Company Description

About the Organization 

KIPP Public Schools 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.

Our mission: 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. 

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

The KIPP Foundation 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. 

About Our Values: 

Excellent Results for Students: 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. 

Collective Impact: 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. 

Courageous Action: 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. 

Job Description

About The Position 

The Senior Director of Communications leads the strategy and execution of KIPP Foundation’s communications across internal and external audiences. This role oversees earned media, executive communications, issues management, and internal communications—ensuring clarity, consistency, and impact in how KIPP shows up nationwide. 

The Senior Director partners closely with the Office of the CEO, senior leadership, and regional teams to align messaging, elevate strategic priorities, and strengthen KIPP’s brand and reputation. 

This role manages one direct report and serves as a core member of the Marketing and Communications team, reporting to the VP of Marketing and Communications. 

Responsibilities 

The Senior Director of Communications is part of a larger, integrated team-wide marketing and communication team and owns the full communications ecosystem—including earned media, executive communications, issues management, and internal communications 

External and Executive Communications 

• Design, lead, and execute a national earned media strategy that aligns with KIPP’s annual storytelling arc and organizational priorities —delivering high-profile national and local TV, print, and digital placements. 

• Provide strategic counsel to senior leadership (in Office of the CEO, Development, and One KIPP Priority Program Leads) to shape executive communications and secure high-impact speaking engagements and media placements. 

• Strengthen regional alignment by cultivating deep partnerships with regional communications leads and coordinating network-wide efforts to elevate local stories and reinforce national messages. 

• Oversee sourcing, refine, and elevate regional stories that demonstrate progress on One KIPP priorities for use in campaigns, announcements, speeches, newsletters, and social media. 

• Develop external communications plans to announce new KIPP Foundation initiatives and partnerships, including publishing press releases and regional press release templates  

• Partner with Digital Marketing colleagues to amplify earned media, executive, and editorial content across channels, including paid media, social media, website, and email 

• Serve as an on-the-record spokesperson for the KIPP network  

• Monitor and shape KIPP’s media reputation, analyzing coverage trends, identifying risks and opportunities, and advising leadership and regional teams accordingly. 

• Provide regular media training, coaching and talking points to KIPP Foundation leadership, KIPP network leadership, and regional communications leads  

• Grow and maintain media lists for proactive pitching as well as a validators list of teachers, alumni, and families 

Network and Internal Communications 

• Lead a cohesive internal communications strategy that keeps regional and Foundation leaders informed, aligned, and connected to KIPP’s priorities. 

• Partner across KIPP Foundation to shape and deliver clear, consistent messaging to regional and Foundation audiences—ensuring alignment between what we say internally and externally. 

• Develop and manage core internal channels and moments, including leadership communications, network-wide announcements, and key organizational updates. 

Crisis Communications 

• Lead the design and implementation of KIPP’s crisis communications protocol, engaging Foundation and regional stakeholders to ensure clarity, alignment, and rapid execution. 

• Build regional capacity by training communications leads on how to tailor and operationalize the crisis protocol locally.  Leverage the protocol to publish statements in response to current events across communications channels (email, social media, website, blog) 

• Safeguard KIPP’s reputation by providing expert counsel and hands-on support to regions navigating sensitive issues—driving toward balanced, accurate, and neutral/positive media coverage.  

• Anticipate reputational risks and proactively advise leadership on mitigation strategies and network-wide readiness. 

Team Leadership 

•  Manage and develop one direct report, setting clear goals and priorities aligned to team outcomes. 

•  Build systems and workflows that enable strong execution across communications functions. 

• Foster a high-performing, collaborative team culture grounded in accountability and continuous improvement. 

Qualifications

Skills and Mindsets 

• Mission and Student Focus - Demonstrates passion and commitment to KIPP’s mission and possesses the desire and ability to uphold KIPP’s Core Values (Focus on Excellent Results, Collective Impact, and Courageous Action) 

• Work Management - Sets a clear vision for new or complex bodies of work. Develops and implements agile project plans, navigating difficult situations or conflicts while maintaining effective relationships with all stakeholders; creates and ensures systems are in place for knowledge management. 

• Self Management - 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. 

• Data-Driven Actions & Decisions - Efficiently defines the right metrics to evaluate work and ensures critical team actions, decisions, and recommendations are driven by data; effectively works with team to resolve issues around data to ensure sound data-informed decisions. 

• Communication & Change Management - Effectively articulates case for change through clear and compelling presentations and translates this into actional plans.  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.  Acts as a champion for change with cross-team stakeholders.   

• 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. Possesses excellent communication skills with aptitude for translating complex information into a clear and persuasive narratives that convince others by identifying benefits for all. 

• People Management & Development - Effective at differentiating approaches to develop and coach teammates. Skilled in managing performance and development goals by providing timely and actionable feedback. Strategically distributes work based on skill and capacity between self and teammates to ensure the work outcomes of the collective team. Able to build a culture of accountability and productive discourse to help teammates achieve at the highest level. 

Experience and Qualifications 

• Minimum of 8-10 years of relevant experience in marketing and communications, ideally leading Media Relations in a large-scale public service organization (e.g. a national or regional networked organization).  

• Access to productive media contacts at national, regional, trade and Black and Latino media outlets that can drive an organization’s evolving reputational strategy 

• Experience working as a reporter or journalist a plus 

• Demonstrated experience supporting C-Suite level leaders with timely decision making on communications   

• Demonstrated experience collaborating with stakeholders in a demanding environment, using a combination of analysis and inner-personal skills to drive both proactive and reactive communications initiatives and campaigns.  

• Bachelors or equivalent experience required, Masters or equivalent experience desirable  

Additional Information

Work Conditions 

• Travel: Moderate Travel: 20% travel is expected to staff media opportunities, attend networking events and trade conferences, and support Marketing and Communications professional development events  

• Full, exempt role 

• Evening/weekend work is expected as needed for rapid responses/crisis communications.  

Location 

It is preferred, but not mandatory for this role to be based out of a KIPP Foundation office. This role has the option of working from a remote office full-time. KIPP Foundation offices are in NYC and Chicago. 

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 $156,000 - $188,500. 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 + family’s 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 

KIPP Foundation embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of the students and communities with whom we work and the world that’s around them. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, mental or physical disability, and genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, military status, protected veteran status or any other category protected by law.