Company Description

KIPP Public Schools is a national network of 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 280 schools, nearly 15,000 educators, and more than 175,000 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 schools across the country. The KIPP Foundation trains and develops outstanding educators to lead KIPP public schools; provides tools, resources and training for excellent teaching and learning; promotes innovation; and facilitates the exchange of insights and ideas across KIPP and other public schools and organization.

Job Description

About The Position

Student information systems represent a foundational part of school operations and data management to support student learning. As part of KIPP Foundation’s Regional Data Support Team, the Senior Manager, Data & Analytics Solutions (Student Information Systems) will help strengthen the reliability and quality of student data across the KIPP network’s student data, working to support putting actionable, student data in the hands of KIPP practitioners and leaders. This position will report to the Director of Data & Analytics Solutions.

Working collaboratively with teammates on the D&A, IT, Network Growth, HS, and KIPP Forward teams, the Senior Manager will:

• Ensure KIPP regions have access to high-quality tools, resources, training, and professional development opportunities that build regional capacity and improve fidelity of core regional data systems

implementations.

• Manage internal projects that improve efficiency and quality of collecting KIPP network student data at scale.

Responsibilities

• Lead network training, product support, and resource development to strengthen the fidelity of student information systems (SIS) implementation in KIPP regions (50%)

• Become an expert user in student information systems (SIS) used in the KIPP network (e.g. PowerSchool, Infinite Campus) and connecting platforms commonly used in student recruitment and rostering (e.g. SchoolMint, Clever).
• Serve as a subject matter expert about critical processes managed in the SIS, such as: master schedules, school start-up, gradebook set-up, report cards and transcripts, attendance, and state compliance reporting.
• Monitor the data systems landscape within and outside of KIPP and track updates and enhancements to common products in order to inform regional strategy and product adoption plans.
• Ensure network data staff receive timely training and technical support to drive student information system best practices, with a focus on ensuring reliable, high-quality access to core student data:

• Product Implementation

• In partnership with vendors and teammates, support systems rostering, platform management, and resolution of data quality issues.
• Provide hands-on support to regions on higher-complexity SIS change management: SIS mergers, new SIS implementations.

• Administration

• Develop and share resources that support SIS administration operations.

• Advise on permissions, user management, and data security best practices.

• Data Access

• Provide guidance on how to access data within the SIS and troubleshoot integration of sources within local data systems or reporting tools (e.g. Clever, SchoolMint).

• Reporting Solutions

• Recommend best in-platform reporting options for stakeholders.

• Develop and centralize reference materials and other resources to support ongoing regional training and professional development.
• Facilitate network collaboration to spur innovation, increase our collective knowledge base, and work on solutions to shared challenges.
  

• Implement student information system (SIS) process improvements and auditing procedures to ensure quality of high-stakes student records (25%)

• Support regions in operationalizing policy in core data systems aligned to system best practices, with a specific focus on: master schedules, academic operations (transcripts, gradebooks, GPA, course selection, progress monitoring on-track to graduation), attendance.
• Conduct GPA and transcript auditing processes in partnership with regions to ensure senior transcripts are accurate and progress towards graduation can be monitored over time.

• Collaborate with the HS and Network Growth teams, providing policy input as needed related to regional compliance requirements and SIS best practices.
• Research, identify, and potentially support the implementation of solutions from third-party vendors or consultants.
  

• Support national student data collection efforts (15%)

• Work with regional contacts to triage data quality issues and implement process improvements.
• Support the creation of materials and webinars to train network users in high-quality data collection and submission methods.
  

• Support day-to-day team activities, including but not limited to (10%):

• Fulfilment of data requests, including grant submissions, secondary research, and ad-hoc data sharing.
• Documentation of projects and workflows.
• Quality assurance, data verification, and copy-editing activities.
• Planning activities, retreats, and cross-team work as needed.

Qualifications

Competencies & Skills

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Effectively weighs the relevant factors of a situation or problem and draws logical conclusions; can analyze the pros and cons of a solution and the risk in a given solution; assesses the strengths and weaknesses of arguments to judge the merits and/or validity of a case and the actions to take; navigates ways around a wide range of guidelines and can be an agile, equitable, and effective interpreter of guidelines.
• Technical Fluency: Demonstrates the ability to define high priority questions about the use and application of data and design quality technical solutions; excels at processing, analyzing, and synthesizing quantitative data, generating actionable insights and opportunities; prioritizes a focus on data quality and possesses a willingness to be in the weeds in order to gain deeper understanding of the data; leverages data to inform continuous improvement and monitor progress; possesses the ability to translate findings into accessible and visually appealing formats that clearly portray a compelling and relevant narrative for the audience.
• Relationship Building and Stakeholder Management: Possesses a high level of self-awareness and cultivates strong, collaborative relationships at all levels; excellent communication skills with an aptitude for translating complex information into a clear and persuasive narrative; convinces others by identifying benefits for all; encourages team to seek and share diverse perspectives to inform decision making and planning; strong customer-service orientation, with deep value placed on the end-user experience.

• Process & Project Management: Scales learning curve quickly and is comfortable with ambiguity; has a strong track record of managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders; demonstrates the ability to effectively prioritize across multiple short and long term projects; demonstrates disciplined, independent and innovative thinking with a track record of translating strategy into priorities and project plans; continually applies strong attention to detail to the execution of all projects, and constantly looks for ways to improve.
• Mission & Student Focus: Passion for education equity and KIPP’s mission and values
• Cultural Competence & Commitment to Equity: A proactive cultural leader and team player who thrives on collaboration and learning; can effectively collaborate with teammates across lines of difference.

Experience and Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years of experience leading data management in PowerSchool SIS
• Minimum of 5 years of experience leading data and technology implementations
• Familiarity with relational database structures
• Experience with adult learning and training methodologies and frameworks
• Excellent attention to detail and experience monitoring and improving data quality

• Experience and comfort with ambiguity in a fast-moving environment
• Intermediate expertise with spreadsheets (Excel, Google) required

Additional Information

Work Conditions

• Travel requirements: May include up to 15% travel

• Full Time

Location

It is preferred, but not mandatory for this role to be based out of a KIPP Foundation office. This role also offers the option of working from a remote office full-time. KIPP Foundation office is in NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington DC.

Compensation and Benefits.

The salary range for this position is [$100,000-$118,000], commensurate with experience.

Our comprehensive benefits package include:

• 20 holidays + 18 days additional flexible PTO days (flexible PTO increases to 23 days for year 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/attraction, back-up 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, and life/disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts