Location: Los Angeles, CA Onsite
Comp: 180-230K
DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
A distinguished independent school committed to intellectual excellence and personal growth seeks a visionary and experienced Director of Human Resources to help lead and inspire our school community, including three campuses, 325 full-time employees, and more than 400 part-time employees.
Collaborating closely with the senior administrative team, the Director of Human Resources will provide strategic leadership for all HR functions, ensuring best-in-class practices throughout the employee lifecycle. This includes overseeing HR systems, programs, and policies, maintaining compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and guiding our comprehensive and evolving employee benefits programs (including self-insured options). The position is a member of the 14-person Business Office, three of whom report to the Director of HR (a Generalist, Benefits Administrator, and HR and Talent Acquisition Administrator) and who, together, create a workplace where employees can thrive.
We recognize that our exceptional faculty and staff are the cornerstone of our success. The Director of Human Resources will play a crucial role in attracting, motivating, and retaining top talent, understanding their professional aspirations, and facilitating their continued growth. This position also serves as a key resource for personnel matters, providing expert coaching and feedback to supervisors and navigating sensitive conversations with individuals and groups with discretion and empathy.
Responsibilities
The systems, scope, and initiatives that the School offers are always evolving in step with our desire to be a preeminent employer. Areas of responsibility for the Director of HR consist of, but are not limited to, the following. Notwithstanding these items, a successful HR leader will also seek to immerse themself in the daily life of the school, to experience what differentiates and defines us, and thereby tailor the HR function to what best supports the school in pursuit of its mission.
Leadership and Talent Development
- Guide onboarding and offboarding activities that clearly represent the School’s values and standards. Lead new employee orientation topics relevant to the Business Office
- Continue to strengthen the relationship between HR and the campus community, positioning HR as an expert, trusted resource
- Expand feedback systems, ensuring that areas of personal growth are more easily identified, constructive feedback more readily provided, and actionable steps towards change fulfilled
- Oversee performance-issue processes and documentation up to and including, when necessary, decisions to separate
- Help bring the School’s third campus (River Park) into operation in late 2026, hiring necessary staff and aligning culture and practices with the Middle and Upper Schools.
Compensation and Benefits
- Continuously improve the School’s employee value proposition. Recommend, develop, and implement policies and structures that ensure employees have the resources and flexibility expected by today’s workforce
- Communicate regularly with employees regarding relevant updates to benefits and other HR-related issues
- Expand the already-robust group benefits and perquisite programs offered by the School
- Collaborate with senior school leadership to maintain compensation practices that allow colleagues to thrive in a high cost-of-living environment
Technology
- Assess and leverage technology to improve service and inform decision making, both in the context of employee self-service (when appropriate) and back office processes
- Ensure employee policies and benefits are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and communicated in relevant and accessible language
Desired Qualifications and Characteristics
The ideal candidate will hold a bachelor’s degree and relevant professional certifications, though an advanced degree is strongly preferred. A minimum 10 years of relevant work and leadership in the HR profession is required.
- Awareness of national trends and best practices in the field
- Focus on customer service, developing and strengthening processes and systems to improve service delivery
- Strong leadership and management skills, including a proven ability to lead a team through change, build collaboration across an organization, and bring ideas and initiatives to fruition.
- Excellent organization and follow-through, even while managing responsibilities that are subject to frequent or unexpected changes
- Ability to convey complex and nuanced concepts to a variety of audiences via crystal-clear written and verbal communication skills
- Proven success in team building where trust and accountability are paramount
- Experience handling complex issues with discretion, sound judgment, compassion, and emotional intelligence
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