Associate Director, Talent Management

Rocketship Public Schools; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocketship Public Schools is seeking an Associate Director of Talent Management to advance performance evaluation systems and the talent architecture across a network of schools. You will collaborate with HR, school leaders, and cross-functional teams to implement robust processes and ensure fairness and transparency.

The role emphasizes strategic thinking, project management, and clear communication while driving equity in policies and practice.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; 7+ years in talent or HR systems, processes, and teams.
• Experience managing talent programs and HR systems in education contexts preferred.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills.
• Proven ability to design policies with equity and transparency.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation and management of staff performance evaluation systems.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure high-quality, faithful evaluations across regions.
• Develop and maintain talent architecture including job families, leveling, and competencies.
• Support compensation planning data gathering and promotion discussions using the talent framework.
• Manage the Senior Manager of Talent Management & Analytics and participate in surveys and priority setting.

Skills

Project management

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Detail-oriented

Team player

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Google Docs

Excel

PowerPoint

Zoom

Job description

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential. We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non‑profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high‑quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

Position Description

The Associate Director of Talent Management will play a critical role in advancing Rocketship’s priority to attract, develop, and retain high‑performing staff. This position will support the design and implementation of Rocketship’s performance management systems and talent architecture to ensure the organization continually develops and retains top talent. The Associate Director will report to the Senior Director of Talent Performance & Analytics and work closely with cross‑functional teams across the organization. The ideal candidate enjoys both strategic thinking about the big picture and supporting details through strong project management and communication skills.

Essential Functions

Performance Evaluation (40%)

• Leads the implementation of staff performance evaluation systems through systems management and collaboration with internal stakeholders.
• Collaborates with stakeholders to ensure school evaluations are executed with high‑quality and fidelity, including roster verification, collecting and uploading of qualitative data, completion tracking and follow up, etc.
• Collaborates with regional leaders to meet all requirements for equivalent state evaluation systems in applicable Rocketship regions.
• Maintains a deep understanding of Rocketship’s performance management structures and implementation steps.
• Facilitate processes to ensure performance evaluation processes provide meaningful feedback for all staff.
• Leads the annual PGP (Professional Growth Plan) process for NeST staff, including manager training, employee communications, and completion checks.

Talent Architecture (20%)

• Implement and continuously improve RPS’ talent architecture, including job families, leveling frameworks, and competencies.
• Support hiring managers and the Talent Acquisition team in scoping new roles and ensuring consistent application of job levels, titles, and compensation bands across NeST departments.
• Partner with the Senior Director of Talent Performance & Analytics to lead manager training sessions to build understanding of the talent architecture and competency frameworks.
• Develop and manage employee communications and rollout plans to promote transparency and understanding of the talent architecture.
• Conduct regular audits of job structures and leveling decisions to maintain internal equity and organizational consistency.
• Collaborate with HR, Talent, and leadership to ensure the talent architecture supports strategic workforce planning and career development initiatives.

Talent Management Processes (20%)

• Support with the collection of evaluation data needed to calculate mid‑year compensation projections and annual compensation increases for staff.
• Collaborate with HR BPs on People Partner Meetings (PPMs)
• Partner with HR BPs to identify and address development needs for district staff, including supporting planning and execution of professional learning
• Advise on promotion requests from managers, ensuring decisions are grounded in the organization’s talent architecture and promotion policies.
• Provide guidance and tools to managers and HR BPs to ensure consistent use of talent frameworks in performance, growth, and promotion conversations.

Team Management (20%)

• Manage the Senior Manager of Talent Management & Analytics
• Support the Senior Manager with leading Rocketship’s annual staff surveys which drive key organizational priority‑setting and initiatives.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• Bachelor's degree
• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience managing talent and/or HR systems, processes, and/or teams

Skills and Characteristics

• School, district, or charter network leadership experience preferred
• Superb project management skills including the ability to juggle multiple priorities and navigate complex cross‑functional teams
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to turn policies and ideas into clear communication, tools, and resources in multiple formats
• Experience designing and implementing policies with a focus on equity and transparency
• Skilled at building strong and trusting working relationships with people in both senior‑ and junior‑level roles as well as external stakeholders
• Deep commitment to Rocketship’s mission to eliminate the achievement gap in our lifetime
• Demonstrated commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive workplace
• Exceptional judgement and ability to navigate conflict and manage confidential information
• Demonstrated ability to be detail‑oriented and organized
• Skilled at communicating respectfully and empathetically with staff
• Team player with high tolerance for ambiguity and comfort in rapidly changing environment
• Proficient in Google Docs, Excel, PPT, and Zoom

Compensation

Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), and generous paid time off.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb ladders. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

Rocketship Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Rocketship Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing non‑discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

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