Director, Employee Experience

About KIPP NYC:
Founded in 1995, KIPP NYC Public Schools is a non-profit network of 18 free, public charter schools located in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. We partner with families and communities to create joyful, academically excellent schools where every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities.

From our first middle school, KIPP Academy in the Bronx, to today’s network of eight elementary schools, nine middle schools, and one high school, KIPP NYC provides students with engaging academics, arts, athletics, and social–emotional learning that prepare them for college, career, and beyond.

Our commitment doesn’t end at graduation. Through KIPP Forward, we continue to support our alumni as they navigate college, career, and life, helping them define success on their own terms and pursue the paths that align with their goals and sense of purpose.

Together, we serve more than 9,400 students, support 4,700 alumni, and employ over 1,100 dedicated team members who bring passion, expertise, and commitment to our mission every day.

Position Overview

The Director of Employee Experience is a senior leader responsible for leading employee relations strategy and workplace investigations across KIPP NYC. Reporting to the Managing Director of Talent & Employee Experience, this leader ensures that our people systems are clear, consistent, values-aligned, and designed to support high performance in the service of students and families.

The Director owns employee relations, investigations, performance evaluation systems, performance intervention processes, and the annual intent-to-return cycle. This role ensures that employee concerns are addressed with consistency, fairness, and care, while maintaining compliance and mitigating organizational risk. The Director will partner closely with school and regional leaders to navigate complex employee matters, strengthen performance management practices, and foster a positive, equitable work environment.

As a key member of the Talent & Employee Experience Team, the Director directly manages two team members and partners cross-functionally with Legal, Finance, Technology, Marketing & Communications, and other central teams to ensure coordinated, compliant, and equitable people practices across KIPP NYC.

This is a full-time position with a hybrid schedule, requiring a minimum of three in-person days per week based out of our KIPP NYC Midtown Manhattan office. The role also includes travel to KIPP NYC campuses across the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. The cadence and frequency of school visits will be determined by your leadership team.

Duties and Responsibilities:

General responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

Employee Relations & Performance Systems

• Own employee relations strategy and execution across KIPP NYC, ensuring equitable, timely, and consistent resolution of concerns
• Lead employee investigations with discretion and rigor, aligned to policy, legal requirements, and KIPP NYC’s values
• In partnership with the Managing Director:
  • Lead and continuously refine performance evaluation systems to ensure clarity, alignment, and accountability
  • Design and oversee performance intervention plans, maintaining centralized standards while supporting leaders through implementation
  • Own the annual intent-to-return process, including design, communications, timelines, execution, and alignment to performance outcomes and staffing strategy
  • Ensure documentation, compliance, and equitable application of all employee experience processes

Proactive Employee Engagement & Organizational Health

• Lead proactive strategies that strengthen engagement, retention, and professional culture across the network
• Equip leaders with early-intervention tools to address performance, attendance, professionalism, and interpersonal concerns constructively and consistently
• Analyze trends in employee experience data to identify root causes, inform preventative strategies, and drive continuous improvement
• Ensure that people systems reinforce a culture of  excellence, belonging, and accountability

Leadership Partnership & Organizational Alignment

• Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders across the organization on complex employee relations and performance matters
• Coach and develop leaders to address complex and sensitive employee matters with clarity, empathy, and consistent alignment with KIPP NYC’s standards, policies, and expectations. 
• Ensure leaders understand and effectively implement policies, procedures, and timelines
• Balance centralized ownership of people systems with a strong partnership, ensuring leaders feel supported while maintaining organizational consistency

Team Leadership & Systems Excellence

• Manage and develop two team members through clear goal-setting, coaching, and feedback
• Strengthen and streamline systems, workflows, and documentation related to employee relations, performance management, and annual cycles
• Continuously improve processes to ensure scalability, clarity, and alignment across the organization

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree a plus
• 7+ years of progressive experience in employee relations (education or nonprofit experience preferred)
• 4+ years of people management experience
• Demonstrated ownership of investigations, performance management systems, and intervention processes
• Strong judgment and discretion with highly sensitive matters
• Proven ability to balance empathy with accountability
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage competing priorities
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and anti-racist practices in people systems and leadership

Compensation and Benefits:

KIPP NYC offers a salary ranging from $115,000 - $144,000. Salary ranges at KIPP NYC are standardized based on role level and role function. Individual salaries are determined through a lens of equity, accounting for years of experience relevant to the role and scope of responsibilities, and are benchmarked against others within the same salary band.

KIPP NYC offers a generous benefits package, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Robust benefits that include medical, dental, and vision.
• 403(b) retirement plan with a 50% match after 6 months.
• Generous Time-Off aligned with the school calendar
• Up to 12 weeks of 100% parental leave.
• Bright Horizon Back-up Child and Elder care.
• Employer-paid Life Insurance and Short-term / Long-term disability.
• Employee incentives include an 8-week paid Sabbatical after 10 years, annual professional development funds, and tuition reimbursement.

This description is intended to describe the type of work being performed by a person assigned to this position. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities required by the employee.

This is a full-time, in-person role based in New York City and will require travel to our schools. If you are not in a school-based position, the cadence and frequency of travel to schools is determined by your leadership team. If you relocate outside of a commutable distance or out of the state of NY, your employment will be subject to review, which may include separation from KIPP NYC. It is important that you notify HR if you move or have plans to relocate.

KIPP NYC LLC does not offer visa sponsorship or work authorization. 

KIPP NYC LLC is committed to creating a welcoming environment that includes employees with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We believe that enables us to better meet our mission and values while serving students and families throughout New York City. 

KIPP NYC LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. KIPP NYC LLC is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment.