Director of Human Resources - Employee Relations

Director of Human Resources, Employee Relations

About KIPP NorCal

We are a thriving nonprofit network of 23 free, public charter schools open to all students. At KIPP, we believe all children should grow up free to create the future they want for themselves and that schools can and should be a critical factor in making that vision a reality. 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 student community consists of over 7,100 elementary, middle, and high school students in East Palo Alto, Oakland, San Francisco, San Lorenzo, San José, Redwood City, and Stockton. 80% qualify for free or reduced price lunch, 27% are multilingual learners, and 17% receive special education services. We strive to cultivate a representative team of teachers and leaders that reflect our students’ diversity.

Role Overview

The Director of Human Resources – Employee Relations sets the strategy and standards for employee relations across KIPP Northern California, ensuring equitable, consistent, and legally sound practices that strengthen employee experience and organizational effectiveness. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, this role leads the Employee Relations department, directly manages three Associate Directors of Employee Relations, and is accountable for department results, team performance, and resource allocation.

In this role, you set strategy for your full department and own its results, team, and budget. You exercise independent judgment within established policies and decision-making authority, partnering with the Chief People Officer on high-risk personnel decisions and escalating matters requiring Chief-level approval.

Core Responsibilities

Employee Relations Strategy and Department Accountability

• Sets the annual Employee Relations strategy and department Key Results, translating organizational priorities into clear standards, measurable outcomes, and accountability systems that promote equitable and consistent practices across KIPP NorCal schools and the Regional Support Office.

• Defines department-wide employee relations protocols, service expectations, and escalation pathways that enable timely, consistent, and legally sound responses to workplace concerns across a distributed organization.

• Directs the evaluation of employee relations trends, case outcomes, and organizational risk indicators, ensuring that data informs department priorities, preventive interventions, and recommendations to the Chief People Officer.

• Shapes the department's approach to complex employee relations challenges, balancing legal compliance, employee experience, organizational values, and operational needs while escalating high-risk decisions for Chief People Officer approval.

Investigations, Conflict Resolution, and Risk Management

• Directs the organization's employee relations investigation framework, establishing standards for impartiality, documentation, confidentiality, timeliness, and consistent resolution of allegations involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and other workplace misconduct.

• Defines investigation oversight and escalation standards, ensuring Associate Directors manage cases effectively while the Director maintains direct involvement in particularly sensitive, high-risk, or high-visibility matters as warranted.

• Sets standards for employee relations resolutions, including corrective action, performance management, discipline, termination, mediation, and restorative approaches, ensuring recommendations are legally sound, equitable, and aligned with organizational policies.

• Directs KIPP NorCal's Title IX coordination responsibilities, ensuring applicable reporting, investigation, resolution, and compliance processes are implemented consistently and in partnership with appropriate school leaders, organizational stakeholders, and legal counsel.

Employee Relations Policy, Compliance, and Systems

• Sets the standards for employee relations policies, tools, and systems, ensuring consistent application of employment practices and compliance with applicable federal, California, and local employment requirements.

• Directs the annual review and revision of the Staff Handbook in collaboration with the Chief People Officer and relevant department leaders, ensuring policies remain current, accessible, and aligned with organizational expectations.

• Defines department systems for case documentation, investigation quality assurance, reporting, and continuous improvement, ensuring accurate records, appropriate confidentiality, and reliable information for leadership decision-making.

• Shapes the organization's response to emerging employment law requirements and employee relations risks, coordinating with legal counsel and relevant stakeholders to ensure timely policy updates, appropriate risk mitigation, and organizational readiness for formal employment-related proceedings, including arbitration.

Leadership Advising and Organizational Capability

• Sets the department's approach to advising school leaders, managers, and senior executives on employee relations matters, ensuring leaders receive consistent, practical, and legally informed guidance on workplace concerns and personnel decisions.

• Directs professional learning and manager development related to employee relations, including performance management, corrective action, workplace conduct, conflict resolution, and policy implementation, strengthening leaders' ability to address concerns effectively and equitably.

• Shapes cross-functional partnerships with the Chief People Officer, Total Employee Experience leadership, school leaders, and other Regional Support Office departments to improve employee relations processes and strengthen organizational alignment.

• Defines feedback and improvement mechanisms that identify recurring workplace concerns, evaluate manager support needs, and inform preventive strategies that strengthen employee experience and reduce avoidable employee relations issues.

Department Leadership, Talent Development, and Resource Stewardship

• Directs the performance and development of three Associate Directors of Employee Relations, establishing clear expectations, individual development goals, performance standards, and accountability for consistent, high-quality department outcomes.

• Shapes a department culture grounded in equity, compassion, professional judgment, confidentiality, continuous learning, and shared accountability, ensuring the team navigates sensitive employee matters with consistency and care.

• Allocates the Employee Relations department's budget, staffing capacity, and other resources in alignment with department Key Results, case complexity, service needs, and organizational priorities.

• Sets department talent and operating priorities, including hiring, performance management, professional development, and succession readiness, ensuring the Employee Relations team has the capacity and expertise to meet organizational needs.

RSO Leadership and Culture Integration

• Shapes an inclusive, trust-based RSO culture by embedding psychological safety, reflection, and open dialogue into employee relations practices, strengthening employee trust, retention, and opportunities for restorative resolution.

• Partners with Total Employee Experience (TEX) leadership and organizational leaders to strengthen cross-functional relationships, team cohesion, and a sense of belonging across hybrid and school-based RSO staff through intentional engagement and feedback mechanisms.

• Directs values-aligned conflict resolution and restorative practices across the RSO and school sites, ensuring employee relations interventions reinforce mutual respect, transparency, accountability, and organizational values.

• Analyzes employee relations trends and workplace feedback to identify systemic barriers to equity, inclusion, and psychological safety, informing targeted manager coaching and improvements to organizational culture.

Other duties as assigned.

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 shape a department culture of reflection, renewal, and continuous learning. You work to dismantle inequitable systems and hold your team accountable for equity outcomes. You drive continuous learning and innovation, proactively leveraging external expertise to stay current.

• Lead People: You build strong cross-difference relationships and cultivate a diverse, high-trust department culture. You use data to drive change, enlist coalitions of support, and communicate roles, accountability, and the pace of change clearly to all stakeholders. You build cross-department coordination structures and account for the impact of your team's decisions on others.

• Lead Results: You set a clear department strategy and balance long-term investment against near-term results. You make and stand by difficult decisions, sharing rationale transparently. You hold yourself and your team to high expectations and demonstrate genuine accountability for department outcomes.

Knowledge & Skills

Required Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in TK–12 education, charter school networks, nonprofit organizations, or similarly complex mission-driven environments.

• SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or comparable senior-level human resources certification.

• Experience serving as a Title IX Coordinator or overseeing Title IX compliance and investigation processes.

• Familiarity with California Education Code, educator credentialing requirements, or employment practices specific to California public schools.

Role Details

The following details describe how this role is structured and what to expect day-to-day.

KIPP Northern California Public Schools is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Compensation

KIPP Northern California is dedicated to you and your family's well-being! We offer a competitive salary as well as a comprehensive benefits package. Benefits include medical, dental, vision coverage, paid time off, retirement plan with employer contribution and commuter benefits.

We benchmark annually against comparably-sized non-profit organizations in the regions where we operate, to offer competitive salaries. The salary range for this position is between $136,000 and $164,000. Most candidates will be compensated at $147,000.

How to Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume by clicking apply on this page. The cover letter should be no longer than one page and include:

• Example(s) of successful navigation of complex talent/HR issues

• Example(s) of your commitment to racial equity

• Example(s) of how you coach and manage your teams