Director, Academic Governance and Compliance

KIPP • Dallas, TX

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Academic Governance and Compliance is responsible for ensuring that KIPP Texas remains in full alignment with all Texas Education Agency (TEA) academic mandates, state laws, federal policies, and charter school accreditation standards. This role serves as the primary architect for academic policy execution and institutional quality assurance, translating complex legislative and accreditation requirements into operational reality. By coordinating across the Academics division, this individual ensures that the organization is compliant, documented, and prepared for state audits and accreditation reviews.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 5+ years of experience in school system administration, state compliance, or TEA policy.
• Deep familiarity with the Texas Education Code (TEC) and Texas Administrative Code (TAC) is essential.
• Exceptional ability to read, interpret, and apply legal, regulatory, and accreditation language to school-based operations.
• Strong project management skills with a proven ability to coordinate large-scale projects across multiple departments.
• Ability to translate complex government jargon into simple, actionable steps for school-based staff.
• Unwavering integrity and a commitment to ensuring that compliance and accreditation serve as a foundation for student equity and excellence.
• Reliable transportation is needed for travel between campuses
• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress.
• Work with frequent interruptions.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s in Public Policy, Educational Leadership, or JD preferred.
• Direct experience with the Charter School Performance Framework (CSPF) or regional accreditation processes is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary internal expert on new and existing TEA policies and accreditation criteria, providing clear summaries and action plans for executive leadership.
• Lead the technical execution of state mandates and accreditation standards, ensuring that all regional and campus-level academic procedures meet or exceed Texas statutory requirements.
• Establish a rigorous internal monitoring system to track adherence to State Board of Education (SBOE) rules, federal ESSA guidelines, and Charter School Performance Frameworks.
• Lead the self-study and evidence-collection processes required for regional accreditation (e.g., Cognia) and TEA charter performance reviews.
• Manage the academic components of the charter contract renewal process, ensuring all performance exhibits and governance documents demonstrate high-quality academic standing.
• Conduct internal "mock" accreditation visits to campuses to ensure alignment with instructional and governance standards.
• Oversee the tracking and documentation of required tutoring hours for students who do not perform satisfactorily on STAAR/EOC exams, ensuring 100% compliance with state reporting.
• Coordinate the development and monitoring of high-school, college, career, and military readiness (CCMR) plans and early childhood literacy/math proficiency plans.
• Maintain "audit-ready" documentation for all House Bill requirements to ensure no loss of funding or accreditation status.
• Lead the annual creation, mid-year review, and end-of-year evaluation of Campus Improvement Plans (CIPs) for all KTX schools.
• Facilitate the Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) process at each campus to ensure improvement plans are data-driven and address specific student population gaps.
• Ensure all plans are uploaded and approved within the required state timelines and meet all Title I schoolwide program requirements.
• Design and lead the process for the selection and adoption of instructional materials, ensuring they meet the requirements of the Texas Resource Review and local community transparency standards.
• Stay ahead of TEA Proclamation cycles to ensure the organization is prepared for upcoming textbook and digital resource adoptions.
• Maintain and update the KIPP Texas Academic Policy Manual, ensuring all internal grading, promotion, and graduation policies are legally sound.
• Serve as the "connective tissue" between Academics, Data/PEIMS, Finance, and Legal to ensure that academic programming is accurately reflected in state reporting.
• Provide regular training to Academics leaders on Academic compliance benchmarks, accreditation evidence collection, and legislative updates.
• Lead other academic governance duties as assigned by the CAO, including state waiver applications and emergency policy shifts.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans with coverage options for employees and their families.
• Competitive vacation and flexible paid time off (PTO) policies.
• Paid family leave.
• Flexible spending account or high-yield HSA.
• Employee assistance programs.
• Legal plans
• LifeLock identity protection
• Life insurance
• Disability insurance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director