Founded in 2008 with 50 students in 5th grade, KIPP Columbus currently serves nearly 2,000 students in grades kindergarten through twelfth. The mission of KIPP Columbus is to create a system of schools where students develop the intellectual, academic, and social skills needed to understand and take action on issues they encounter in everyday life.

KIPP Columbus continues to rank as one of the top five schools for the academic growth of any school in Ohio and is a top-performing urban school in the state for academic growth. In Spring 2021, KIPP Columbus graduated its second class of high school seniors. 100% of graduates were accepted to college, with over $20 million in merit scholarships from colleges and universities awarded.

In addition to academic excellence, KIPP Columbus also partners with more than 100 community organizations to provide extracurricular activities, programming, health and wellness services, meals, and more to KIPP students, families, and the broader community. KIPP is also an Ohio High School Athletic Association member, offering more than ten varsity sports.

The KIPP Columbus learning campus will continue to advance student learning, expand partnerships, enable superior programming, and serve as a teaching and leadership lab for schools nationwide, reimagining education through a deeper lens of antiracism and excellence and joy.

To learn more, visit: https://www.kippcolumbus.org/

The Opportunity
At KIPP Columbus, we recognize the critical importance of finding, developing, and supporting the best possible teammates to ensure our KIPPsters can be their best. To this end, we are deeply committed to developing a robust people strategy that promotes equity, excellence and engagement across our team. The Senior Director of Human Resources has the unique opportunity to lead this work, setting the direction for key human resource and talent functions that support KIPP Columbus’ continued growth and impact.

As a member of the People Leadership Team, the Senior Director of Human Resources reports to KIPP’s Chief People Officer and will directly oversee the Human Resource department, payroll, policy development, onboarding, and labor relations at KIPP Columbus. This role is critical in ensuring that our values and mission are reflected in every part of this work and that we are retaining top educators, fostering engagement across our teams, and delivering excellence in People operations. A strong orientation to systems and processes that maximize efficiencies as we grow, in combination with a steadfast commitment to our KIPPsters and our mission will be necessary for success.

Responsibilities of KIPP Columbus Senior Director of Human Resources include, but are not limited to, the following:

Human Resources (HR)

• Support and drive our People vision and set of goals for Human Resources; develop HR structures and priorities with a focus on equity, inclusivity, and excellence.
• Lead the management, mentoring and development of KIPP Columbus HR team members
• Manage and provide counsel on employee relations strategy, including investigation of issues, performance improvement plans, state/government programs and compliance with legal requirements, disciplinary actions, and exits.
• Partner with the People Leadership Team and KIPP Columbus leaders to identify, cultivate and drive key People initiatives to include wellness, total rewards, compensation, position management, change management, and engagement.
• Build close, effective relationships with KIPP Columbus school leaders and School Support Team (SST) leaders to enhance our Human Resources and people needs across the region and ensure alignment of processes and resources with program needs
• Play a key role in leading organizational culture initiatives that ensure a high-performing and inclusive organization overall, including putting systems and processes in place that value and leverage skill and expertise across the organization
• Lead initiatives to ensure equity of pay, benefits, and HR policies across KIPP

Onboarding and Performance

• Ensure new hires are introduced to the organization’s values and culture, with strong onboarding, investment, and transition plans.
• Oversee systems and structures to support the preparation, execution, and facilitation of performance reviews across the region
• Refine performance evaluation system for teachers and leaders, determining improvements to align standards for instructional and non-instructional staff. Ensure evaluations provide actionable feedback linked with professional development opportunities, resulting in improved outcomes.
• Partner with the Director of People Development to develop and implement scalable and consistent career pathways across all schools.

Payroll and Benefits

• Implement and administer competitive benefits and wellness strategy for team members, ensuring effective communication, processes, and support are in place.
• Work with our external partners to oversee the management of employee benefit programs including health insurance, life insurance, dental & vision insurance, retirement, and ancillary lines of coverage.
• Ensure compliance with US benefits, employment and insurance laws, regulations, and requirements.
• Partner with the Education Service Center to oversee payroll and state tax and registration process.

The Senior Director of Human Resources will possess the following qualities:

• Deep belief in the mission of KIPP Columbus and a strong desire to work towards equity within education
• Ability to persevere with a sense of optimism, strong problem solving skills, and desire to learn and grow in a collaborative professional learning community.
• Model positive and healthy character traits and habits, as well as the values of KIPP Columbus (Imagine, Navigate, Seek, Persevere, Integrity, Responsibility, and Empathy).
• Growth mindset and a desire to learn and grow through consistent coaching and feedback
• Willingness to do whatever it takes and go above and beyond to serve our KIPPsters

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline (e.g., human resources, law, business administration, labor relations, organizational development, organizational psychology).
• Minimum of 8 years experience in HR required, including 3 years of supervisory experience
• Demonstrated ability to use data, metrics and storytelling with a variety of stakeholders and audiences
• Demonstrated ability to drive and oversee multiple cross-functional initiatives and work within an ambiguous, fast-moving, start-up environment, while driving toward clarity and solutions
• Experience working in an academic/school environment is strongly preferred.
• Labor relations experience strongly preferred.

Compensation and Benefits

KIPP Columbus offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefit plan including medical and dental insurance, as well as group term life insurance, retirement plan and paid time off.

Statement of Non-Disclosure

KIPP Columbus is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying to the school for consideration of any position (admission, employment, etc.). KIPP Columbus does not discriminate on the basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 4112.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.