Executive Director of Labor (0994)

Sylvania; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 164,000 - 213,000; Full time

Job summary

San Francisco Unified School District seeks an Executive Director of Labor Relations to lead the district’s labor relations function and act as the primary owner of collective bargaining, contract administration, grievances, and other complex labor matters. You will work to foster productive, sustainable relationships between the District and its 16 employee organizations.

The role collaborates with the Superintendent’s leadership team, Human Resources, Legal, Finance, Operations, the Board of

Qualifications

• Ten to twelve years of progressively responsible leadership experience in K–12 education or the public sector.
• Experience representing management or labor in labor relations and bargaining.
• Ability to solve complex problems, improve systems, and influence outcomes without formal authority.
• Strong analytical skills and data-driven approach to strategy.
• Excellent leadership, management, and customer service standards.

Responsibilities

• Develop, lead, and continuously improve the district’s labor relations strategy.
• Serve as primary labor relations advisor to executive leadership, Board, and managers.
• Lead bargaining with employee organizations, including strategy, proposals, and administration.
• Establish bargaining objectives and cross-functional teams to reflect operational realities.
• Maintain productive relationships with labor partners and represent District interests.
• Advise on labor relations implications of major decisions and oversee contract administration.
• Oversee grievance and dispute-resolution strategy, including complex matters.
• Train principals and managers on collective bargaining agreements and practices.
• Develop systems, timelines, and service standards for Labor Relations and monitor performance.

Skills

Leadership experience

Stakeholder management

Negotiation skills

Data-driven decision making

Policy interpretation

Communication with senior leaders

Cross-functional collaboration

Discretion in sensitive matters

Public-sector experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree (B.A. / B.S)

Tools

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Job description

Job Class: 0994

Salary Range: $164,038.33 - $213,383.00/annually

Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt

Calendar: Full Time / Full Year

Who We Are

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is the seventh largest school district in California, serving more than 50,000 students who speak more than 44 documented languages across 121 schools in the city of San Francisco every year. We aim for every student who attends SFUSD schools to discover his or her spark, along with a strong sense of self and purpose, and that all students graduate from high school ready for college and career, and equipped with the skills, capacities and dispositions outlined in SFUSD’s Graduate Profile. Every day in our quest to achieve this mission we provide each and every student the quality instruction and equitable support required to thrive in the 21st century.

What It Means to Work Here

The SFUSD community is unified by our Core Values:

• Student-centered: We put students’ needs first
• Fearless: We persist through challenges
• United: We celebrate and build on each other’s strengths
• Social Justice: We stand with those most vulnerable in our community
• Diversity-driven: We respect and seek to understand each person

We are also inspired by Vision, Values and Guardrails which captures our aspirations and vision for the future of public education in San Francisco. Alongside the District’s strategic plan. SFUSD is reimagining how public education will change over the next decade to meet the dynamic future of San Francisco. As a CORE district, SFUSD is also a leader in critical systems change for more comprehensive school accountability and innovations that help strengthen the instructional core, which is the foundation of our strategic plan and goals.

Who We Want

As the Executive Director of Labor Relations (0994), you will lead the San Francisco Unified School District’s labor relations function and serve as the primary owner of collective bargaining, contract administration, labor-management relations, grievances, dispute resolution, and other complex labor matters. The Executive Director is responsible for fostering productive, positive, and sustainable relationships between the District and its 16 employee organizations.

The Executive Director will develop and implement a comprehensive labor relations strategy that advances District priorities while strengthening relationships with our labor partners. You will work closely with the Superintendent’s leadership team, Human Resources, Legal, Finance, Operations, the Board of Education, school leaders, and other District departments to ensure labor strategy is aligned with the District’s priorities. You will also ensure that District systems and practices effectively support the administration of collective bargaining agreements and the timely resolution of workplace issues affecting our employees.

This role requires a leader who can operate effectively in a highly visible and complex public-sector environment. The Executive Director must navigate competing interests, provide clear and practical counsel, negotiate effectively, exercise sound judgment and discretion, and distinguish between matters requiring formal dispute resolution and those best addressed through collaboration and problem solving.

The Executive Director will lead and develop the Labor Relations team and establish the systems, processes, and expectations necessary to deliver timely, consistent, equitable, and legally compliant labor relations services across the District.

Essential Duties

The duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to the job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive or exhaustive list.

As the Executive Director of Labor Relations (0994), you will:

• Develop, lead, and continuously improve the District’s labor relations strategy in alignment with SFUSD’s priorities.
• Serve as the District’s primary labor relations advisor to executive leadership, the Board of Education, and people managers.
• Lead and oversee collective bargaining with the District’s employee organizations, including bargaining strategy, proposals and counterproposals, costing, communications, implementation planning, and agreement administration.
• Establish clear bargaining objectives and lead cross-functional teams to ensure negotiations reflect operational realities, fiscal constraints, workforce considerations, and District priorities.
• Build and maintain productive, professional relationships with labor partners while effectively representing and advancing the interests of the District.
• Advise executive leadership and the Board of Education on the labor relations implications of major organizational, staffing, compensation, operational, and policy decisions.
• Oversee the administration and interpretation of collective bargaining agreements and promote consistent application of contractual provisions across schools and departments.
• Lead the District’s grievance and dispute-resolution strategy, including oversight of complex grievances, arbitrations, unfair labor practice matters, and other labor-related proceedings.
• Identify patterns and systemic issues arising from grievances, negotiations, and labor-management interactions and recommend changes to District policy, practice, training, systems, or collective bargaining agreements.
• Train and advise principals and people managers on collective bargaining agreements, labor relations practices, and management responsibilities to proactively support compliance with District agreements.
• Partner with Legal Counsel, Human Resources, Finance, and other departments to address complex labor and employment matters and ensure coordinated implementation of labor agreements.
• Develop proactive approaches to resolving workplace and labor-management disputes before they escal early to formal proceedings, when appropriate.
• Maintain current knowledge of applicable California employment and education law, collective bargaining requirements, Board policies, and District agreements and practices.
• Ensure District leaders receive timely, practical, and consistent guidance regarding collective bargaining agreements, bargaining obligations, grievances, past practices, and other labor relations matters.
• Establish systems, protocols, timelines, and service standards for the Labor Relations Department and monitor performance against established expectations.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for the Labor Relations Department and use data to continuously improve departmental performance and service delivery.
• Analyze trends in grievances, disputes, settlements, bargaining, and contract administration to identify opportunities for systemic improvement and risk reduction.
• Communicate complex labor relations matters clearly and concisely to senior leaders, managers, employees, labor representatives, the Board of Education, and other stakeholders.
• Maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in highly sensitive, complex, and consequential matters.
• Manage, coach, and develop Labor Relations staff to deepen individual expertise, strengthen collective efficacy, and build the department’s capacity to serve the District.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Performs other related duties as assigned

The strongest candidates will have:

• Ten (10) to twelve (12) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in K–12 education or the public sector, including several years of significant labor relations experience representing either management or labor. Experience may include service as a district or public-agency administrator, labor relations leader, union leader, or elected officer of a labor organization.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to build trusting and effective working relationships with senior leaders, labor partners, school leaders, employees, and colleagues
• Previous experience as a system-level leader in education, with demonstrated ability to solve complex problems, improve systems, and influence outcomes without relying on formal authority.
• Demonstrated success leading, coaching, and developing high-performing teams and individuals.
• Strong analytical and systems-thinking skills, with the ability to use data to inform strategy, identify systemic challenges, and build effective systems and infrastructure where none exist.
• Excellent leadership and management skills and high professional standards for customer service, responsiveness, and quality of work.
• Ability to work effectively across multiple functions and levels of a large, complex organization and to lead cross-functional work toward shared outcomes.
• Ability to operate effectively in high-pressure environments, exercise sound judgment, and manage confidential, sensitive, and consequential matters with discretion.
• Strong technology skills, including proficiency with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A. / B.S) from an accredited college or university
• Five years of related professional-level experience

Substitution

• Up to 4 years of education requirement may be substituted for additional experience on a year-for-year basis

What We Offer

SFUSD offers a competitive salary of $164,038.33 - $213,383.00/annually commensurate with experience in a similar position. We offer a comprehensive benefits plan including dental and vision plans, a defined benefit pension plan, disability, life insurance, flexible spending account options and vacation time. We also offer an inclusive and equity-centered environment where we encourage staff to bring their whole selves to work.

Verification

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at http://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification from this and future job opportunities with the San Francisco Unified School District.

Nondiscrimination Statement and Grievance Procedures

San Francisco Unified School District prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, sexual harassment and bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, nationality, national origin, immigration status, ethnic group identification, ethnicity, age, religion, pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy or lactation, including medical conditions or recovery, parental, marital, and family status, reproductive health decision making, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sex, sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military or veteran status, or genetic information, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, or any other basis protected by law or regulation, in its educational program(s) or employment.

Any person may report discrimination, including sex discrimination, sexual harassment, or discrimination on the basis of a physical or mental disability (whether or not the reporting person is alleged to be the victim of the discriminatory conduct) in person, by mail, by telephone, or by email, using the contact information for the District's Title IX Coordinator.

District Title IX Coordinator

Eva Kellogg

Office of Equity

555 Franklin Street, 3rd Floor

San Francisco, CA, 94102

415-355-7334 or [e-mail]

For more information and the District's nondiscrimination policy, please review Board Policy 4030. For more information about the District's Sexual Harassment policy, please review Board Policy 4034.