IDEA Public Schools Careers

VP of Alumni Success

Mission:

The Vice President of Alumni Success will lead IDEA’s national postsecondary strategy, shaping how one of the nation’s largest and most ambitious public charter school networks delivers on its commitment of College For All. This leader will advance college persistence, degree completion, partnerships, career success, and alumni engagement & impact on behalf of nearly 20,000 IDEA graduates today, scaling to more than 70,000 alumni by 2035. Through this work, the Vice President will design and execute the long-term vision that drives IDEA’s postsecondary outcomes, delivering on the organization’s north star of 60% bachelor’s degree attainment, expanded economic mobility, and empowered lives of choice for IDEA alumni.

In doing so, the Vice President will define what it means for a K–12 system to take responsibility not only for college access, but for college completion and economic mobility, at scale.

As the leader of IDEA’s postsecondary success strategy, this role will oversee and integrate the full ecosystem of college persistence, degree completion, college to career pathways, alumni engagement & impact, and strategic partnerships- spanning higher education institutions, employers, and external affairs- into a cohesive, data driven model that accelerates postsecondary success for all IDEA alumni.

Beyond internal leadership, the Vice President will serve as a thought partner and field leader in the broader movement to improve postsecondary outcomes for first-generation and low-income students. By building scalable systems, programming, and partnerships that support students through college completion and into the strong careers, this leader will help advance IDEA’s ambition to become the nation’s leading producer of college graduates while shaping how K–12 systems nationwide take responsibility for postsecondary success.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

The Vice President will directly manage three senior leaders, including three National Managing Directors and oversee a matrix-managed team of 6 National Directors, 12 Alumni Success Managers, and 5 Alumni Relationship Coordinators.

The VP and their team will serve as key partners to regional principals, vice presidents of schools, and executive directors, while also collaborating closely with the IDEA HQ National teams (e.g., Schools, Academics, Advancement, R&A, Finance, Communications, Talent). Through these partnerships, the VP will drive strong short-term execution while building the systems and infrastructure necessary to achieve IDEA’s long-term vision at scale.

Location:

This is a full-time position based in Texas, with preference given to candidates who live in Austin, El Paso, Houston, Permian Basin (Midland/Odessa), Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, and Tarrant County (Fort Worth), or who are willing to relocate.

Travel Expectations:    

Up to 25% of the time during the busiest parts of the year.

What You’ll Do – Accountabilities

Essential Duties:

• Set Strategic Vision & Direction: Define and execute the national vision for IDEA’s postsecondary success strategy, ensuring systems, partnerships, advising & coaching models drive college persistence, degree completion, and career outcomes for IDEA graduates at scale. Establish clear performance standards, accountability structures, and cross-functional processes that translate IDEA’s mission into measurable postsecondary success.
• Cultivate, Steward, & Drive Partnerships: Oversee national network of 100+ college, employer, and program partnerships, ensuring each partnership delivers measurable commitments, data-informed accountability reviews, and tangible outcomes aligned to IDEA’s postsecondary success goals.
• Accelerate College Persistence and Degree Completion: Design and execute strategies that advance sophomore persistence from 70% to 80% and increase bachelor’s degree attainment from 40% to 60%.
• Deliver Strong College-to-Career Outcomes: Ensure 80% of IDEA graduates transition into full-time employment or graduate education within six months of completing their bachelor’s degree.
• Drive Data, Accountability, and Performance Management: Establish clear performance metrics, dashboards, and review cycles that monitor persistence, degree completion, and career outcomes, ensuring IDEA’s alumni success strategy consistently delivers measurable results.
• Activate Alumni Engagement and Impact: Mobilize IDEA’s growing legacy alumni network—graduates seven or more years beyond high school—to expand career impact, strengthen economic mobility, and advance service, mentorship, and leadership in their communities and professions.
• Lead and Develop a High-Performing National Team: Build, coach, and manage a team of leaders responsible for alumni persistence, completion, career success, partnerships, and engagement, fostering a culture of radical accountability, ambitious goal attainment, and measurable results in service of IDEA’s postsecondary success mission.
• Shape the National Postsecondary Success Agenda: Elevate IDEA as a national leader in college completion, career attainment, and economic mobility by sharing insights, building cross-sector partnerships, and advancing scalable strategies that improve outcomes for first-generation and low-income students.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities:

·          Execute critical national operating mechanisms

·          Analyze data dashboards, share resources, and communicate progress across the organization

·          Develop and maintain the business partnerships that will help drive results to achieving goals across multiple national and regional teams

·          Manage a $1MM operating budget for the College Access, Persistence, and Completion Team

·          Additional Duties as assigned.

Knowledge and Skills – Competencies

·          Make Strategic Decisions: This team member uses data and trends to drive decisions that impact multiple teams, while anticipating risks and planning contingencies for key initiatives. They apply strategic frameworks to clarify challenges and guide coherent action, and they actively support others in strengthening their strategic thinking and decision-making capabilities.

·          Manage Work and Teams: This team member leads cross-functional coordination to align efforts with strategic goals, optimizing resource use and minimizing silos. They build accountability frameworks, monitor key performance indicators to guide adjustments, and mentor emerging leaders, while implementing scalable systems that enhance efficiency and team effectiveness.

·          Grow Self and Others: This team member identifies development needs across multiple groups and integrates them into broader strategic plans. They create structures that support ongoing growth, engage in succession planning, and continuously refine development strategies based on outcomes and data. Through this work, they foster a culture where continuous learning is a core part of daily work and leadership.

·          Build a Culture of Trust: This team member builds trust and drives positive engagement across multiple groups, as reflected in strong feedback and survey results. They proactively address concerns, model transparency and authenticity, and foster collaboration through open, honest communication and shared ownership.

·          Communicate Deliberately: This team member communicates a clear and compelling vision that aligns team efforts with organizational goals. They proactively identify and address communication gaps across workstreams, implementing solutions to enhance coordination, while anticipating and resolving stakeholder concerns before they surface.

Additional Skills:

·          Believes and is committed to our mission and being an agent of change: that all students are capable of getting to and through college

·          Has demonstrated effective outcomes and results, and wants to be held accountable for them

·          Has a propensity for action, willing to make mistakes by doing in order to learn and improve quickly

·          Works with urgency and purpose to drive student outcomes

·          Thrives in an entrepreneurial, high-growth environment; is comfortable with ambiguity and change

·          Seeks and responds well to feedback, which is shared often and freely across all levels of the organization

·          Works through silos and forges strong cross-departmental relationships in order to achieve outcomes

·          Holds self accountable to high levels of conduct, professionalism and behaviors as models for our colleagues and students.

Required Education and Experience:

·          Education: Bachelor’s degree required

·          Certifications:  None are required.

·          Experience: At least 7 years of full-time professional experience and at least 3 years of successful management experience required (leading others to a record of results while exhibiting strong organizational health and staff retention)

Preferred Education and Experience:

·          Education: Master’s degree preferred

·          Certifications:  None

·          Experience: At least 5 years of College Access experience preferred

Physical Requirements:

·          Ability to sit at a desk for prolonged amounts of time

·          Ability to lift up to 20 pounds at times

·          Ability to complete periodic travel required for meetings, observations, trainings, and conferences

·          Ability to communicate with others to exchange information

What We Offer:

Compensation & Benefits:

Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between $119,000 and $142,800, commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications and in alignment with internal equity. This role is also eligible for performance pay based on organizational performance and goal attainment.

Additionally, we offer medical, dental, and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, referral bonuses, professional development, and a 403(b) plan. You can find more information about our benefits at https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/benefits/.

* IDEA may offer a relocation stipend to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable.

Application process:

Submit your application online through Jobvite. Please note that applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Learn more about IDEA

At IDEA the Staff Experience Team uses our Core Values to promote human connection and a culture of integrity, respect, and belonging for all Team and Family members.  Learn more about our Commitment to Core Values here: https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/#core-values