Director of Growth Planning

Job Description

Job Description : \n\nCompany Description About KIPP TEAM and Family KIPP TEAM & Family is our network office that includes support teams - such as Leadership Development, Recruitment, Advocacy, Facilities, Finance, HR and more - dedicated to empowering our schools and ensuring the success of KIPP students throughout New Jersey and Miami. Our schools are part of the nationally recognized “Knowledge Is Power Program” network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students for success in college and in life. The first KIPP New Jersey school opened in Newark in 2002 and since then our school network has expanded to educate 8,684 students in grades K-12. By 2027, KIPP New Jersey will provide a world-class education to over 10,300 students across Newark and Camden. To learn more, visit www.kippnj.org. In 2018, we grew our KIPP community in response to a need for high-quality school options for students in Greater Miami’s Urban Core communities. That led to the creation of KIPP Miami, which currently educates more than 1,200 students in 2 schools, with plans to reach 5,800 students by 2026. By offering highly effective educators with strong bonds to families, more time in school learning, services that support a variety of student needs, and a culture focused on achievement, our students in New Jersey and Miami are on the path to and through college, career, and choice-filled lives.Job Description About This Role KIPP Team & Family is on a path to serve over 24,000 students across 40+ schools in New Jersey and Florida by 2033. Getting there requires more than ambition—it requires exceptional planning, coordination, and execution across dozens of moving pieces : real estate acquisition, financial modeling, talent recruitment, academic program design, operations setup, and community engagement. We’re looking for a strategic planner and project management leader who can bring rigor, clarity, and coordination to our growth efforts. You’ll be the person who ensures that when we commit to opening a new school or expanding to a new region, we do it with excellence—that timelines are realistic, dependencies are clear, teams are aligned, and leadership has the information they need to make smart decisions. This isn’t about managing growth strategy (that lives with senior leadership) or doing the frontline work (that happens within functional teams). This is about being the orchestrator : the person who sees across all the workstreams, identifies what needs to happen when, produces the analysis and documentation that drives decisions, and keeps complex, multi-year projects on track. If you’re energized by bringing order to complexity, translating strategy into executable plans, and enabling teams to do their best work through clarity and coordination, this role is for you. Who You’ll Work With You’ll report to the Chief Growth & Advancement Officer, who oversees Development, Advocacy, and Growth across both New Jersey and Florida. You won’t have direct reports, but you’ll work closely with leaders across every department : Real Estate, Finance, Operations, Talent, Academics, Marketing & Communications, and Development. Your success depends on building strong relationships across these teams—becoming a trusted partner who helps them plan better, see around corners, and coordinate their work with others. You’ll also work closely with the Co-President and present to the Board of Directors when growth decisions require their input and approval. What Success Looks Like In Year One, you will : Establish yourself as the go-to person for growth planning coordination across the organizationBuild trust and working relationships with leaders in every functional area involved in growthDevelop planning templates, timelines, and processes that bring clarity and consistency to how we approach new launchesProduce high-quality strategic documents (market analyses, launch plans, board presentations) that enable confident decision-makingSuccessfully coordinate planning for at least one major growth initiative from pre-launch through openingIdentify and help resolve bottlenecks, dependencies, and misalignments before they become crises In Year Two and beyond, you will : Own the planning process for multiple concurrent growth projects across different stages (exploration, pre-launch, launch, stabilization)Continuously refine and improve our growth planning practices based on lessons learnedBecome an institutional expert on what it takes to launch with excellence in our contextEnable faster, smoother launches as our processes and shared understanding matureHelp leadership make increasingly sophisticated decisions about where, when, and how to grow What You’ll Do Manage Growth Project Planning from Pre-Diligence to LaunchDevelop and maintain comprehensive project plans for each growth initiative, from initial exploration through successful launch and stabilizationIdentify all critical workstreams (real estate, fundraising, finance, operations, talent, academics) and the dependencies between themWork with functional leaders to establish realistic timelines, milestones, and deliverables for their areas of responsibilityCreate clear visibility into project status, risks, and blockers through dashboards, status reports, and regular check-insProactively identify gaps, misalignments, and potential issues before they derail timelinesBuild strong frontline relationships with team members across departments to understand their work and coordinate effectivelyEscalate issues to the CGAO and Co-President when cross-functional conflicts or resource constraints require senior leadership interventionFacilitate planning meetings and working sessions that drive alignment and progressEnsure lessons learned from each launch inform planning for future growth Draft Key Documents for Decision-Making and External EngagementProduce market analyses and viability assessments that synthesize demographic data, competitive landscape, regulatory environment, and strategic fitCreate launch plans and readiness documents that clearly articulate what needs to happen, by when, and by whomDevelop board presentations and decision memos that frame choices, present options, and recommend paths forwardDraft materials for donor conversations, government partners, and community stakeholders that tell a compelling, data-informed story about our growthTranslate complex, multi-workstream plans into clear executive summaries that enable quick understanding and decision-makingMaintain living documents that track assumptions, decisions, and changes throughout the lifecycle of each growth projectEnsure all documentation is high-quality, accurate, well-organized, and accessible to relevant stakeholders Conduct Pre-Diligence on Emerging MarketsCollaborate with the Finance Team to build and revise financial models to help drive growth planning.Lead exploratory research on potential new markets to assess whether KIPP should pursue growth in specific geographiesAnalyze demographic data, educational outcome reports, enrollment trends, and competitive landscape using tools like ESRI, Census data, and state / local education dataInvestigate regulatory and policy environments to understand charter authorization processes, funding structures, and operational requirementsIdentify key questions that need answers before making a go / no-go decisionConduct stakeholder interviews and site visits to gather on-the-ground intelligenceSynthesize findings into clear, actionable recommendations about market viability and strategic fitPresent pre-diligence findings to leadership and facilitate decision-making conversations about which markets to pursue Drive Continuous Improvement in Growth PlanningDocument processes, templates, and best practices so institutional knowledge doesn’t live only in people’s headsIdentify patterns across growth projects—what consistently works well and what consistently causes problemsRecommend process improvements and organizational changes that would enable smoother, faster, better launchesBuild tools and resources that make planning more efficient and effective (templates, checklists, data dashboards, etc.)Help the organization get better at estimating timelines, costs, and resource requirements based on historical performanceFoster a culture of learning and improvement within the growth functionQualifications Who You Are Required Experience and Qualifications5-7+ years of professional experience in strategic planning, program management, project management, or related roles managing complex, multi-stakeholder initiativesProven track record of successfully coordinating work across multiple teams or departments toward shared goalsStrong analytical and research skills : You can gather data from multiple sources, identify patterns and insights, and translate analysis into clear recommendationsExceptional writing and communication skills : You produce documents that are clear, well-structured, and tailored to different audiences (board members, donors, internal teams, government partners)Project management expertise : You know how to build realistic plans, track progress, identify risks, and keep complex projects on trackRelationship-building ability : You can build trust and credibility with people across different functions and levels, even without formal authorityComfort with data and tools : Experience with demographic analysis tools (Census data, ESRI mapping, etc.), project management software, financial modeling basics, and presentation toolsBachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in business, public policy, urban planning, education, or related field preferred Preferred ExperienceCharter school or education organization growth / expansion experience : You’ve been part of opening new schools or expanding education organizations and understand the unique complexities of this workExperience managing large-scale organizational growth or expansion projects in nonprofit or for-profit contexts (multi-site rollouts, market expansion, new product launches, etc.)Real estate or facilities planning experience, particularly in education or public sector contextsExperience working in fast-growing, entrepreneurial organizations where you had to build processes and bring structure to ambiguityKnowledge of New Jersey and / or Florida education policy, charter school regulations, and funding structures The Right Fit Will HaveSystems thinking : You naturally see how pieces connect, anticipate downstream effects, and identify dependencies others missA bias toward clarity : You’re bothered by ambiguity and feel compelled to bring structure, documentation, and shared understanding to complex situationsStrong facilitation skills : You can run meetings that actually move work forward and help groups reach alignmentIntellectual curiosity : You ask great questions, dig into details, and genuinely want to understand how things workAdaptability : You’re comfortable with changing priorities and can manage multiple projects at different stages simultaneouslyOwnership mentality : When you take on a project, you see it through—you don’t wait for someone else to solve problemsCollaborative approach : You accomplish things through and with others, not by force of authorityCommitment to excellence : “Good enough” doesn’t satisfy you—you want to help the organization do this work exceptionally wellMission alignment : You’re motivated by KIPP’s work to expand educational opportunity and believe that growth done well creates transformative opportunities for students and families What You Should Know This role requires : Significant collaboration across the organization—you’ll interact with virtually every department and need to be effective across different working styles and prioritiesFlexibility in how you spend your time—some weeks are deep analytical work, others are facilitating meetings and coordinating teams, others are writing board presentationsComfort with both strategic and tactical work—you’ll move between high-level planning and detailed execution trackingTravel to visit potential new markets, attend site visits, and participate in stakeholder meetings across New Jersey and Florida (approximately 15-25%)Occasional evening or weekend work during critical launch phases or when board meetings require preparation We’re committed to : Giving you access to leaders across the organization and ensuring your work informs real decisionsSupporting your professional development and learning about growth in the charter school sectorBuilding this function thoughtfully—you’re helping establish how KIPP does growth planning, not just executing someone else’s processCelebrating what goes well and learning from what doesn’t without blameAdditional Information Compensation & Benefits KIPP Team & Family offers a market-competitive salary range of $135,000-$150,000. Salary ranges at KIPP are set based upon the role level and function using benchmarks in the education and non-profit sector and allow for growth within the role. Individual compensation within this range will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to : relevant professional experience and qualifications; education, skills and training; and market conditions. In addition to a competitive salary, we a generous benefits package including, but not limited to, the following : Robust benefits that include medical, dental, and vision Optional participation in the KIPP NJ 403b retirement plan, including matching contributionsA school-issued laptopTransportation benefits for TEAMmates commuting into Newark from the New York City areaGenerous Time-Off including 3.5-4 school vacation weeks (depending on the year), allocated sick and personal days, and an extended summer break Up to 12 weeks 100% parental leave for primary caregiversEmployer paid life insuranceExtensive optional ancillary benefits including, short term and long term disability and accident and hospital indemnity Our organization is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender, age, religion, national origin, citizen status, marital status, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Our organization will make a reasonable accommodation to known physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant or employee with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the organization. No questions on this application are asked for any unlawful purpose. #LI-NJ