroom observation, as well as goal setting and progress monitoring

○ Support and facilitate college and career personal development for teachers and staff

○ Track student college and career data, monitor progress, and execute on strategic upgrades

○ Lead college and career programming and exposure

○ Develop effective processes to support College & Career Instructors in regards to students finalizing and executing on strong post-secondary plans, including but not limited to, postsecondary and financial aid applications, and registering for standardized tests in a classroom setting

○ Develop an inclusive, solution-focused and growth-mindset team culture

● Collaborate with the KIPP Forward team and other stakeholders to track and report data for support Postsecondary Access

○ Maintain consistent "Progress of Students" communication with key stakeholders including: KIPP Foundation, KIPP Forward team, School and regional leadership, along with students and families

○ Establish relationships and collaborate with external stakeholders (postsecondary institutions, career partners, scholarship organizations, etc.) to support students' success

○ Progress monitor all KIPP Forward postsecondary prep, application and matriculation goals

○ Manage and maintain consistent communication flow to key stakeholders, teammates and families (including recurring meetings with SPED team, Registrar/Dean of Academic Progress, Testing Coordinator etc.) to support students progress towards HS graduation and transition to their postsecondary plan

○ Responsibilities associated with this position may shift, expand and grow based on the regional needs of the organization

Required Education and Experience:

● Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year institution

Preferred Education and Experience:

● Master's degree preferred.

● Experience working with high school students and their families in the college counseling field, strongly preferred

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

● Experience in leading high-performance and diverse teams

● Resilience, strong work ethic and outcomes oriented—demonstrated ability to balance competing priorities under stress and follow through, despite sometimes tight or back to back deadlines

● Previous experience in using data to drive decision making strongly

● Comfort with working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

● Strong interpersonal skills; Ability to work with a wide-range of people including teachers, parents, students, alumni, corporate partners, vendors and admissions personnel

● Ability to project plan, organize, and prioritize, with a collaborative spirit

● Fast learner with the ability to inquire and be open to feedback

● Proven written and verbal communication skills

● Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred, but not required

Preferred Licensure/Certification/Specialized Training:

● Professional development course on college and career readiness and success, is essential

Physical Requirements:

● Remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods.

● Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a cell phone, copy machine and computer printer.

● Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another.

● Communicating with others to exchange information.

● Must be able to lift and carry or otherwise move up to 20 pounds occasionally.

Work Environment:

● Able to meet school schedule (i.e. 7:30am-4/5pm - depending on Professional Development days)

● Able to work evenings, holidays and weekends as necessary

Travel Requirements:

● Able to travel to other KIPP campuses for Professional Development, and chaperon students to college/university campuses and career site visits

● Able to travel for home visits with alumni and families as necessary

Compensation and Benefits

Salary is based on years of experience, degree of education, and level of expertise.

As a full-time KIPP Texas employee you are eligible to participate in all KIPP Texas' benefit plans. KIPP Texas offers a robust variety of benefits choices with competitive rates, including medical, dental, and vision options, life insurance,  fertility, and disability plans starting as low as $25/month.

Note: Some positions might be temporary and only available for the school year.

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