VP of College Success (Immediate Opening)

DescriptionVP of College SuccessMissionThe Vice President of College Success will lead IDEA’s national college access strategy, defining how the organization delivers on its commitment of College For All. Ensuring every student is prepared to enroll in and succeed through a best-fit postsecondary pathway.This leader is responsible for building the systems, programming, and capacity that ensure students graduate academically prepared, identity-grounded, and equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in college. In doing so, the Vice President advances the front end of IDEA’s postsecondary continuum, laying the foundation for long-term persistence, degree attainment, and economic mobility.As the leader of college access, this role will oversee and integrate academic readiness, college knowledge, college-going identity, and access execution into a cohesive, data-driven model. This includes strengthening academic rigor, ensuring high-quality advising and matriculation, and building the capacity of school-based and regional teams to deliver strong, consistent outcomes.The Vice President will also serve as a strategic partner across IDEA’s postsecondary ecosystem, aligning closely with Alumni Success and other teams to ensure a seamless path from high school through college completion. Through strong systems, clear accountability, and continuous improvement, this leader ensures IDEA students are not only accepted to college, but fully prepared to persist and graduate.Supervisory ResponsibilitiesThe Vice President will directly manage two senior leaders, including two National Managing Directors and oversee a matrix-managed team of 6 National Directors, 8 Regional Directors, 60 Directors of College Counseling, 85 College Counselors, and 100+ college access teachersThe 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 remote 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 ExpectationsUp to 25% of the time during the busiest parts of the year.Essential DutiesWhat You’ll Do – AccountabilitiesSet Strategic Vision & Direction: Define and execute the national vision for IDEA’s college access strategy, ensuring systems, academic readiness, advising, and matriculation models prepare all students to enroll in and succeed through a best-fit postsecondary pathway. Establish clear performance standards, accountability structures, and cross-functional processes that translate IDEA’s mission into measurable college access outcomes. Drive College Readiness & Matriculation Outcomes: Design and execute strategies that strengthen academic preparedness, increase college knowledge, and ensure students successfully matriculate to best-fit institutions, laying the foundation for long-term persistence and degree attainment. Ensure Strong Advising & Student Experience: Oversee the development and implementation of high-quality college advising and student-facing supports, ensuring all students are equipped with the knowledge, tools, and guidance needed to navigate the path from high school to college enrollment. Build and Align Cross-Functional Systems: Partner across academic, regional, and national teams to ensure alignment between instruction, advising, and postsecondary goals, strengthening the coherence and effectiveness of IDEA’s college access model. Drive Data, Accountability, and Performance Management: Establish clear performance metrics, dashboards, and review cycles that monitor college readiness, application, and matriculation outcomes, ensuring consistent progress toward ambitious goals. Shape the National College Access Agenda: Position IDEA as a leader in college access by advancing scalable strategies that improve college enrollment and readiness outcomes Lead and Develop a High-Performing National Team: Build, coach, and manage a team of leaders responsible for college access, advising, and readiness, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and strong results. 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 Team Additional Duties as assigned.Knowledge and Skills – CompetenciesMake 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 Bachelor’s degree is required Certifications: None are required. Minimum of 10 years of higher education and/or college access/readiness experience. Minimum of 3 years of experience leading high-performing teams at scale and delivering resultsPreferred Education And Experience Education: Master’s degree is preferred. Certifications: None are required. Experience: Minimum of 3 years of experience managing college access programmingPhysical Requirements This is a sedentary position. The ability to see and respond to dangerous situations Bending, crawling, stooping, standing, vision, lifting, walkingWhat We OfferCompensation & Benefits:Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between $131,000 and $158,500, 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 ProcessSubmit 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 IDEAAt 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