Director of Human Resource Operations

Noble Schools; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Noble Schools in Chicago seeks a Director of HR Operations to lead the strategic vision, systems, and compliance for HR across 18 campuses and 1,600+ employees. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you will optimize HRIS, payroll governance, and total rewards while guiding a team of leaders and professionals.

Ideal candidates bring 8–10+ years in HR leadership, strong education sector experience, and deep expertise in enterprise HRIS/payroll platforms.

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience.
• Experience in K-12/public education or large non-profit preferred.
• Advanced HRIS/Payroll platform expertise and retirement program knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Strategic HR Operations & Leadership: set strategy and roadmap for HR across 18 locations.
• Payroll Strategy & Governance: oversee semi-monthly payroll accuracy and compliance.
• Total Rewards Strategy, Administration, & Fiduciary Oversight: manage retirement plans and benefits.
• Compliance & Credentialing: ensure ISBE licensure tracking and regulatory adherence.
• People Manager: lead and develop 3 direct reports and guide broader team.

Skills

HR Leadership

Payroll Systems

Compliance

Stakeholder Management

Process Improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree

SPHR/SHRM-SCP/Masters

Tools

Paycom

Workday

ADP

Excel

Job description

Description

About Noble

Noble is Chicago’s highest-performing and largest network of public charter schools. Our 17 campuses and 1,680 employees currently serve 12,000 students, 99% of whom identify as persons of color, 90% of whom are from under-resourced communities, and 81% of whom are first-generation college attendees. Noble’s mission is to ensure that all students have equitable and positive school experiences that equip them to complete college and lead choice-filled lives.

We are proud to be recognized nationally for college access and persistence. Noble supports more than 31,000 alumni, with 99% of Noble students accepted into college and historically almost 90% choosing to enroll.

Clear, Consistent and Connected

• Clear, Setting Clear Expectations: Students, like all individuals, flourish when they have a clear understanding of boundaries and expectations. All Noble Schools staff should prepare and explain academic and behavioral expectations using easy-to-understand procedures, routines, and "what to do" directions in all spaces.
• Consistent, Maintaining Consistency in Responses: Students experience a spectrum of emotions. While all emotions are valid, not all behaviors are productive. Consistency in how these behaviors are addressed helps to ensure fairness and provides students with the security of knowing that our campuses operate with a sense of justice and equity.
• Connected, Building Positive Relationships: Students, like all individuals, thrive when they feel a communal connection to their school and can rely on meaningful relationships with the adults at the school. All Noble staff prioritize positive interactions and relationships rooted in the humanity and belonging of each student.

Position Summary:

The Director of HR Operations leads the strategic vision, administrative infrastructure, and operational compliance framework for Noble Schools’ human resources function across 18 locations serving 1,600+ employees. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, this role ensures high-quality, data-driven execution across HRIS, payroll governance, and total rewards operations, in addition to leading a team of direct and indirect reports. The Director serves as the senior operational leader responsible for optimizing HR systems, safeguarding state and federal regulatory compliance, and driving seamless execution across network-wide People operations.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Strategic HR Operations & Leadership
• Establish the overarching strategy and operational roadmap for Noble’s HR function, driving system efficiency, cross-departmental integration, and high-quality service delivery for 1,600+ staff across 18 locations.
• Serve as the senior operational leader for complex HR inquiries, process optimizations, and cross-functional People Team initiatives.
• Manage high-level relationships with third-party vendors, brokers, software providers, and benefits carriers to ensure maximum ROI and service quality.
• Deliver exceptional project management and data systems management.
• Payroll Strategy & Governance
• Provide executive oversight of network-wide semimonthly payroll execution to ensure 100% accuracy, timeliness, and legal compliance across exempt and non-exempt instructional and operational staff.
• Oversee payroll system configurations, tax compliance (federal, Illinois state, and municipal), wage-and-hour compliance, and salary/stipend structure updates in the HRIS.
• Drive cross-departmental alignment between Payroll, Finance, and Campus Operations to streamline timekeeping, bonus/stipend disbursements, and end-of-year compensation processing.
• Total Rewards Strategy, Administration, & Fiduciary Oversight
• Direct the strategic administration and compliance of Noble’s retirement offerings, including the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund (CTPF) for licensed educators and the 401(k) retirement plan.
• Ensure strict regulatory adherence, accurate reporting, timely employer/employee contribution remittances, annual non-discrimination testing, 5500 filings, and statutory audit compliance.
• Serve as the primary liaison with third-party retirement administrators, auditors, legal advisors, and CTPF representatives to resolve complex pension and 401(k) escalations.
• Oversee network-wide credentialing, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) teacher licensure tracking, and professional educator endorsement compliance for all instructional staff.
• Lead compliance workflows for statutory requirements, background checks, mandatory training, and worker eligibility verifications.
• Own enterprise HRIS strategy, driving continuous system enhancement, reporting dashboard automation, and data integrity to inform leadership decision-making.
• Oversee Total Rewards delivery, including health/dental/vision plans, Open Enrollment execution, life/disability insurances, and leave-of-absence policies (FMLA, statutory paid leave).
• People Manager
• Direct Team Leadership: Directly manage, coach, and evaluate three operational leaders—setting clear performance goals, conducting regular 1:1s, and fostering continuous professional growth.
• Indirect Oversight & Team Scaling: Provide indirect leadership and overarching direction for broader HR Operations team members, ensuring aligned workflows, balanced workload distribution, and high-quality execution across the entire team.
• Operational SLA & Performance Standards: Establish departmental KPIs, service level agreements (SLAs), and quality assurance metrics to monitor team performance, streamline daily operations, and maintain high satisfaction across all campuses.
• Capacity & Resource Planning: Oversee team bandwidth, cross-training initiatives, and development to build a resilient, scalable HR Operations function, capable of supporting organizational needs and initiatives.

Key collaborators for the Director of HR Operations include Chief People Officer, the broader People Team, members of the Finance team (Chief Financial Officer, Senior Director of Finance, Controller), campus leaders (Principals, Campus Operations Leaders)

Ideal Qualifications

• Experience: 8–10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, with at least 3–5 years at a Manager or Director level overseeing HR operations, payroll systems, and compliance.
• Sector Background: Deep experience in a K-12 public school district, Charter Management Organization (CMO), or mid-to-large education non-profit strongly preferred.
• Technical Expertise: Advanced expertise in enterprise HRIS/Payroll platforms (e.g., Paycom, Workday, ADP), advanced Excel skills, and experience managing multi-tiered retirement platforms (pension/401k).
• Compliance Knowledge: Comprehensive understanding of Illinois labor laws, ISBE teacher licensure/credentialing standards, Faith’s Law, ERISA/401(k) regulations, and CTPF pension reporting rules.
• Mission Alignment: Deep commitment to anti-racism, educational equity, and alignment with Noble’s core values (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Follow-Through; Humility and Self-Awareness; Respect; and Results).
• Education: Bachelor’s degree required; SPHR, SHRM-SCP, and/or Master's degree in related field preferred.

Compensation & Benefits

We strive to be the best place to work, and our employee benefits are thoughtfully designed to support us in this ambition. Compensation will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. The compensation range is $110,000-$125,000. A comprehensive compensation plan will include a competitive benefits package.

Statement of Non-Discrimination

Noble is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, making all employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other characteristic or classification protected by law.