Vice President, People Operations

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 Operations, 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)  

• 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.