Director, College Partnerships (West)

About The Position

The KIPP Foundation is investing heavily in resources and strategies to increase the number of KIPP alum who graduate from college. To that end were 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 youll: 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. Youre 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.

Youll 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.

Responsibilities

1. Build and Manage a Portfolio of Partnerships

a. Identify cultivate and formalize university partnerships 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. Develop negotiate and finalize MOUs stewarding the development of clear commitments and measurable symbiotic goals that fuel our path to our 2030 vision

c. Ensure we and partnerships maintain our MOUs fulfilling agreements as outlined and revising commitments as needed to align with evolving context outcomes and needs

2. Internal Collaboration and Regional Support

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

b. Exchange work & best practices with other Directors of College Partnerships fueling cohesion ability to reach ambitious goals and stronger collective performance

3. Knowledge Management

a. Strengthen our institutional memory of strategies plans wins and challenges with college partners

b. Support the codification of our best practices

4. Strategic Planning

a. Contribute to the development of our College Partnerships strategy including the determination of partnerships criteria baseline MOU structure goals benchmarks and accountability structures.

Skills and Mindsets

Core Mindsets:

• Strong Alignment to our Mission and Student Focus: Demonstrates passion for and commitment to KIPPs mission and core values.
• Exceptional Self Awareness: 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 owners mindset by taking ownership of successes and failure.
• Commitment to Continuous Learning: 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.

Core Skills:

• Partnership and Alliance Building: Can generate enthusiasm Investment and commitments with internal and external stakeholders to advance KIPPs mission 
• Stellar Compelling Written & Oral Communication: 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. 
• Effective Collaboration: 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. 
• Self-Management to Achieve Ambitious Goals: 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. 
• Strong Problem Solving: 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.

Qualifications :

Experience and Qualifications
 Experience working with and supporting students navigating economic barriers and/or first-generation college students preferred
7 or more years building & managing a portfolio of partnerships preferably with colleges/universities or charter schools across a multi-state territory
At least 2 years building and maintaining MOUs or institutional agreements
Demonstrated experience using data to identify trends inform decisions and drive outcomes
Strong record of success setting and reaching ambitious goals
Record of success working cross-functionally with a diverse array of stakeholders to implement initiatives and reach goals
Bachelors Degree required

Additional Information :

Work Conditions 

• Extensive Travel: 30-50% (65-110 days per year)

• Some evening or weekend work (ex: evening events/functions; weekend conferences) occasionally required

• Full-Time Exempt

Location 

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

Compensation and Benefits 

In compliance with local law we are disclosing the compensation or a range thereof for roles in locations where legally required. Actual salaries will vary based on several factors including but not limited to external market data internal equity and relevant experience. The salary range for this position is $124800 - $150000. In addition KIPP Foundation provides a variety of benefits to employees including: 

• 25 holidays for  18 days additional flexible PTO days (flexible PTO increases to 23 days for years 3 and 4 and to 28 days for years 5). 

• 100% paid parental leave 

• 100% coverage of the premium for employee and 75% for employee familys medical/dental/vision plans. 

• Wellness benefits such as fitness reimbursements discounted tickets to theme parks/attractions backup care support for children and adults/elders and our employee assistance program 

• Finance Security benefits include such as a 401K retirement plan with 4% match employer-sponsored legal plans life/disability insurance and flexible spending accounts 

Remote Work :

Yes

Employment Type :

Full-time