Chief External Impact Officer

Chief External Impact Officer

KIPP Northern California seeks a bold, strategic, and outcomes-driven leader to serve as its Chief External Impact Officer. The Chief External Impact Officer (CEIO) is responsible for building relationships across a wide group of stakeholders to advance KIPP's goals and influence, securing the resources and partnerships necessary to advance our mission and strategy, mobilizing a winning advocacy and policy agenda, and ensuring aligned, impactful internal and external communications. This role sits at the center of KIPP NorCal's most important external priorities while also strengthening the internal systems that enable the CEO and executive team to operate with clarity, alignment, and impact. The CEIO leads three departments: Communications & Executive Affairs, Development; and Policy, Advocacy & Community Engagement. As a key member of the executive team, this leader will have broad visibility, significant influence, and play a key role in shaping organizational strategy and priorities, with direct accountability for our 2030 goals. They will partner closely with the CEO to assess and strengthen core enabling functions, including communications and executive affairs, positioning the organization to execute effectively in an increasingly complex environment. A master relationship-builder who can carefully steward KIPP NorCal's external reputation, the ideal candidate is an accomplished communicator who integrates a deep understanding of the education reform, charter and policy landscape with a passion for KIPP. This role is ideal for a senior leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, influence, and execution and can navigate high-stakes external environments while building the internal structures that enable organizational excellence.

Core Responsibilities

• Shape organizational strategy alongside the senior leadership team, ensuring KIPP NorCal's external reputation, community relationships, and resource development are aligned to support mission impact, organizational health, and long-term success.
• Frame critical decisions, risks, and tradeoffs for the CEO and Board to enable clear, high-quality decision-making.
• Serve as the organization's primary steward of reputational and external risk, maintaining active oversight of media exposure, charter authorization vulnerabilities, donor concentration risk, and board governance gaps that could affect KIPP NorCal's standing, sustainability, or ability to grow.
• Champion a strong, consistent, motivating organizational identity and voice, ensuring internal and external audiences have a high-trust, coherent understanding of KIPP NorCal's mission, values, and direction.

KIPP NorCal Brand, Communications and Organizational Voice

• Define and steward KIPP NorCal's organizational narrative, brand, and communications strategy across internal and external audiences, ensuring KIPP NorCal speaks with a consistent, high-impact voice across every audience and channel.
• Ensure high-quality coherent messaging and lead coordinated communications during critical or sensitive moments, strengthening reputation, stakeholder trust, and CEO effectiveness.
• Oversee CEO-facing communications and the Regional Support Office's (RSO) organizational rhythm, including all-staff cadence, leadership events, and culture practices, so staff feel connected to the mission and to each other.
• Determine KIPP NorCal's public positions in partnership with the CEO, lead media relations, and serve as the organization's spokesperson as needed.

Executive Affairs and CEO Office Effectiveness

• Ensure the ownership, structures and roles are in place that enable effective CEO leadership, board governance, and executive team alignment; with coordinated execution across external affairs, communications, and executive leadership.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with board members, ensure board governance systems are executed with a high degree of quality and fidelity, and that board engagement is strong.
• Leverage meeting structures to translate organizational strategy into clear direction, progress monitoring, and decision-making; and to equip key stakeholders with the information they need to collaborate and execute effectively.
• Serve as a trusted thought partner to the CEO, ensuring clarity on priorities, visibility with key stakeholders, strengthening decision-making processes, and supporting effective navigation of complex organizational and external dynamics

Fundraising and Resource Development

• Oversee the execution of the organization's multi-year fundraising strategy, including accountability for raising at least $8.5M annually.
• Maintain a portfolio of major individual and institutional donors; develop strategy and lead cultivation and solicitation of six- and seven-figure gifts.
• Ensure Development and Communications operate as an integrated function, producing brand-aligned collateral, a compelling case for support, and a cohesive donor experience from first contact through stewardship.

Policy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement

• Set the organization's advocacy and policy agenda; mobilize parent and community stakeholders in support, and build the authentic community relationships that sustain organizational trust and influence.
• Own KIPP NorCal's highest-stakes relationships with elected officials, authorizers, and community stakeholders.
• Lead charter renewal strategy and high-stakes negotiations that protect the organization's charters, per-pupil revenue and KIPP NorCal's ability to grow to 9,000+ students.

Team Leadership and Organizational Capacity

• Lead, coach, and develop senior leaders across external affairs to ensure strong execution and accountability.
• Build a shared team identity and foster strong cross-functional collaboration and coordinated execution to ensure clarity, consistency, and follow-through.
• Build and evolve team structures and capabilities to meet the organization's current and future needs.

First Year Priorities

• Establish credibility and trust with key internal and external stakeholders, including senior leaders, board members, major funders, and priority external partners
• Define and begin executing a clear external impact strategy, including aligning priorities across policy, advocacy, community engagement, development, and communications; strengthening coordination across functions; and ensuring strong ownership and execution
• Ensure strong execution and risk mitigation across a set of high-stakes external priorities, including charter renewals across multiple districts, facilities negotiations, and navigating complex policy, political and district dynamics
• Assess and strengthen communications and brand strategy, including clarifying organizational narrative, elevating brand presence, and ensuring high-impact messaging across channels
• Oversee the development of aligned collateral, messaging and progress monitoring related to the organization's new 2030 vision and goals
• Stabilize and ensure continuity of critical functions —including governance, CEO support, and external engagement—during a period of leadership transition

KIPP Leadership Competencies

These competencies describe the core leadership behaviors expected at this level – they guide how we hire, develop, and grow our people at KIPP NorCal.

• Lead Self: You create organizational conditions for reflection, growth, and renewal. You set the equity vision and hold yourself accountable for equity outcomes across the organization. You shape KIPP NorCal's position in the field and advance the sector.
• Lead People: You lead with integrity across the organization, set the organizational culture, and ensure shared clarity on vision, goals, and how teams work together. You shape the org-wide talent strategy and are accountable for senior talent decisions.
• Lead Results: You set strategic direction and make the organization's most consequential resource decisions. You are accountable for organizational results and long-term sustainability. You manage up to the CEO and Board proactively, framing the narrative and positioning strategic asks effectively.

Knowledge & Skills

Required Qualifications

Experience - 10+ years of professional experience in external affairs, strategic communications, fund development, or advocacy, including 5+ years of people management and 2+ years in a senior leadership roleDemonstrated experience navigating complex political and policy environmentsKnowledge of the California charter school landscape and national / local education reform landscapeExperience managing high-stakes relationships with diverse stakeholders, including public officials, funders, and community leadersTrack record of building or transforming teams, functions, or organizational systems

Education - Bachelor's degree required

Knowledge/skills - Unwavering commitment to our mission, vision, and values of courage, compassion, equity, and excellenceStrong strategic and operational leader with the ability to translate vision into clear priorities, systems, and measurable outcomesExceptional communication and influence skills, with the ability to shape narratives and drive alignment across senior stakeholdersDemonstrated ability to design and strengthen organizational structures, processes, and decision-making systemsSound judgment and discretion in navigating complex political, organizational, and community dynamicsAbility to lead through ambiguity and spearhead complex change management initiativesEnterprise mindset with the ability to operate across functions and lead at the organizational levelSkilled negotiator with experience representing an organization in complex external and political settings

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in communications, public policy, nonprofit management, or a related field
• TK-12, nonprofit, or mission-driven organizational experience
• Experience leading external affairs, policy