Director, Strategic Initiatives - Talent

About Alliance College-ready Public Schools

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools is one of the largest and most successful nonprofit public charter school networks in the nation, operating 25 high-performing, middle and high schools that educate nearly 13,000 scholars who make up the heart of Los Angeles’ Latinx, Black, and recent immigrant communities. Alliance schools have been recognized as among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, the U.S. Department of Education, and the California Department of Education. Since opening our first school in 2004, 95% of Alliance scholars have graduated from high school. We strive to uplift our scholars and their communities by fostering unparalleled educational opportunities that encourage scholarly thought, resilient learning, powerful communication, mind-body wellness, and community advocacy. To learn more, visit www.LAalliance.org.

Role Summary

The Director, Strategic Initiatives on the Talent team provides direct support to the Chief People Officer to ensure that the day-to-day operations of all talent functions provide high value services and supports to our schools and the Home Office. As Director you will help spearhead transformational work to improve all of Alliance’s talent functions and help to shape Alliance’s overarching talent strategy – how we attract, grow and keep high-quality employees at all levels of the organization to work in service of Alliance scholars, families and communities. The Director reports to the Chief People Officer, and works closely with the Talent Leadership Team and Alliance’s Executive Cabinet, and is responsible for providing project management for cross-functional initiatives across the talent functions and other teams that work in collaboration with Talent. The ideal candidate for this position will be a strong project manager with an ability to manage myriad stakeholder relationships and an aptitude for identifying and addressing needs. This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced talent professional to take a leadership role in helping Alliance achieve our mission of ensuring equity and excellence for scholars in Los Angeles.

Essential Responsibilities

Project Management

• Work alongside the Chief People Officer to streamline and synchronize the day-to-day operations of all teams (Human Resource Operations, Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations & Engagement, and Staff Learning, Development, and Compensation) that make up the Talent Division, key organizational talent priorities, and cross-functional initiatives that intersect with the talent teams by providing project management, logistics, and progress monitoring support;
• Manage strategic monitoring, tracking, and support of the Talent Division’s operating plan and preparation for Talent Leadership Team meetings, as well as Talent Division meetings; improve and iterate on the monitoring and tracking system as necessary; develop and facilitate meeting agendas, and manage follow-up to key actions and decisions;
• Oversee the project management function of the Talent Division, managing cross-functional initiatives (e.g. develop process-map for cross-departmental communications challenges), especially those requiring rapid-response or resolution (e.g. manage across teams to meet external and internal deadlines from key stakeholders), develop project plans, and conduct data analyses.
  
  

Leadership and Advising

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Chief People Officer on cross-departmental projects, opportunities for cross-collaboration, process improvement and problem solving;
• Lead and prepare for Talent Leadership Team meetings that support a strong team culture, an awareness of the Division’s work, cross-functional collaboration, and monitor progress against the Division’s goals;
• Provide relevant and constructive recommendations to senior leaders, colleagues, and school sites on “best in class” talent practices;
• Drive and support network-wide talent initiatives that require change management (e.g. compensation models, competency mapping and implementation for performance reviews, engagement strategies, etc.);

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• Provide direct supervisory support for Associate, Talent;
• Perform other duties as assigned.
  
  

IDEAL CANDIDATES

• Commitment to Alliance’s core beliefs and mission.
• Knowledge of urban school systems, school environments and school culture.
• Exceptional project management skills and experience in a context of competing priorities with limited resources and infrastructure; with the ability to efficiently manage multiple projects and deadlines, work across departments and functions, and translate strategies from plans to action.
• Proven track record of effective leadership and ability to navigate complex issues and drive strong performance results.
• Ability to work effectively in a multi-layered organization and build strong relationships with a variety of home office and school-based colleagues, as well as external stakeholders.
• Strong strategic thinking skills with an understanding of the impact that different approaches have on organizational culture and performance.
• Strong conceptual, analytic and organizational/systems thinking necessary to interpret data, develop strategy and lead implementation/execution.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey information to a variety of audiences (e.g., large groups, staff meetings, executive briefings, public board meetings, memos, etc.).
• Fluency with Excel, Word, PowerPoint and other office and project management software.
• Willingness to go above and beyond to contribute to the success of a dynamic team committed to a new future for urban education.
  
  

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Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or higher from an accredited college or university in human resources, education, public administration or policy, or a related field
• 4+ years of progressive professional work experience in a related field with 2+ years focused on talent functions (compensation, employee relations, human resources, performance management, etc.)
• Note: We will consider candidates with only a high school diploma or equivalent if they have 6+ years of progressive professional work experience in a related field with 2+ years focused on talent functions (compensation, employee relations, human resources, performance management, etc.)
  
  

Benefits

In alignment with our commitment to equity for our scholars, Alliance is dedicated to promoting equity and transparency within our team, offering competitive salaries commensurate with experience, as well as generous retirement and health benefits. This position is Exempt.

• We strive to be the best employer possible by offering excellent benefits for our employees and their families. Please click HERE for more information about our health benefits, retirement options, as well as our paid holidays and leave.
• Relocation: Individuals residing outside of the Greater Los Angeles area are eligible for a relocation bonus of $5,000 for individuals and $7,500 for new staff with families/partners.
• Professional Development: At Alliance, we believe in supporting staff growth by providing substantial professional development support. Home Office staff are allocated $500 per year for professional development expenses.
  
  

WORK LOCATION

This position is a hybrid role which will include a combination of working from home, our network office, and travel to school sites. The successful candidate will be given a $400 work-from-home set-up allowance and receive a monthly stipend of $100.

Compensation

$100,000.00 - $140,500.00

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should submit an application. If you advance to the next step, you will be contacted for a phone screen and/or interview. Only candidates who advance will be contacted.

If you would like to view the progress of your application, you can log in to your Candidate Home Account by signing in at the top right of our jobs page.

Unfortunately, we are not able to sponsor or support applicants on visas at this time or in the foreseeable future.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, anti-racist, pro-Black community that celebrates diversity, equity, and the unique identities of all scholars and staff. Nearly two-thirds of our teachers and administrators identify as people of color, reinforcing our commitment to representation and the power of diverse role models. We recognize the richness of the cultures and communities we serve, and we believe that embracing and empowering these identities is essential to the success and pride of our scholars. Working at Alliance means joining a movement to drive transformative change, nurture resilience, and build lifelong, meaningful connections with scholars and their communities.

Champion Alliance’s Anti-Racist, Pro-Black Mission: The strongest candidates will bring a commitment to Alliance’s mission of building an anti-racist, pro-Black community that prioritizes the success and well-being of Black and Brown scholars. Candidates should have a passion for promoting equity through anti-racist, student-centered teaching practices that celebrate racial and cultural identities. This role is rooted in service to systemically underserved communities in Los Angeles, helping scholars graduate “college-ready” with pride in who they are.

This job description is subject to change at any time based on the evolving needs of the organization.

• Alliance College-Ready Public Schools are tuition-free public charter schools that do not discriminate against any scholar, parent, community member, or staff member based on actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
• Alliance College-Ready Public Schools requires that all team members complete a LiveScan background check and TB clearance.
• Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the requirements, women and other underrepresented people tend to only apply when they match every criterion. If you think you meet some of the qualifications, but don't necessarily check every box in the job description, we encourage you to still apply. If you have questions contact the Talent Acquisition Team at [email protected].