Senior Director of Talent

Senior Director of Talent

Start Date: Immediate

Role Type: Full-Time, 12 month

Location: Washington, DC

FLSA Status: Exempt

WHO WE ARE

DC Prep is a high performing network of public charter schools serving over 2,100 preschool through 8th-grade students across six campuses in Wards 5, 7, and 8. We're proud of the high bar we set for ourselves to achieve results-our students deserve our best! We recognize that how we support our students to be successful is just as important as the results we achieve, which pushes us to reflect on questions such as:

• How can we facilitate our students' academic, social, and emotional development?
• How can we support our team members' professional growth and personal ability to do this work long-term?
• How can we engage our students' families as our own?

While this work is hard, it's worth it - we believe in the transformative power of education, the can-do-itness of our students and staff, and the joy that comes from engaging in meaningful work with people we care about and trust!

Here's how we drive results:

• Rigorous academic focus. Our Preppies receive the highest level of academic preparation through standards-based instruction, daily targeted interventions, and meaningful assessments.

• Social-emotional learning. We have always had a dual mission of academic and social-emotional skill development. Our research-based SEL curriculum is integrated into daily instruction, helping students leverage their personal values to strengthen their self-awareness, social awareness, and responsible decision-making skills and create a school-wide culture of empathy and reflection.

• Commitment to reflection and refinement. Our results tell us that we are moving in the right direction, but there's further to go to ensure that every student receives a transformative education. As a team, we regularly reflect on our programmatic model to see what's working and where we can get better.

Are you interested in learning more about the DC Prep Way? If so, check out our website to find out more about what we're working towards and how we're doing it.

WORKING AT DC PREP

DC Prep's faculty and staff are passionate, talented, and uncompromising with a mission to make sure all students succeed at a high level. Every aspect of our organization and program is designed - and continually refined - to ensure that goal. DC Prep students spend approximately 25% more time in school than other DC public school students. DC Prep's supportive, stimulating, and professionally rewarding learning environment continuously develops and motivates high-performing educators. DC Prep's staff and school leadership promote meaningful relationships between faculty and students, enable excellent teaching, and foster professional collaboration. The end result: great outcomes for students.

THE POSITION

At DC Prep, we are successful if our students develop the knowledge, skills and mindset that will enable them to change the world. Achieving that goal requires an incredible team, and our Senior Director of Talent plays a crucial role in our efforts to attract, develop and sustain the team necessary to do this important work. The Senior Director of Talent will lead two Talent Functions (Recruitment, Talent Management) to support our schools and Home Office, and work closely with other senior leaders to create, refine, and implement policies supporting DC Prep's most vital asset-- our people! Additionally, the Senior Director of Talent will work closely with DC Prep's Executive team, providing input on talent strategy, and will play a lead role in shaping Home Office culture. This role reports to the CEO and directly supervises the Director of Recruitment and the Director of Talent Management.

The Senior Director of Talent is a full-time, 12-month role. The nature of this role requires being present at all 6 of DC Prep's campuses and an ability to attend early morning and/or evening events, as necessary. This is an exempt role (i.e., not eligible for overtime).

WHO YOU ARE

• You are a trusted colleague. You're the person people seek out for advice when navigating a challenging situation. You are ready to advise senior leaders on how to navigate sensitive situations with integrity, empathy & a high bar.
• You are an effective manager, having led teams to achieve ambitious goals. You are a strong problem-solver, combining a thorough understanding of the facts, a clear-eyed assessment of the constraints, and an aspirational vision for what is possible. You understand how schools work.
• You understand the long-range impact of decisions You are a systems thinker and consider how systems impact the experience of our network team.
• You care about having an impact- and the people with whom you work!

THE DAY-TO-DAY

Responsibilities of the Senior Director of Talent will include but are not limited to:

• Lead and manage two functions (Talent Recruitment; Talent Management) to ensure these teams' day-to-day work aligns with DC Prep's long-term strategic direction and supports our ability to attract and retain a great team
• Partner with the CEO and CFO to ensure the ongoing implementation of a compensation system
• Partner with the Schools team and principals to ensure strong recruitment, selection, onboarding and retention of teachers and school leaders
• Partner with the Executive Team to design & lead key Home Office initiatives (e.g., Continuous Improvement Cycle, Professional Learning, culture of a cross-functional home office team)
• Drive design and ongoing refinement of staff onboarding (i.e., create the vision, lead coordination across functional teams, monitor whether we are delivering on that vision effectively). This will include beginning-of-year onboarding (New Teacher Orientation) and mid-year onboarding in partnership the with Schools Team
• Manage the Director of Talent Management to:
• Advise DC Prep's leaders on how to navigate sensitive employment situations with integrity, empathy, and a high bar for our Values.
• Design, plan, and implement various culture-building efforts to celebrate Vision, Impact & Values. This may include New Teacher Orientation, August Orientation Kickoff, staff awards & celebrations
• Design, plan, and implement input gathering from staff, including new hire check-ins, exit interviews, office hours, staff surveys
• Manage the Director of Talent Recruitment to:
• Partner closely with the Schools team to forecast staffing needs and fill roles quickly
• Design and execute strategies to build strong talent pipelines across vital roles
• Design and execute selection processes to convey DC Prep's Mission, Values and assess candidates' skills & Values-alignment against key role competencies

• Provide organization-wide leadership
• As a member of DC Prep's senior team, contribute to discussions and decisions about DC Prep's strategic priorities and plans
• Provide coaching and guidance for Home Office team managers to strengthen our management practices
• Ensure our policies and procedures align with our Values
• Synthesize trends across all facets of our work to advise Executive team on talent priorities and ways to strengthen our talent practices

QUALIFICATIONS

Educational background and work experience

• A minimum of 5 years of progressively larger management experience, including experience leading a talent function of 3+ individuals
• Bachelor's degree required; SHRM certification preferred
• School-based (including teaching, leading or other roles) and/or non-profit work experience in other roles is an asset
• Experience building high-performing, customer service-oriented teams
• Knowledge of best-practices in talent acquisition and employee relations
• Proven track record of system-level strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills

Required Skills and characteristics

• Skilled communicator with demonstrated track record of creating alignment around and implementing shared goals and solutions
• Intellectual depth and emotional maturity to work with colleagues and stakeholders across the entire organization
• Ability to prioritize competing interests and set a clear vision and strategy to achieve organizational priorities and functional goals
• Emotional resilience, constancy, passion to motivate, support and sustain teams in challenging and critically important work

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Report in person to any of DC Prep's physical campuses, as needed.
• Additional responsibilities may arise during the school year. This could include: promoting DC Prep at on or offsite events, providing classroom support at critical times of the year, or supporting school operations at a DC Prep campus, as needed.
• This list is not exhaustive. DC Prep will communicate mandatory events outside of school hours with ample notice.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands and environmental conditions described below are representative, but not exhaustive, of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the role. All of these physical requirements must be able to be performed with clarity, coherence and connectedness to DC Prep's vision. A reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals who have an ADA qualifying disability to perform these essential functions which include:

• Must be able to sit and work at a desk/computer for extended periods of time
• Must be able to spend the majority of the day standing or mobile throughout the classroom, as well as talk, hear, grasp, reach and lift up to 30lbs with or without accommodations
• Ability to concentrate in active and noisy environments such as cafeterias, gymnasiums, stairs and playgrounds, classrooms and large group professional settings
• Must be able to walk, stand and monitor crowded hallways, gymnasiums, cafeterias, stairs and playgrounds.
• Must be able to climb stairs throughout the day and escort students to and from class
• Must be able to have repetitive wrist/hand/finger movement to work on computer and/or related office equipment
• Ability to handle potential high stress conditions

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Highly competitive salary
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability insurance; maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; and a 403b retirement plan

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. They may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

JOIN US

Do you believe that Learning Has No Limits? Are you eager to join a supportive, innovative, and collaborative community of educators? Are you committed to growing your strengths as an educator through individualized professional development and coaching? Apply today!

We're an equal opportunity employer and hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.