About The Position
The Chief, Regional Impact is a new and critical role at the KIPP Foundation — one that sits at the heart of how we deliver excellence for students across every KIPP region, every day. This is a rare opportunity to shape the trajectory of an entire network of schools by ensuring the leaders closest to students and communities are operating at the highest level.
The Chief of Regional Impact reports to the Chief Schools Officer and is responsible for executing the One KIPP strategy across the network. The role has three mission-critical functions: (1) managing Regional Superintendents, who lead coordinated teams that deliver educational services to KIPP regions; (2) partnering with Regional Superintendents to support and hold regional Executive Directors accountable for delivering best-in-class academic and postsecondary outcomes; and (3) overseeing the national ED pipeline program to ensure a ready bench of leaders prepared to step into regional ED roles as openings arise. The CRI also supports a subset of regions with approved growth plans to add seats and open new schools, and maintains a dotted-line reporting relationship to the CEO on Executive Director performance, accountability, and regional board effectiveness.
At its core, this is an outcomes-accountable leadership role. The Chief of Regional Impact co-owns the academic and postsecondary performance of KIPP's regions and is responsible for delivering measurable results across the network. The CRI manages a team of four Regional Superintendents and drives results through them — setting a high bar, holding the line on performance, and ensuring the systems, supports, and consequences are in place for every region to deliver. The CRI also coaches and develops Regional Superintendents into stronger and more effective leaders. This person must be a clear thinker, a decisive operator, and a credible presence with senior internal and external stakeholders, including regional boards.
The Chief of Regional Impact reports directly to the Chief Schools Officer and works in close, ongoing partnership with the CSO to deeply understand and operationalize the vision of regional excellence across the network. This is a high-trust relationship — the Chief of Regional Impact must be able to take that vision and translate it faithfully into systems, expectations, and leadership development without needing to be managed at every step. Success in this role means the CSO's vision is alive and well in every region, every day.
Responsibilities
Regional Accountability and Support
Hold all KIPP regions accountable for achieving their goals on all anchor measures through the management of Regional Superintendents by insisting they set a high bar, hold the line on performance, and build the systems necessary for every region to deliver.
Design and implement the system by which we monitor results across anchor measures for all KIPP regions through a team of Regional Superintendents and intervene when performance falls short. This includes owning and managing escalations across academics, governance, and operations.
Envision and establish the strategy by which the KIPP Foundation supports regions to set priorities aligned with our One KIPP strategy across the functional areas of student outcomes, talent health, operational execution, and financial sustainability.
Identify cross-regional patterns and partner with content/program owners to scale effective practices and address systemic gaps in service of our shared goals.
Executive Leadership & Leader Accountability
In close partnership with the Chief Schools Officer, define the role that Executive Directors play in driving strong academic outcomes.
Lead Regional Superintendents to enact the accountability and support necessary in each region for EDs drive strong academic outcomes.
In alignment with other program leaders (KIPP Forward, Operations, Talent), define the role that the Executive Director plays in driving strong non-academic outcomes and set up Regional Superintendents to develop and support their portfolio of EDS to play that role with consistency across regions.
Oversee Executive Director performance management in partnership with Regional Superintendents and provide biannual updates to regional board chairs on each EDs’ progress toward goals – including strengths and opportunity, with particular emphasis on driving strong academic results.
Recommend talent decisions across the portfolio, including selection, development, and transitions of senior regional leaders.
Pod Leadership & Performance Management
Create a consistent model across all four Regional Superintendents to hold EDs accountable and coach them in the areas required to drive results. Support Regional Superintendents to apply this model consistent with regional context and scale.
Manage and develop a team of four Regional Superintendents, providing direct and candid feedback on how they are building systems of accountability, leading their teams, and delivering results across their portfolios.
Manage Regional Superintendents to design and drive a cross functional plan for each region that is aligned with our One KIPP Strategy.
Coach Regional Superintendents to effectiveness in their roles – with particular focus on their ability to hold the line of accountability, the quality of their leadership, their ability to develop EDs, and their execution across multiple streams of work in their regions in alignment with our programmatic strategies.
CEO Pipeline and Performance Management
Manage the development and execution of an ED pipeline program that systematically identifies high-potential candidates from across the network and prepares them to successfully lead a KIPP region.
Oversee ED performance management including recommendations about ED retention and support aligned with an ED vision of excellence and anchor metric results.
Partner with talent and program leaders to define the competencies, experiences, and development pathways that set future EDs up for success from day one.
Governance & Enterprise Influence
Manage Regional Superintendents to effectively partner with Chiefs and regional boards to resolve complex challenges and maintain alignment across the network.
Oversee our KIPP Network Growth strategy development and execution.
Serve as the primary point of escalation for all regions on non-academic matters — including finance, growth, and board governance — and exercise sound judgement when escalations require the attention of the Chief Schools Officer or CEO.