Description Position Summary:
The Director of HR Operations leads the strategic vision, administrative infrastructure, and operational compliance framework for Noble Schools' human resources function across 18 locations serving 1,600+ employees. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, this role ensures high-quality, data-driven execution across HRIS, payroll governance, and total rewards operations, in addition to leading a team of direct and indirect reports. The Director serves as the senior operational leader responsible for optimizing HR systems, safeguarding state and federal regulatory compliance, and driving seamless execution across network-wide People operations.
Key Job Responsibilities
1. Strategic HR Operations & Leadership
- Establish the overarching strategy and operational roadmap for Noble's HR function, driving system efficiency, cross-departmental integration, and high-quality service delivery for 1,600+ staff across 18 locations.
- Serve as the senior operational leader for complex HR inquiries, process optimizations, and cross-functional People Team initiatives.
- Manage high-level relationships with third-party vendors, brokers, software providers, and benefits carriers to ensure maximum ROI and service quality.
- Deliver exceptional project management and data systems management.
2. Payroll Strategy & Governance
- Provide executive oversight of network-wide semimonthly payroll execution to ensure 100% accuracy, timeliness, and legal compliance across exempt and non-exempt instructional and operational staff.
- Oversee payroll system configurations, tax compliance (federal, Illinois state, and municipal), wage-and-hour compliance, and salary/stipend structure updates in the HRIS.
- Drive cross-departmental alignment between Payroll, Finance, and Campus Operations to streamline timekeeping, bonus/stipend disbursements, and end-of-year compensation processing.
3. Total Rewards Strategy, Administration, & Fiduciary Oversight
- Direct the strategic administration and compliance of Noble's retirement offerings, including the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund (CTPF) for licensed educators and the 401(k) retirement plan.
- Ensure strict regulatory adherence, accurate reporting, timely employer/employee contribution remittances, annual non-discrimination testing, 5500 filings, and statutory audit compliance.
- Serve as the primary liaison with third-party retirement administrators, auditors, legal advisors, and CTPF representatives to resolve complex pension and 401(k) escalations.
- Oversee network-wide credentialing, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) teacher licensure tracking, and professional educator endorsement compliance for all instructional staff.
- Lead compliance workflows for statutory requirements, background checks, mandatory training, and worker eligibility verifications.
- Own enterprise HRIS strategy, driving continuous system enhancement, reporting dashboard automation, and data integrity to inform leadership decision-making.
- Oversee Total Rewards delivery, including health/dental/vision plans, Open Enrollment execution, life/disability insurances, and leave-of-absence policies (FMLA, statutory paid leave).
4. People Manager
- Direct Team Leadership: Directly manage, coach, and evaluate three operational leaders-setting clear performance goals, conducting regular 1:1s, and fostering continuous professional growth.
- Indirect Oversight & Team Scaling: Provide indirect leadership and overarching direction for broader HR Operations team members, ensuring aligned workflows, balanced workload distribution, and high-quality execution across the entire team.
- Operational SLA & Performance Standards: Establish departmental KPIs, service level agreements (SLAs), and quality assurance metrics to monitor team performance, streamline daily operations, and maintain high satisfaction across all campuses.
- Capacity & Resource Planning: Oversee team bandwidth, cross-training initiatives, and development to build a resilient, scalable HR Operations function, capable of supporting organizational needs and initiatives.
Key collaborators for the Director of HR Operations include Chief People Officer, the broader People Team, members of the Finance team (Chief Financial Officer, Senior Director of Finance, Controller), campus leaders (Principals, Campus Operations Leaders)
Ideal Qualifications
- Experience: 8-10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, with at least 3-5 years at a Manager or Director level overseeing HR operations, payroll systems, and compliance.
- Sector Background: Deep experience in a K-12 public school district, Charter Management Organization (CMO), or mid-to-large education non-profit strongly preferred.
- Technical Expertise: Advanced expertise in enterprise HRIS/Payroll platforms (e.g., Paycom, Workday, ADP), advanced Excel skills, and experience managing multi-tiered retirement platforms (pension/401k).
- Compliance Knowledge: Comprehensive understanding of Illinois labor laws, ISBE teacher licensure/credentialing standards, Faith's Law, ERISA/401(k) regulations, and CTPF pension reporting rules.
- Mission Alignment: Deep commitment to anti-racism, educational equity, and alignment with Noble's core values (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Follow-Through; Humility and Self-Awareness; Respect; and Results).
- Education: Bachelor's degree required; SPHR, SHRM-SCP, and/or Master's degree in related field preferred.
Compensation & Benefits
We strive to be the best place to work, and our employee benefits are thoughtfully designed to support us in this ambition. Compensation will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. The compensation range is $110,000-$125,000. A comprehensive compensation plan will include a competitive benefits package.
