Human Resources Assistant Director

Old Town School of Folk Music; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, IL seeks a dedicated Human Resources Associate Director - Faculty & Labor Relations to support the HR department with a primary focus on teaching positions, including faculty recruiting, onboarding, training, and performance evaluation.

The role works directly with the Collective Bargaining Unit, serving as the HR representative for administrative meetings, employee relations, and labor relations, ensuring CBA compliance and advising on complex union

Qualifications

• 5–7+ years of progressive HR experience with at least 3 years in labor relations or CBAs.
• Bachelor’s degree in HR, IR, Business Administration, or related field.
• Strong knowledge of labor law (NLRA) and contract administration.
• Experience designing HR processes for faculty, adjunct instructors, or nonprofit workforce.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary HR contact for collective bargaining unit interactions and labor/management meetings.
• Oversee full-cycle recruiting, onboarding, offboarding, and retention for teaching positions.
• Design and manage the faculty performance evaluation process and related training.
• Lead internal reviews and HR investigations to address workplace concerns and maintain a compliant environment for teaching staff.
• Drive faculty engagement, health and safety initiatives in alignment with organizational HR strategy.
• Ensure faculty data, contract tracking, and reporting are accurate.

Skills

Labor relations

Union experience

HR policies

Employee relations

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/IR/Business

Job description

The Old Town School of Folk Music seeks a dedicated Human Resources Associate Director - Faculty & Labor Relations to support the HR department with a primary focus on all teaching positions. This role is responsible for facilitating faculty recruiting, onboarding, training, and performance evaluation. This position will work directly with Collective Bargaining Union members, serving as the dedicated HR representative for administrative meetings, employee relations, and labor relations

Essential Functions:

• Serve as the primary HR contact for collective bargaining unit interactions, labor/management meetings, and grievance resolutions. Ensure organization-wide compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and consult with legal counsel as needed on complex union or personnel matters.
• Oversee full-cycle recruiting, onboarding, offboarding, and retention programs tailored specifically to teaching positions.
• Design and manage the faculty performance evaluation process. Collaborate with the Education Department to develop and facilitate target training programs, and professional development opportunities.
• Lead fair, objective internal reviews and HR investigations to address workplace concerns, resolve conflicts, and maintain a respectful, compliant, and supportive environment for all teaching staff.
• Drive initiatives that boost faculty engagement, health, and safety. Work closely with the HR Director to align teaching department needs with broader organizational HR strategies.
• Work with HR Generalists to ensure faculty-specific HR data, contract tracking, and reporting are accurate and up-to-date.

Required Qualifications:

• 5–7+ years of progressive Human Resources experience, with at least 3 years directly handling labor relations, unionized environments, or collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Industrial/Labor Relations, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Strong working knowledge of labor law (NLRA), employment regulations, grievance procedures, contract administration, and internal investigation protocols.
• Prior experience managing HR processes specifically for faculty, adjunct instructors, creative professionals, or non-profit workforce structures.

Preferred Qualifications:

• HRCI (SPHR/PHR) or SHRM (SHRM-SCP/SHRM-CP) certification, or specialized labor relations certifications.
• Background in arts education, non-profit administration, performing arts, or higher education institutions.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Salary Range: $85,000 - $95,000 annually

About Old Town School of Folk Music

Chicago'sOld Town School of Folk Music (“OTSFM”) is the largest community school of the arts in the U.S. and a non-profit organization committed to celebrating American music and global cultures. Founded in 1957, Old Town School provides various music, dance, and arts courses to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Whatever one's interest, Old Town School provides broad access to more than 700 weekly class offerings, a broad array of private lessons, and over 400 concerts and community events per year.

Old Town School of Folk Music opened its Lincoln Square facility in 1998 and expanded in 2012. The Old Town School operates two campuses in Chicago's Lincoln Square and Lincoln Park neighborhoods, including world-class concert halls, classrooms, an award-winning music store, and a music resource center. Online classes were introduced in 2020 and students from nearly every state and a dozen countries participated throughout the pandemic. Children's classes are also held at several suburban satellite locations. More information is available atoldtownschool.org.

OTSFMis committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. OTS strives to be an inclusive and equitable organization that reflects the diversity of the city of Chicago. We seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. This is critical to our success as a community-focused organization.