Director of Talent

Rocketship Public Schools; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocketship Public Schools is seeking a Director of Talent to lead regional people strategy, own the Regional Recruiting function, and foster an inclusive, high-performing culture within the Milwaukee area and surrounding region.

Reporting to the Regional Executive Director with a dotted line to the Chief Talent Officer, this role ensures hiring plans align with regional workforce needs and Rocketship's One Network philosophy while coordinating with the broader People Team on compliance and

Qualifications

• Experience leading talent/HR functions, preferably in education or nonprofit sectors.
• Ability to partner with school leaders and national HR teams.
• Strong changemanagement and leadership development skills.

Responsibilities

• Partner with regional and school leaders to translate strategy into people plans.
• Direct regional recruiting and workforce planning to meet hiring goals.
• Drive engagement, retention, and performance initiatives across the region.
• Coach leaders through organizational change and performance improvements.

Skills

Strategic Judgment

Influence without Authority

Relationship Building

Innovation

Coaching & Development

Team Leadership & People Management

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 Summary

The Director of Talent serves as the regional Talent leader, owns regional people strategy, directly leads the Regional Recruiting function, drives organizational effectiveness, cultivates an inclusive and high-performing culture, and proactively anticipates workforce needs to ensure Rocketship remains an exceptional place to work and grow.

The Director of Talent, with input and support from their Executive Director, Chief Talent Officer and other national groups makes values-aligned decisions that strengthen leadership capacity, mitigate risk, and drive long-term talent outcomes across schools and regions. This role also holds direct people-leadership responsibility, managing and developing regional recruiting to ensure hiring strategy is fully integrated with regional talent and workforce planning.

Location: Within one hour of Milwaukee, WI

This position reports directly to the Regional Executive Director and maintains a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Chief Talent Officer. This dual-reporting structure ensures this role is deeply embedded in regional priorities while staying aligned with Rocketship's One Network philosophy as well as national HR strategy, compliance, and culture. The role serves as a critical liaison between school/regional leadership and the broader People Team, helping to drive strategic initiatives, talent alignment, and operational excellence.

This role has direct reporting oversight of Regional Recruiting, ensuring hiring plans, pipeline strategy, and staffing outcomes are tightly aligned with regional performance and culture goals.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Judgment: Applies sound judgment in complex, high-impact decisions.
• Influence without Authority: Gains buy-in and alignment across diverse stakeholders.
• Relationship Building: Develops trust and credibility at every level of the organization.
• Innovation: Challenges assumptions, designs creative solutions, and drives improvement.
• Coaching & Development: Elevates leaders and teams through tailored guidance and feedback.
• Team Leadership & People Management: Directly manages, coaches, and develops a direct report (Regional Recruiting), setting clear goals and holding the function accountable to regional hiring outcomes.

Essential Functions

The following are essential functions related to the role:

Strategic Partnership & Leadership

• Serve as a thought partner to regional and school leaders, translating organizational strategy into actionable people plans that drive engagement, retention, and performance in order to successfully realize and/or exceed the 5 Year eNPS goal for the region.
• Make sound HR decisions; balance compliance with business judgment and empathy with input from the CTO and Legal teams as needed.
• Anticipate workforce trends and recommend proactive strategies to address turnover, leadership readiness, and culture health.
• Lead and coach leaders through organizational change, conflict, and performance