2025-2026 Founding High School Principal

POSITION OVERVIEW

About the Founding High School Principal Role:

The Founding Principal will serve as the driving force behind academic excellence and character development for students with a primary focus on instructional leadership and empowering educators to elevate their practice and improve student outcomes. This role is pivotal in shaping a sustainable and thriving school by developing future leaders and implementing systems to attract retain and develop highperforming staff.

As a founding leader this position requires an entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to building from the ground upleveraging best practices regionally and nationally to establish a model of excellence. The Founding Principal will play a key role in visible leadership fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture that engages students families and the broader Capital Region community.

Reporting to the MD of Schools the Founding Principal will have a strong network at the KIPP Capital Region and national level to support their work and efforts in building out the high school.

This is an exciting opportunity to redefine education in the region delivering exceptional results and ensuring seamless transitions for students from middle school to postsecondary pathways. The Founding Principal will shape and sustain a high school environment that embodies KIPP Capital Regions Core Values.

DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Instructional Leadership

• Develop and implement a comprehensive plan to address the academic emotional cultural and overall wellbeing of students staff and families ensuring holistic support.
• Responsible for collegereadiness academic outcomes of all students with a demonstrated track record of obtaining or improving academic outcomes including graduation rates GPA averages and SAT/ACT results.
• Build and enhance instructional expertise by leading professional development coaching instructional leaders and teachers and fostering collaboration to improve teaching practices and student outcomes.
• Support School Instructional team and utilize datadriven strategies to analyze student performance guide instructional adjustments diagnose issue and implement interventions to ensure progress toward mastery and highquality learning outcomes
• Oversee the development and alignment of a rigorous collegepreparatory curriculum that integrates academic and character goals to support student success including increasing
• Lead the development implementation and monitoring of operational and instructional systems ensuring they are efficient effective and adaptable to support student success and school goals. 

Vision and Culture Leadership

• Develop and communicate a compelling schoolwide vision aligned with the KIPP region setting ambitious goals that lead students on a path to and through college.
• Foster a positive and inclusive school culture by modeling high expectations for leaders teachers and students emphasizing professional growth constructive feedback and equitydriven practices.
• Build and sustain systems structures and relationships that create equitable and inclusive environments for students families and staff celebrating diverse backgrounds and facilitating courageous conversations.
• Establish and maintain traditions rituals and a joyful rigorous culture that embody the KIPP Capital Region mission vision and values ensuring consistency and growth year over year.

Leadership Development and Team Management

• Develop and manage a strong school leadership team including Assistant Principals Deans and instructional leaders to support teachers and drive student success.
• Build a sustainable pipeline of future school leaders by creating systems for ongoing professional growth development and leadership cultivation.
• Partner with Talent and HR to recruit hire and retain a diverse highperforming team while fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment.
• Coach and mentor staff to achieve performance excellence by setting clear expectations providing accountability and supporting professional growth.
• Foster a collaborative goaloriented team culture focused on achieving schoolwide excellence and timely addressing performance expectations.

Community and Stakeholder Engagement

• Cultivate and maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external business partners and stakeholders.
• Build and foster relationships with community leaders and organizations including maintaining a robust database of community organizations.
• Represent the district region or school in workgroups or projects as assigned.
• Communicate regularly with families about their childrens performance school policies trips and events.

Operations and Risk Management

• Oversee the management of the schools budget and financial resources ensuring daily fiscal responsibility by strategically allocating funds to support academic programs staffing and facility operations while maintaining accurate and transparent financial records.
• Monitor performance metrics qualitative feedback and data to inform strategy decisionmaking and accountability for achieving school objectives.
• Lead solutionfocused problemsolving for schoolwide issues while managing and mitigating risks effectively.
• Assure health and safety risks are identified controlled or resolved in partnership with appropriate resources.
• Collaborate with the Director of Operations to ensure consistency in academic and behavioral expectations across the school and to effectively lead the instructional and operational goals of the school

KIPP Capital Region

• Perform other duties as outlined by the Managing Director of Schools.
• Committed to furthering antiracism equity and racial justice in all our efforts and expect all our stakeholders to participate in this work so that we can create a future without limits for our students together.
• Complies with all charter federal state and local laws and regulations including the NYS Department of Education Department of Health and NYS Office of Children and Family Services
• Adheres to organization policies and procedures; promotes and supports mission vision and values including developing and participating in internal surveys and data collection for continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications :

Qualifications

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Strongly committed to the mission of KIPP and investment in our vision of being an equitable and antiracist organization
• Strong DEI lens with exceptional creative power in leading antiracist practices
• Passionate commitment to improve the minds characters and lives of students both in and out of school
• Team player with strong interpersonal skills. Demonstrated ability to influence crossfunctional teams in a rapidly changing environment.
• Demonstrates a growth mindset and a desire to continually improve through feedback
• Strong work ethic entrepreneurial spirit and flexibility to accommodate the high level of responsibility multiple priorities and rapidly changing environment. Thrives in a fastpaced teamoriented missiondriven culture
• Must be able to work a flexible schedule outside of regular business hours.
• Ability to create and work within an inclusive environment that honors and supports a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives.
• Please note: Infrequent travel to different KIPP Capital Region schools is required
• Pass a Criminal Background Check

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Bachelors degree from an accredited College or University is required.
• At least three (3) plus years of experience as a school principal preferably in the charter private or public school environment.
• At least ten (10) plus years in education preferably in the charter private or public school environment and with progressively increasing responsibilities required
• Demonstrated leadership experience at the secondary level including overseeing curriculum development staff management and student performance improvement with a focus on fostering a positive school culture and achieving measurable academic outcomes.
• Proven ability to influence crossfunctional teams in a rapidly changing environment and proven ability to foster collaborative environments supporting feedback and continuous improvement.   
• Proven track record of improving academic outcomes including increased graduation rates and GPA averages.
• Understanding of working directly with students in the charter private or public school environment ideally in urban communities is preferred but not required.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule outside of regular business hours.
• Established computer literacy including but not limited to MS Office Suite and other database systems. 
• Significantly strong project management skills and an ability to multitask effectively and prioritize work efforts
• Aptitude to create and work within an inclusive environment that honors and supports a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives.
• Excellent relationship builder with proven experience managing diverse stakeholders leading change mobilizing others and creating champions to support an organizational mission.
• Proven ability to manage resources (people financial equipment) effectively to support the organizations short and long term goals and uses financial information to make sound decisions.
• Demonstrated proficiency in leading through change executing major initiatives and leading crossdepartmental work.
• Track record of consistent and strong decision making organizational and communication skills including attention to detail oral and written communication skills and listening and training skills.

Additional Information :

WORK PERKS
When you join KIPP Capital Region you are joining in on our promise to families that their children will enter college and the professional world able to thrive academically due to their literacy numeracy and core knowledge in science and social studies. We also promise that our students will develop a passion for learning and the drive necessary to persevere as they climb the mountain to and through college and career. Our graduates will be prepared to return to their community as teachers leaders and architects of continued growth in the Capital Region. And while the biggest perk to working at KIPP Capital Region is doing work that makes a lifelong difference in the lives of our students youll find thats not the only benefit we offer:

• Flexible working arrangement
• Generous timeoff 
• Industryleading medical dental and vision coverage
• Aggressive employer 403(b) contribution match
• Childcare benefits
• Unparalleled work/life integration
• Casual dress code
• Relocation stipend (conditions apply)
• And so much more! For more information on the benefits of joining KIPP Capital Region please view our Employee Benefits Summary.

Learn More: KIPP Capital Region offers a competitive salary ranging from $120000 $132000/year.

Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience relevant to the role and longevity within the KIPP network. KIPP Capital Region will evaluate and determine the step/level a new hire will be placed within our grade salary scale at point of hire.

All staff and educators at KIPP Capital Region are committed to antiracism and inclusion are part of a closeknit diverse community and are encouraged to show up authentically inspiring our children to do the same. Learn more about what its like to work at KIPP Capital Region: kippcapital.org/joinourteam/ 

This role is located at KIPP Capital Region schools in Albany NY.