Human Resources Manager

Abington Friends School, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania

Abington Friends School is seeking a thoughtful, capable, and highly collaborative Human Resources Manager to help strengthen the people systems that support our vibrant Quaker school community.This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced HR generalist who enjoys hands-on work, values relationships, and wants to make a meaningful impact in a mission-driven educational environment. The Human Resources Manager will serve as a trusted resource across the school, administering payroll and all payroll-related functions, benefits, employee relations, hiring processes, onboarding, compliance training, employment documentation, and HR operations. 

Why This Role Matters

AFS is investing in a more dedicated and sustainable HR function. Historically, many HR responsibilities have been shared across school leaders and the Business Office. This new role is intended to bring those responsibilities into clearer focus and provide employees and managers with a consistent HR point of contact. The Human Resources Manager will help build the next chapter of HR at AFS. That means improving onboarding, guiding hiring committees, tracking required training, administering payroll and benefits, supporting employee relations matters, and helping standardize important processes. It is foundational work, and it matters. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys building while doing. There will be systems to improve, processes to document, questions to answer, and people to support. Some days will be technical. Some days will be relational. Most days will be both.

What You Will Do

As Human Resources Manager, you will:

• Serve as the primary day-to-day HR resource for faculty, staff, administrators, and school leaders.
• Administer payroll and all payroll-related functions through ADP, including employee changes, deductions, timesheet coordination, pay-related documentation, and payroll data accuracy.
• Coordinate benefits administration, working with ADP, PlanSource, and benefits providers.
• Help employees understand HR processes, benefits, training expectations, and employment documentation.
• Support employee relations matters with professionalism, confidentiality, fairness, and care.
• Partner with division heads and school leaders on performance documentation, coaching, employee concerns, and personnel processes.
• Support hiring committees by providing guidance on legal interview practices, equitable hiring, process consistency, and documentation.
• Assist with job postings, candidate communication, applicant tracking, and hiring administration.
• Build and maintain a more consistent onboarding experience for new employees.
• Administer and track required trainings through Vector/SafeSchools or related platforms.
• Help develop an annual training calendar that is clear, realistic, and aligned with school needs.
• Generate and maintain letters of agreement and employment documentation in coordination with school leadership.
• Strengthen HR recordkeeping, process documentation, and employee communication.
• Serve as a collaborative member of the Business Office team.
• Bring flexibility, good judgment, and a willing spirit to a small-team environment.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for an HR professional who brings both technical competence and emotional intelligence. The strongest candidates will be comfortable working independently, but will not operate in a silo. They will be able to make sense of ambiguity, build trust quickly, and move work forward without losing sight of people.

Strong candidates will bring:

• Five to seven years of HR generalist experience preferred; candidates with three to five years of strong, relevant experience may also be considered.
• A bachelor's degree.
• Experience administering payroll, benefits, employee relations, recruitment administration, onboarding, documentation, and compliance.
• Strong attention to detail and excellent follow-through.
• Sound judgment and discretion with confidential information.
• Ability to support difficult workplace conversations with clarity and care.
• Comfort working in a diverse, mission-driven community.
• Flexibility and a team-oriented approach.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• A practical, service-minded HR approach.

Experience in an independent school, educational setting, nonprofit, or mission-driven organization is preferred but not required. Experience with ADP, PlanSource, Vector/SafeSchools, or similar systems is also helpful.

Who Will Thrive Here

You may thrive in this role if you:

• Like HR work that is close to the people and close to the work.
• Are comfortable being both a doer and a trusted advisor.
• Can bring order to messy processes without making people feel steamrolled.
• Understand that schools are communities, not factories.
• Appreciate collaborative decision-making and thoughtful discernment.
• Can work with people who may see the same issue differently and help them find a path forward.
• Are energized by building structure in a place that values humanity.
• Can manage details without losing the bigger picture.
• Know when to listen, when to document, when to escalate, and when to simply help someone understand the next step.

Work Schedule

This is a full-time, on-site role. The Human Resources Manager is expected to work during normal business hours. AFS provides reduced working hours during selected times of the year.

About Abington Friends School

Abington Friends School is a Quaker independent school grounded in inquiry, reflection, integrity, inclusion, and respect for every person. Our community is warm, diverse, thoughtful, and deeply committed to creating an environment where students and adults are known, valued, and challenged to grow. We are not looking for someone who wants to drop a corporate HR playbook onto a school and call it a day. We are looking for someone who can bring structure, consistency, and sound HR judgment while honoring the collaborative, reflective, and community-centered values that define AFS. The right person will be practical, steady, flexible, and discerning. They will understand that good HR is not just about policies and forms, though those matter. It is also about trust, communication, fairness, and helping people move through complicated moments with clarity and care.

AFS is a place where people think together, work through complexity together, and seek alignment through conversation and discernment. We are looking for an HR Manager who will appreciate that culture and help strengthen the systems that allow it to thrive.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Abington Friends School is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome candidates who will contribute to a diverse, inclusive, and respectful school community. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

To Apply

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter describing their HR experience, interest in Abington Friends School, and alignment with this hands-on, community-centered role.