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 270 schools, nearly 10,000 educators, and more than 160,000 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 organizations.

Position Overview 

The KIPP Foundation seeks a Product Manager to play a critical role in the development and deployment of systems for the KIPP Foundation and network of schools. Technology solutions play a critical role in powering KIPP’s continued growth and equipping our network to better support our 120,000 students and over 40,000 alumni to pursue the paths they choose.  Technology also brings together our 10,000+ teammates nationwide, helping us work smarter, share ideas and resources, track performance and leverage data to make better decisions aligned with our mission.   

The Senior Manager, Product Management and Innovation is an exciting role that will support KIPP’s national data systems and applications.  They will identify, support and adapt Foundation-wide systems and tools and partner with KIPP regions to identify opportunities for network-wide technology support and infrastructure. Examples of recent products include our national knowledge management platform, KIPP alumni scholarships application system, microgrants administration and payout platform, and employee/ talent data system (with potential for more in the future). This role will oversee a wide variety of technology platforms as part of their product portfolio. The types of work will vary across the product design and development spectrum – from supporting teams to define problem statement and key needs for new concepts to maintenance and upkeep of current technology products and services.  

In addition to this work, they will partner with KIPP Foundation teams to apply and codify best practices in product management and vendor selection, ensuring the KIPP Foundation has a rigorous, user-centered process for identifying, testing and launching new technology products and innovations.   

The Senior Manager, Product Management and Innovation reports to the Senior Director, Technology and Technology Innovation. They are a member of the Information Technology team, working in close collaboration with teams across the foundation, including team-based product managers.  

Key Responsibilities and Duties 

Product Portfolio Management: Lead the success and ongoing iteration of the KIPP Foundation’s approach to the following technology products: knowledge management platforms, scholarships application system, microgrants administration and payout platform, and employee data system.  

• Define and conduct research with users and stakeholders to identify and refine user needs and suggest platform improvements  
• Define the product strategy and roadmap  
• Deliver user stories / requirements with prioritized features and corresponding justification  
• Work with external third parties to both assess potential “buy” decisions and manage contracts  
• Be an expert with respect to the products’ features and functions 
• Develop the core positioning and messaging for the products, including implementing and measuring marketing campaigns  
• Perform product demos and training for stakeholders and end users  
• Define and perform prototypes and testing to improve the product experience, processes, and systems  
•  Develop and manage a strategy for ongoing user support.  

Product Management Expertise: Partner with KIPP Foundation program and support teams, IT colleagues, and other product managers to provide ongoing product management expertise to ensure KIPP identifies and launches products that are aligned to critical business needs and user research.  

• Develop and maintain criteria for when and how the IT team provides product management support to teams.  
• Offer “flex support” to KIPP Foundation teams on high-priority projects, supporting problem statement generation, user feedback gathering and synthesis, vetting vendors and or technology platforms, or participating in pre-launch activities.  

Product Management Alignment: Drive the ongoing evolution of the Foundation’s approach to product management, creating consistency in the way that team's approach early-stage product management and vendor selection.  

• Leverage best-in-class approaches to product selection and management to develop guidelines and documentation that teams can leverage in early-stage product and vendor selection processes.  
• Support an organization-wide focus on user-centered product development and experimentation, leading professional development workshops or providing ongoing feedback into the team’s plans and ideas.  
• Define a strategy to regularly convene KIPP product leaders to align on best practices, problem solve shared challenges and maintain a high bar for implementation. 

Key Competencies 

• Exceptional strategic-thinking, creativity, and problem-solving ability in the face of ambiguity 
• Strong relationship management skills 
• Ability to motivate, inspire and educate Foundation and network audiences and staff  
• Strong work ethic and commitment to high standards of excellence coupled with an enthusiastic and passionate approach to one’s work  

Experience and Qualifications 

• 4-6 years of experience working in product management, vendor selection and/or user-centered design 
• Experience managing products and/or platforms, including setting and tracking usage goals, designing user support, and training and managing product roadmaps 
• Passion for user-centered design, with experience framing problems, conducting user research, defining concepts, and bringing concepts to market.  
• Experience with Agile Software Development  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills  
• Robust project management skills  
• A deep belief in every child’s ability to learn and succeed in college and in life  
• Ability to exemplify KIPP’s values: sense of purpose, results, respect, constant learning & humility, and diversity and inclusivity  
• A willingness and ability to travel (~20%)  

Location 

The KIPP Foundation has offices in Chicago, DC, San Francisco, and New York City, and this role can also be performed remotely. This is a full-time, exempt position. 

Compensation and Benefits 

KIPP offers competitive salary commensurate with experience. KIPP also offers a comprehensive benefits package, generous vacation and Paid Time Off, 401k retirement plan with both pre- and post-tax options, as well as gym reimbursement, flexible spending account (FSA), and cell phone reimbursement. 

KIPP is committed to equal treatment for all individuals. KIPP does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.