Administrator on Assignment (26 -27 SY)

Organizational Overview

By 2025, KIPP DC will build upon two decades of proven results to develop into a more impactful, innovative, and inclusive school system that provides joyful, identity-affirming learning experiences so that all students and alumni achieve extraordinary outcomes.

Our work is grounded in a commitment to excellence, equity, and justice. We believe all students have the right to rigorous, relevant, and joyful learning experiences led by exceptionally talented and diverse educators who promote student achievement and a sense of belonging. We believe students and teachers best succeed when surrounded by an ecosystem of supports, including our central headquarters team that supports KIPP DC’s 20 schools and 2 programs, 7,300 students, and 1,300 teachers, leaders, and staff members dedicated to this mission.

Administrator on Assignment Job Summary

The Administrator on Assignment’s job is to support an affirming and joyful culture for students, build strong relationships, collaborate and problem-solve with a variety of colleagues to best serve the academic and social-emotional needs of students, and serve as a member of a school’s leadership team when a vacancy or opening appears. The person in this position will demonstrate a relentless drive toward excellence and a commitment to ensuring that our teaching and learning puts students on a successful path to choice filled lives.  This person will serve on the leadership team of a single school or on various leadership teams, depending on needs across KIPP DC.  The type of school (early childhood, elementary, middle and high school) and specific role (grade level/content level supported) will be determined based on school need and candidate experience and expertise.  

This is an excellent opportunity for a flexible, adaptable and open-minded individual with previous school leadership experience who is interested in exploring opportunities and becoming familiar with KIPP DC.  Administrators on Assignment are an exempt role, and will report to the Chief of Schools for a specific grade band or the principal at the school where they are assigned. 

Note: Internal / Current KIPP DC school-based staff are not eligible to apply for this position.
We will launch the application process for KIPP DC leadership positions (Vice Principal, Principal in Residence) in Fall 2026 which internal staff are eligible to apply for.

Key Responsibilities

Vision & Goals

• Support development of School Leader’s school-wide vision and take an active role in motivating and inspiring staff to achieve the goals of the school and of the specific grade/department being supported
• Support SL in upholding excellence with systems that support vision
• Connect team/s' vision, goals and actions to KIPP DC's goal of becoming an anti-racist organization

Plan & Prioritize

• Collaborate with principal and leadership team in determining team priorities
• Prioritize and manage own time to deliver on short and long-term goals or priorities
• Support teachers in planning and prioritizing their time

School Culture

• Lead an affirming and joyful culture for students; monitor, follow in and refine PBIS systems
• Work with staff and families to build an inclusive school environment for special populations (i.e. students with IEPs, students with 504s, ELL students, new students, students with HCYP status, etc.)
• Plan for and predictably respond to student behavior that doesn't meet school culture expectations; follow up with teachers to coach and empower them to plan and respond more effectively next time
• Drive and prioritize the work of relationship building across school community members and parlay relationships into a positive learning culture

Instructional Leadership

• Communicate and invest teachers and staff in a clear, inclusive instructional vision for all students; follow through on all instructional commitments 
• Be a frequent, regular presence in all classrooms you coach and manage
• Support a culture where teachers are invested in and prepared for whole staff adult learning; work with Leadership Team to facilitate engaging, effective, relevant meetings
• Explain and describe grade level/subject's curriculum, pedagogical practices, standards, and assessments and how they connect to larger beliefs about teaching and learning

Talent

• Build trusting, strong relationships with teachers and school staff as the foundation for development and management work
• Develop, rely on, and refine systems that result in the effective coaching of all teachers
• Identify an academic gap across a grade level or department and develop and execute a plan that results in improved student experiences and outcomes
• Actively and regularly communicate with principal about progress, strengths, areas of growth, and potential trajectories of individual team members
• Collaborate with SL to run school based internal hiring processes for teacher leader positions where applicable
• Understand and practice fair and legal employment practices

Operations Management

• Support the leadership team in executing school operational systems such as arrival and dismissal, mealtimes and COVID-related operations including weekly testing, creating and supporting coverage plans so people can quarantine, reaching out to families, etc.  

Competencies

Student Focus: Builds strong relationships and holds high expectations for students, holds students’ best interests in mind, keeps owns commitments to students and makes sure others do the same and builds a culture of respect for all students

Results Driven:  Communicates that delivering excellent outcomes, in student experience and academics, is a guiding priority, sets challenging goals for self and others, takes initiative to go above and beyond to to achieve results, follows through on commitments, demonstrates resilience and flexibility 

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: Demonstrates strong judgment and data-based, timely decision-making, gathers information from multiple sources, sorts out complexity, anticipates problems, values and encourages creative and innovative ideas, thinks expansively and avoids either/or thinking

Self-Awareness: Demonstrates understanding of own identity, privilege and power, understands strengths and weaknesses and the impact on others’ perceptions, seeks feedback and self-development, proactively asks for and willingly accepts assistance from others in a variety of roles

Equitable Practices: Believes that equity is something that can constantly drive one’s approach, rather than a lens that can be used sometimes, defines and communicates beliefs around racial and educational equity and leans into conversations about this, creates an inclusive environment that promotes a genuine sense of belonging for school community members across lines of difference

Impact and Influence: Is as clear on the purpose of actions as action themselves; effectively and reliably communicates "the why" to many stakeholders, adapts leadership style to influence others, takes the lead when there's a need; demonstrates growth mindset and learns from mistakes when they inevitably happen

Empowering Others: Actively listen to other school community members; seeks to understand others’ views and needs, intentionally builds trust within and across teams of people to promote collaboration and opportunities for shared ownership, consistently demonstrates respect and appreciation for others by empathizing, valuing their time and contributions, and being available and responsive to their needs

Qualifications

KIPP DC is looking for Administrator on Assignment candidates who are committed to KIPP DC’s mission that all students can learn and achieve at high levels, have a strong teaching background, a commitment to creating identity-affirming learning experiences, and are looking to develop the leadership skills necessary to lead great schools. Specifically, candidates should have:

• Bachelor’s degree, required
• Minimum of four years lead teaching core subjects (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, Special Education) (Required)
• Minimum of at least one year of experience in a school leadership  position (Vice Principal, Dean, Instructional Coach, Principal, etc.)
• Demonstrated academic results 
• Demonstrated leadership experience 
• Demonstrated record of timeliness, good attendance, reliability and responsiveness
• Unquestioned integrity and commitment to KIPP DC’s mission and to advancing its anti-racist ambition through their work with staff, students, alumni, and families

Compensation & Benefits

• When it comes to compensation, at KIPP DC we strive for clarity, equity, and to be highly competitive. We look at compensation benchmarks in schools across DC. Please see the salary scale here. Deans can earn up to $5,000 in renewal add-ons to their base salary each year they return to KIPP DC.
• KIPP DC offers a robust benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurances; various voluntary benefits; and employer paid benefits such as short term disability, long term disability, life insurance, and a membership to One Medical.
• KIPP DC also offers a 403(b) retirement account with a 3% employer contribution and a 3% match with vesting after three years.
• You will have a paid Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, Spring Break, Summer Break, and an additional 12 paid holidays. You will have up to 3 personal days and 7 sick days for the 2026-27 school year. KIPP DC complies with all sick leave standards set by District of Columbia law.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

KIPP DC Public Schools does not discriminate against, or tolerate discrimination against, employees or applicants for employment on any legally-recognized basis or protected class including, but not limited to, actual or perceived race, color, national origin, immigration status (except as necessary to comply with federal, DC, state, or local law), religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity or expression), marital status (including domestic partnership status), genetic information, political affiliation, pregnancy, family responsibilities, personal appearance, veteran status, uniform service member status, status of being unemployed, status of victim a survivor of domestic violence, sexual offense or stalking, matriculation or any other protected class under federal, state, DC, or local law.

Click here or here to review KIPP DC’s non-discrimination policy and KIPP DC’s Title IX Coordinator’s contact information.

Please Note: If you encounter difficulties submitting your application or fail to receive a confirmation email after applying, kindly reach out to Danica Cunningham at danica.cunningham@kippdc.org. Please include your name, resume, and specify the role you are applying for in your email. We appreciate your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience caused.