The Role
Serve as a strategic HR partner to school leaders, providing on-site coaching, culture diagnostics, employee-relations case management, and data-driven interventions. Lead investigations, manage talent transitions, oversee workers' compensation and OSHA reporting, and integrate AI tools to improve HR workflows. Travel frequently across KIPP SoCal schools to sustain a high-performance adult culture.
Summary Generated by Built In
Who We Are
KIPP SoCal Public Schools is a nonprofit organization that operates 20 tuition-free, open-enrollment charter public schools, within 17 Local Education Agencies (LEA), educating more than 10,000 students and supporting 8,300 alumni to and through college and beyond. Our award winning schools are part of the national KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) network, dedicated to meeting the needs of all learners and providing the social, emotional and academic support for success in high school, college, and life.
Mission
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 create a more just world.
What We Do
At KIPP SoCal we build trusting relationships that are strengthened by high expectations and collaboration alongside laughter and joy. We set ambitious goals and hold each other accountable for students achieving their greatest potential. We work together with each other and in partnership with families and communities in the active pursuit of a more equitable world. We do the right thing, even when it's not always comfortable standing up and speaking out against anti-blackness, racism, oppression, and injustice. We persevere through obstacles and treat failure as an opportunity to learn and grow.
You Should Apply If:
You are a courageous advocate for excellence who believes that adult culture is the primary lever for student success. You thrive on the ground in schools, acting as a "strategic mirror" for leaders to help them see and close gaps in their accountability structures. You aren't looking to just "process" HR paperwork; you want to coach leaders through the discomfort of high-stakes performance conversations to ensure every student has a high-performing teacher.
The HR Partner serves as the critical strategic partner to school leaders, equipping them to build and sustain a high-performance accountability culture. By providing high-leverage coaching, data-driven insights, and expert guidance on adult behavior, the HRP ensures that leaders have the tools and the courage to manage performance effectively. The HRP succeeds when excellence is the organizational standard and mediocrity is proactively addressed with clarity and integrity.
*This role requires frequent prescence inside our schools in East LA, South LA, and Southeast LA, meeting attendance at our KIPP SoCal office in Downtown LA, and, occasionally, opportunities to work remotely in Southern California.
Key Responsibilities
- Courageous Accountability: Identify performance gaps in your portfolio early; partner with leaders to implement documented, high-quality support plans that reach a definitive resolution swiftly.
- Just Culture Implementation: Train and coach leaders to use the Just Culture Rubric to distinguish between human error, at-risk behavior, and reckless behavior in disciplinary actions.
- On-the-Ground Diagnostic & Thought Partnership: Maintain a consistent presence in schools to proactively monitor adult culture. Partner with school leaders to move beyond treating symptoms by identifying root-cause issues and serving as a consultant to reveal gaps in accountability.
- Intervention Design & Evaluation: Lead the end-to-end lifecycle of cultural interventions, from designing high-impact strategies to evaluating their efficacy. Use ER metrics and qualitative data to build compelling cases for systemic change, ensuring that interventions result in a measurable decrease in repeat incidents and a sustained high-performance environment.
- High-Efficacy ER: Manage complex investigations and employee relations incidents with rigor and speed, aiming for closure within 5–10 school days.
- Talent Risk Mitigation: Guide leaders through difficult transitions (terminations, exits) ensuring the process is legally sound, human-centered, and culturally reinforcing.
- Data-Informed Advocacy: Translate retention trends and survey data into actionable "leadership moves" for school management.
- AI Integration: Ethically leverage AI as a strategic "co-pilot" to accelerate workflows and drive innovation within the Talent & Equity team.
- Compliance & Safety: Oversee Workers’ Compensation administration, OSHA reporting, and reasonable accommodation requests with meticulous attention to detail.
Strategic Performance Coaching & Culture (60%)
Employee Relations & Risk Management (25%)
Operational Excellence & Innovation (15%)
The Qualifications & Competencies
- Coaching & Influence: Ability to move leaders from defensiveness to action and coach them through the discomfort of high-stakes conversations.
- Systems Thinking and Data Analysis: Ability to identify patterns in adult behavior and school-site systems that undermine accountability.
- Organizational Diagnostics: Expertise in using retention and ER data to build cases for cultural shifts.
- 5–7 years of relevant HR or Organizational Development experience.
- Thorough knowledge of all federal, state and local employment and workers' compensation laws
- Demonstrated track record as an HR Partner in a fast-paced multi-site organization (500+ FTEs); experience within a Charter Management Organization (CMO) or the K-12 education sector is strongly preferred.
- Deep commitment to upholding KIPP SoCal’s anti-racism standards and promoting a high performance adult culture.
- Ability to travel frequently to KIPP SoCal schools.
- Valid California Driver’s License.
Role-Specific Skills
Standard Qualifications
Compensation & Benefits
- KIPP SoCal Public Schools offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience in a similar position. The salary range for this position is $76,472 to $110,885. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint of $93,679 depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budget allocated for this role.
- 100% of healthcare premium costs covered by employer, dependents added at 50% of the cost
- Employer-paid KIPP SoCal life insurance
- 401(k) plan with up to 6% match by KIPP SoCal
- Voluntary Benefits (Pet Insurance, Supplemental Life, Accident, Short Term Disability, etc.)
- Generous paid time off program includes 22 holidays, sick leave, and vacation
- Other great benefits (Flexible spending account, EAP, etc.)
KIPP SoCal Public Schools is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation/gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
KIPP SoCal strives to ensure that our careers website is accessible to all, including individuals with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process due to a disability, please contact us. You can find our contact information on our website, http://www.kippsocal.org/. Information will be sent to a talent acquisition representative who will provide assistance to ensure appropriate consideration in the hiring process.
Skills Required
- 5-7 years of relevant HR or Organizational Development experience
- Thorough knowledge of federal, state, and local employment and workers' compensation laws
- Demonstrated track record as an HR Partner in a fast-paced multi-site organization (500+ FTEs)
- Experience within a Charter Management Organization (CMO) or the K-12 education sector
- Coaching leaders through high-stakes performance conversations and driving accountability
- Systems thinking, data analysis, and ability to translate retention/ER metrics into action
- Expertise managing complex employee relations investigations and risk mitigation
- Experience overseeing Workers' Compensation administration, OSHA reporting, and reasonable accommodations
- Ability to travel frequently to KIPP SoCal schools
- Valid California Driver's License
- Deep commitment to anti-racism standards and promoting a high-performance adult culture
- Ability to ethically leverage AI tools as a strategic co-pilot to accelerate HR workflows
Am I A Good Fit?
Get Personalized Job Insights.
Our AI-powered fit analysis compares your resume with a job listing so you know if your skills & experience align.
Success! Refresh the page to see how your skills align with this role.
The Company
What We Do
KIPP SoCal Public Schools is a nonprofit organization that operates 20 tuition-free, open-enrollment public charter schools across Southern California. Dedicated to serving systemically under-resourced communities, the organization provides academically excellent education and support to prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue their chosen paths in college and career, helping them lead fulfilling lives and create a more just world.
