Director, Employee Experience

Company Description

About KIPP NYC:
Founded in 1995, KIPP NYC Public Schools is a non-profit network of 18 free, public charter schools located in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. We partner with families and communities to create joyful, academically excellent schools where every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities.

From our first middle school, KIPP Academy in the Bronx, to today’s network of eight elementary schools, nine middle schools, and one high school, KIPP NYC provides students with engaging academics, arts, athletics, and social–emotional learning that prepare them for college, career, and beyond.

Our commitment doesn’t end at graduation. Through KIPP Forward, we continue to support our alumni as they navigate college, career, and life, helping them define success on their own terms and pursue the paths that align with their goals and sense of purpose.

Together, we serve more than 9,400 students, support 4,700 alumni, and employ over 1,100 dedicated team members who bring passion, expertise, and commitment to our mission every day.

Job Description

Position Overview

The Director of Employee Experience is a senior leader responsible for leading employee relations strategy and workplace investigations across KIPP NYC. Reporting to the Managing Director of Talent & Employee Experience, this leader ensures that our people systems are clear, consistent, values-aligned, and designed to support high performance in the service of students and families.

The Director owns employee relations, investigations, performance evaluation systems, performance intervention processes, and the annual intent-to-return cycle. This role ensures that employee concerns are addressed with consistency, fairness, and care, while maintaining compliance and mitigating organizational risk. The Director will partner closely with school and regional leaders to navigate complex employee matters, strengthen performance management practices, and foster a positive, equitable work environment.

As a key member of the Talent & Employee Experience Team, the Director directly manages two team members and partners cross-functionally with Legal, Finance, Technology, Marketing & Communications, and other central teams to ensure coordinated, compliant, and equitable people practices across KIPP NYC.

This is a full-time position with a hybrid schedule, requiring a minimum of three in-person days per week based out of our KIPP NYC Midtown Manhattan office. The role also includes travel to KIPP NYC campuses across the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. The cadence and frequency of school visits will be determined by your leadership team.

Duties and Responsibilities:

General responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

Employee Relations & Performance Systems

• Own employee relations strategy and execution across KIPP NYC, ensuring equitable, timely, and consistent resolution of concerns
• Lead employee investigations with discretion and rigor, aligned to policy, legal requirements, and KIPP NYC’s values
• In partnership with the Managing Director:
  • Lead and continuously refine performance evaluation systems to ensure clarity, alignment, and accountability
  • Design and oversee performance intervention plans, maintaining centralized standards while supporting leaders through implementation
  • Own the annual intent-to-return process, including design, communications, timelines, execution, and alignment to performance outcomes and staffing strategy
  • Ensure documentation, compliance, and equitable application of all employee experience processes

Proactive Employee Engagement & Organizational Health

• Lead proactive strategies that strengthen engagement, retention, and professional culture across the network
• Equip leaders with early-intervention tools to address performance, attendance, professionalism, and interpersonal concerns constructively and consistently
• Analyze trends in employee experience data to identify root causes, inform preventative strategies, and drive continuous improvement
• Ensure that people systems reinforce a culture of  excellence, belonging, and accountability

Leadership Partnership & Organizational Alignment

• Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders across the organization on complex employee relations and performance matters
• Coach and develop leaders to address complex and sensitive employee matters with clarity, empathy, and consistent alignment with KIPP NYC’s standards, policies, and expectations. 
• Ensure leaders understand and effectively implement policies, procedures, and timelines
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