Director of Talent and HR

Director of Talent and HR

The Director of Talent and HR serves as Yu Ming Charter School's senior leader for talent and HR systems, outcomes, and execution across the full employee lifecycle. Reporting to the Chief Operations Officer and serving on the Network Leadership Team, this role is accountable for designing, implementing, and continuously improving talent systems that ensure Yu Ming attracts, develops, retains, and exits staff in ways that are equitable, legally sound, and aligned to the school's academic model and values.

This role explicitly owns talent system effectiveness and outcomes, not just processes. The Director of Talent and HR balances strategic leadership with disciplined execution, ensuring that talent systems support instructional excellence, staff sustainability, and long-term organizational growth.

The Director of Talent and HR does not primarily function as a recruiter or generalist HR manager. Instead, they act as the strategic architect and operator of the employee lifecycle, with particular accountability for teacher retention, performance management, leadership and people-management capacity, and foundational learning and development systems for non-instructional staff while ensuring HR operations are strong, compliant, and predictable.

ABOUT YU MING CHARTER SCHOOL

Yu Ming Charter School is a non-profit, tuition-free network of public schools located in Oakland and San Leandro and open to all residents of California. As a leader in Mandarin Immersion education, our mission is to nurture our inclusive and diverse community to become empowered, engaged, and outstanding global citizens. We currently serve 1060 students across three campuses, and continue to grow our enrollment each year. Our intentionally diverse student body comes from many racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds representing 70 zip codes across the Bay Area and 29 home languages. Founded in 2011, Yu Ming is the first Mandarin immersion public charter school in the state.

We believe every child, regardless of their background or zip code, deserves a free, high-quality education that prepares them today to succeed tomorrow. Ranked the #7 Elementary School and the #2 Elementary Charter School in California by U.S. News, Yu Ming is a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and a 2020 and 2023 California Distinguished School. Yu Ming's future-forward model prepares young people to succeed and thrive in an interconnected and multicultural world through personalized and rigorous learning experiences, active student agency, whole child and community focus, and multilingual education. As a result, our students far outperform their peers in the district, county, and state, regardless of socio-economic status, race, language background, and learning differences. We are closing the opportunity gap for our historically underserved students every day.

A Strong Director of Talent and HR at Yu Ming:

• Owns and advances a multi-year, network-wide talent strategy aligned to Yu Ming's instructional model, equity commitments, and growth priorities
• Diagnoses and measurably improves teacher and staff retention through system design, manager capability, and clear performance expectations
• Designs and implements coherent performance management and learning systems that support staff growth, accountability, and sustainability
• Builds talent, recruiting, and HR systems that function reliably without consuming disproportionate leadership capacity
• Is trusted by principals and network leaders as a thought partner and risk manager, not just a service provider
• Uses data, structured listening, and change management to improve adult experience and organizational outcomes over time

RESPONSIBILITIES

Talent Strategy and System Ownership

• Own and evolve a coherent, network-wide talent strategy aligned to Yu Ming's instructional model, equity commitments, and multi-year organizational priorities
• Translate strategy into clear, executable systems with defined roles, timelines, and success metrics
• Maintain a multi-year staffing outlook and succession plan for key roles, in partnership with cabinet leadership
• Regularly assess talent system effectiveness and recommend adjustments based on data, trends, and organizational needs

Talent Acquisition and Onboarding

• Design and oversee high-quality recruiting and selection systems that produce strong candidate pools and equitable hiring outcomes
• Ensure hiring processes are consistent, legally compliant, and aligned to Yu Ming's expectations for instructional and operational excellence
• Build and maintain talent pipelines for hard-to-fill and high-impact roles
• Partner with principals and hiring managers to support effective hiring decisions and mitigate hiring risks
• Ensure onboarding systems prepare staff to be successful quickly, with clarity around expectations, performance standards, and support structures

Performance Management and Career Pathways

• Design and implement a cohesive performance management framework that supports staff growth, accountability, and retention
• Establish clear performance expectations, documentation practices, and feedback cycles for non-instructional and network staff
• Develop foundational career pathways for non-instructional staff, prioritizing clarity, consistency, and transparency over complexity
• Partner with principals and managers to strengthen performance conversations, improvement planning, and follow-through

Learning and Development

• Design and implement foundational professional learning systems for non-instructional staff that build core competencies and role effectiveness
• Support principals and network leaders in developing coaching, feedback, and people-management skills
• Align learning and development efforts with performance management systems to ensure coherence and impact
• Establish clear goals and indicators to assess the effectiveness of learning and development investments

Employee Relations and HR Partnership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to principals and leaders on complex employee relations matters, including performance concerns, PIPs, disciplinary action, investigations, and exits
• Ensure employee relations processes are legally compliant, equitable, well-documented, and aligned with Yu Ming's values
• Provide guidance and decision support to leaders navigating high-stakes people situations
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality, discretion, and professional judgment in all employee matters

HR Operations and Compliance

• Partner with the COO and Operations team to ensure strong HR operations, including credentialing, contracts, benefits, leaves, immigration support processes and compliance
• Build and maintain reliable systems for documentation, tracking, and reporting
• Ensure HR operations are proactive, predictable, and not crisis-driven

Data, Monitoring, and Continuous Improvement

• Own and analyze key talent data, including retention, exits, performance trends, and hiring outcomes
• Use data to identify risks, diagnose system gaps, and inform continuous improvement
• Regularly report on talent system health, risks, and priority areas to senior leadership

Leadership and Collaboration

• Serve as an active member of the Network Leadership Team
• Lead cross-functional implementation of talent initiatives, managing change and stakeholder communication
• Manage talent team including HR Manager, HR Assistants (if applicable), and Talent Consultants, develop direct reports to ensure strong execution and internal capacity
• Model sound judgment, solutions oriented systems thinking, and calm leadership in complex and high-stakes situations

QUALIFICATIONS

• 7+ years of experience in talent, HR, or people operations with demonstrated ownership of both strategy and execution
• Experience partnering with senior leaders on complex employee relations matters, including performance management and exits
• Demonstrated success designing and implementing talent and performance management systems
• Experience in K–12 or mission-driven organizations strongly preferred
• Strong data literacy and ability to use information to drive decisions
• Deep alignment with Yu Ming's mission and equity commitments

TIME COMMITMENT

12 month contract

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Yu Ming offers a generous salary and benefits package which includes:

• $107,000-$123,000 annual salary, depending on relevant years of experience (non-negotiable)
• 100% core benefits coverage on select plans (medical, dental, vision)
• Free Access to an Employee Assistance Program offering a variety of services including counseling and legal aid
• Optional Life insurance, short and long term disability
• Pre-tax transit benefits
• 403(b) and 457 retirement plans
• 10 PTO days per calendar year
• Up to 9 accrued sick days per calendar year