Vice President People

Company Description About the Organization KIPP Public Schools is a national network of tuition-free public charter schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to create the future they want for themselves, their communities, and all of us. We are a network of 279 schools, nearly 16,500 educators, and nearly 210,000 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 public charter schools across the country. The KIPP Foundation helps to develop outstanding educators to lead KIPP schools; provides tools and resources for excellent teaching and learning; promotes innovation; and facilitates the exchange of insights and ideas across KIPP and other public schools and organizations. About Our Values: Excellent Results for Students: We value results over effort and know that our work is not finished until all students thrive. We maintain high expectations for ourselves, our team, and our students. We drive outcomes by operating with agility, removing barriers, differentiating support, and prioritizing student-centered solutions—especially for those at the margins. Collective Impact: We are one team. We win together. We embody a one-team mindset by working collaboratively across teams, aligning goals, and leveraging the strengths of all teammates. We build trust-based relationships and ensure inclusive decision-making by engaging those closest to the work. We provide clarity through simple, repeatable systems and goals that enable transformational outcomes. Courageous Action: Our belief in what we can achieve is unwavering, fueling our optimism and commitment to overcoming any challenge. We demonstrate an unwavering belief in students' potential and a commitment to addressing systemic inequities. We approach challenges with resilience, a solutions-focused mindset, and adaptability. We foster a psychologically safe environment centered on trust and accountability where feedback is encouraged. We leverage data to reflect on progress, own setbacks, celebrate successes, and continuously improve to maximize impact. Job Description About the Position KIPP Foundation is at a defining moment—an opportunity to deepen our impact by building a talent system that enables every leader and staff member to thrive in service of students and communities. We are committed to setting a high bar for excellence, strengthening leadership capacity, and ensuring our talent systems are clear, consistent, and built to scale. The Vice President of People, reporting to the Senior Vice President of People Operations, will play a critical leadership role in bringing this vision to life. This leader will design and drive an integrated, insights-driven talent strategy that connects every part of the employee experience—from how we attract and onboard talent, to how we develop, engage, and retain our people. By aligning the full talent lifecycle including recruitment, performance management, employee engagement, Total Rewards, professional development, and offboarding, the Vice President will ensure that our systems not only support leaders but empower them to deliver meaningful results and thrive. At KIPP, we believe great outcomes are driven by great leaders operating within strong systems. In this role, you will ensure those systems are not only well-designed, but deeply embedded, building the capacity of leaders across the Foundation to lead effectively, develop their teams, and consistently meet a high bar for performance. This is an opportunity for a strategic and systems-oriented leader who is energized by complexity, driven by impact, and committed to building the conditions for people and organizations to do their best work. Responsibilities Talent Strategy & Organizational Alignment: - Set and drive the overall talent strategy and talent philosophy for the KIPP Foundation workforce, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities, culture, and long-term goals. - Partner with the SVP of People Operations and executive leadership to align talent strategy with organizational design, workforce planning, and operational priorities. - Ensure a coherent, integrated talent system across the Foundation, including recruitment, onboarding, HR operations, performance management, development, engagement, and offboarding. - Serve as a strategic advisor to leadership on organizational effectiveness, talent health, and workforce strategy, using data and insights to inform decision-making. Talent Systems & Organizational Effectiveness: - Oversee the design and effectiveness of the full talent lifecycle, ensuring systems and processes drive strong performance, development, and retention outcomes. - Set the vision for performance management and development systems, including goal setting, feedback cycles, and evaluation processes, in partnership with the Senior Director of Development & Growth. - Ensure effective HR operations and infrastructure, including recruitment, onboarding, Total Rewards, and compliance, in partnership with the Senior Director of People Operations. - Use workforce, engagement, and performance data to monitor organizational health, identify risks, and drive continuous improvement across talent systems. Employee Relations, Policy & Risk Management: - Establish the vision, policies, and standards for employee relations, including performance management, conflict resolution, and policy compliance. - Ensure consistent, fair, and compliant application of HR policies and practices across the organization. - Advise senior leaders on complex employee relations matters and organizational risk, ensuring alignment with legal and organizational standards. Leadership & Team Management: - Lead and develop the Talent function, setting the vision and strategic direction to ensure strong execution across both People Operations and Development & Growth. - Oversee and coach Senior Directors, ensuring clear ownership, alignment, and accountability across: People Operations (HR systems, recruitment, Total Rewards, and HR operations) and Development & Growth (goal setting, performance systems, manager development, and engagement). - Set enterprise-level priorities and allocate resources to ensure the Talent function is focused on the highest-impact work and positioned to deliver against organizational goals. - Drive alignment and integration across talent systems, ensuring a seamless and consistent employee experience across both sub-teams. - Foster a high-performing, outcomes-driven culture across the Talent team that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. - Build leadership capacity across the team by coaching senior leaders, strengthening decision-making, and ensuring clear expectations and performance standards. - Act as a visible culture leader and ambassador for KIPP, modeling organizational values and reinforcing a high bar for performance, equity, and impact across the Foundation. Organizational Talent Planning & Culture: - Partner with leadership to drive annual workforce planning, talent strategy, and culture priorities aligned to organizational goals. - Ensure alignment between talent strategy, employee experience, and organizational culture, reinforcing a high bar for performance and development. - Support the organization in building a strong, inclusive, and high-performing workforce aligned to KIPP’s mission and values. Qualifications Skills And Mindsets: - Mission and Student Focus: Demonstrates passion and commitment to KIPP's mission and possesses the desire and ability to uphold KIPP's Core Values (Focus on Excellent Results, Collective Impact, and Courageous Action).