[2026-2027] Director of Talent and HR

Director of Talent and HR

The Director of Talent and HR serves as Yu Ming Charter Schools senior leader for talent and HR systems outcomes and execution across the full employee lifecycle. Reporting to the Chief Operations Officer and serving on the Network Leadership Team, this role is accountable for designing, implementing, and continuously improving talent systems that ensure Yu Ming attracts, develops, retains, and exits staff in ways that are equitable, legally sound, and aligned to the schools academic model and values.

This role explicitly owns talent system effectiveness and outcomes, not just processes. The Director of Talent and HR balances strategic leadership with disciplined execution, ensuring that talent systems support instructional excellence, staff sustainability, and long-term organizational growth.

The Director of Talent and HR does not primarily function as a recruiter or generalist HR manager. Instead, they act as the strategic architect and operator of the employee lifecycle, with particular accountability for teacher retention, performance management, leadership, and people-management capacity, and foundational learning and development systems for non-instructional staff, while ensuring HR operations are strong, compliant, and predictable.

ABOUT YU MING CHARTER SCHOOL

Yu Ming Charter School is a non-profit tuition-free network of public schools located in Oakland and San Leandro, and open to all residents of California. As a leader in Mandarin Immersion education, our mission is to nurture our inclusive and diverse community to become empowered, engaged, and outstanding global citizens.

We currently serve 1,060 students across three campuses and continue to grow our enrollment each year. Our intentionally diverse student body comes from many racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds, representing 70 zip codes across the Bay Area and 29 home languages. Founded in 2011, Yu Ming is the first Mandarin immersion public charter school in the state.

We believe every child, regardless of their background or zip code, deserves a free high-quality education that prepares them today to succeed tomorrow. Ranked the 7th Elementary School and the 2nd Elementary Charter School in California by U.S. News, Yu Ming is a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and a 2020 and 2023 California Distinguished School.

Yu Mings future-forward model prepares young people to succeed and thrive in an interconnected and multicultural world through personalized and rigorous learning experiences, active student agency, whole child, and community focus, and multilingual education. As a result, our students far outperform their peers in the district, county, and state, regardless of socio-economic status, race, language background, and learning differences. We are closing the opportunity gap for our historically underserved students every day.

To learn more about our innovative school, visit our website: www.yumingschool.org.

A Strong Director of Talent and HR at Yu Ming

Owns and advances a multi-year network-wide talent strategy aligned to Yu Mings instructional model, equity commitments, and growth priorities.

Diagnoses and measurably improves teacher and staff retention through system design, manager capability, and clear performance expectations.

Designs and implements coherent performance management and learning systems that support staff growth, accountability, and sustainability.

Builds talent recruiting and HR systems that function reliably without consuming disproportionate leadership capacity.

Is trusted by principals and network leaders as a thought partner and risk manager, not just a service provider.

Uses data, structured listening, and change management to improve adult experience and organizational outcomes over time.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Talent Strategy and System Ownership

• Owns and evolves a coherent network-wide talent strategy aligned to Yu Mings instructional model, equity commitments, and multi-year organizational priorities.
• Translates strategy into clear executable systems with defined roles, timelines, and success metrics.
• Maintains a multi-year staffing outlook and succession plan for key roles in partnership with cabinet leadership.
• Regularly assesses talent system effectiveness and recommends adjustments based on data trends and organizational needs.

Talent Acquisition and Onboarding

• Designs and oversees high-quality recruiting and selection systems that produce strong candidate pools and equitable hiring outcomes.
• Ensures hiring processes are consistent, legally compliant, and aligned to Yu Mings expectations for instructional and operational excellence.
• Builds and maintains talent pipelines for hard-to-fill and high-impact roles.
• Partners with principals and hiring managers to support effective hiring decisions and mitigate hiring risks.
• Ensures onboarding systems prepare staff to be successful quickly with clarity around expectations, performance standards, and support structures.

Performance Management and Career Pathways

• Designs and implements a cohesive performance management framework that supports staff growth, accountability, and retention.
• Establishes clear performance expectations, documentation practices, and feedback cycles for non-instructional and network staff.
• Develops foundational career pathways for non-instructional staff, prioritizing clarity, consistency, and transparency over complexity.
• Partners with principals and managers to strengthen performance conversations, improvement planning, and follow-through.

Learning and Development

• Designs and implements foundational professional learning systems for non-instructional staff that build core competencies and role effectiveness.
• Supports principals and network leaders in developing coaching, feedback, and people-management skills.
• Aligns learning and development efforts with performance management systems to ensure coherence and impact.
• Establishes clear goals and indicators to assess the effectiveness of learning and development investments.

Employee Relations and HR Partnership

• Serves as a trusted advisor to principals and leaders on complex employee relations matters, including performance concerns, PIPs, disciplinary action, investigations, and exits.
• Ensures employee relations processes are legally compliant, equitable, well-documented, and aligned with Yu Mings values.
• Provides guidance and decision support to leaders navigating high-stakes people situations.
• Maintains appropriate confidentiality, discretion, and professional judgment in all employee matters.

HR Operations and Compliance

• Partners with the COO and Operations team to ensure strong HR operations, including credentialing, contracts, benefits, leaves, immigration support processes, and compliance.
• Builds and maintains reliable systems for documentation, tracking, and reporting.
• Ensures HR operations are proactive, predictable, and not crisis-driven.

Data Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

• Owns and analyzes key talent data, including retention, exits, performance trends, and hiring outcomes.
• Uses data to identify risks, diagnose system gaps, and inform continuous improvement.
• Regularly reports on talent system health, risks, and priority areas to senior leadership.

Leadership and Collaboration

• Serves as an active member of the Network Leadership Team.
• Leads cross-functional implementation of talent initiatives, managing change and stakeholder communication.
• Manages talent team, including HR Manager, HR Assistants, and Talent Consultants, to ensure strong execution and internal capacity.
• Models sound judgment, solutions-oriented systems thinking, and calm leadership in complex and high-stakes situations.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 7 years of experience in talent, HR, or people operations with demonstrated ownership of both strategy and execution.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders on complex employee relations matters, including performance management and exits.
• Demonstrated success designing and implementing talent and performance management systems.
• Experience in K-12 or mission-driven organizations strongly preferred.
• Strong data literacy and ability to use information to drive decisions.
• Deep alignment with Yu Mings mission and equity commitments.

TIME COMMITMENT

• 12-month contract

SALARY AND BENEFITS

• Yu Ming offers a generous salary and benefits package, including:
• $107,000 - $123,000 annual salary, depending on relevant years of experience, non-negotiable.
• 100 core benefits coverage on select plans, medical, dental, vision.
• Free Access to an Employee Assistance Program, offering a variety of services, including counseling and legal aid.
• Optional Life insurance, short-term, and long-term disability.
• Pre-tax transit benefits.
• 403(b) and 457 retirement plans.
• 10 PTO days per calendar year.
• Up to 9 accrued sick days per calendar year.
• Additional time off during school breaks (Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, Spring Break, etc.).

TO APPLY

Interested candidates should apply at: http://syumingcharterschool.bamboohr.com/jobs

Application submission screening and initial phone interviews will be completed on a rolling basis.

Yu Ming Charter School is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity at all levels.