Director, College & Career Access

KIPP • Houston, TX

8d • $80,000 - $90,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of College & Career Access is responsible for executing the KIPP Texas postsecondary access vision across a designated portfolio of high schools. This leader drives college matriculation results by coaching and developing school-based Directors of College & Career Counseling, advisors, and transition teams. Additionally, this role leads statewide and regional initiatives, including curriculum alignment, instructional coaching, and facilitating high-impact professional development for seminar teachers and advisors. The ultimate goal of this role is to increase overall college enrollment—with a sharp focus on 4-year university enrollment—while building strategic partnerships with school leaders, higher education institutions, and community organizations to secure vital resources for KIPP Texas students.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution required.
• 2+ years managing a team towards College Access outcomes
• Experience in high school college access programming and systems
• Experience in leading high-performance and diverse teams
• Experience and knowledge of high school access programming and systems
• Resilience, strong work ethic and outcomes oriented—demonstrated ability to balance competing priorities under stress and follow through, despite sometimes tight or back to back deadlines
• Previous experience in using data to drive decision making strongly
• Comfort with working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Strong interpersonal skills; Ability to work with a wide-range of people including teachers, parents, students, alumni, corporate partners, vendors and admissions personnel
• Ability to project plan, organize, and prioritize, with a collaborative spirit
• Fast learner with the ability to inquire and be open to feedback
• Proven written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree preferred.
• Professional development course on college and career readiness and success preferred
• Experience working with high school students (especially first-generation) and their families in the college counseling field, strongly preferred
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred, but not required

Responsibilities

• Lead a culture that recognizes data use as a tool for continuous improvement and decision-making across middle schools
• Drive the alignment of data systems, processes, and tools across all KIPP Forward programs statewide
• Establish consistent, timely data-sharing structures to empower teams with actionable insights
• Standardize compliance metrics and data entry protocols to maintain data integrity
• Make bold recommendations based on data and provide insights to KIPP Texas leaders on a recurring basis (e.g., weekly)
• Provide guidance and co-create strategies for the portfolio of schools, grounded in accountability and designed to increase student achievement and readiness for high school success
• Coach and develop college access and transition teams to effectively leverage, utilize, and maintain data systems, directly driving overall and 4-year college enrollment
• Provide Professional development opportunities including weekly office hours to ensure all KIPP Forward teams can effectively utilize data management systems
• Support leaders in effectively presenting data reports to teachers, families, and staff to build shared ownership and accountability for outcomes
• Engage statewide, regional, and school leaders in rigorous, data-driven dialogue to identify best practices, address gaps, and accelerate student outcomes
• Collaborate with schools translate high-level goals into specific actions that drive execution and improve student results
• Ensure collaborative reviews lead to clear operational adjustments and measurable growth across all regions
• Build and sustain strategic relationships with high school leaders, national organizations, higher education institutions, and community partners to secure critical resources for students.
• Work closely with the Strategy and DDL teams to ensure consistent and aligned statewide data sharing.
• Works closely with the KIPP Foundation on data collection and analysis, as well as troubleshooting challenges across the state

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 and disability insurance.

What This Job Offers

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