Director of Workforce Strategy & Operations

The Director is based in the JSCEE and oversees decisions on hiring, promotions, and transfer within the Seattle Public Schools. The Director establishes and communicates consistent, equitable, transparent, and well-documented standards that prioritize student safety and learning, align with bargained processes, and are implementable by Human Resources staff.

Reporting to the Human Resources executive leader, the Director supervises HR Operations staff, as well as the Employment Services, Class/Comp/Benefits, and Central Office teams within Human Resources, including HRIS.

The Director oversees Seattle Public Schools’ talent and workforce planning, staffing development, recruitment, hiring, and retention strategies, and directs employee classification, compensation, benefits programs, reporting, records management, and HR Operations. The position aligns talent with organizational needs and available resources in coordination with Finance; provides strategic direction for salary and classification systems, compensation, and benefits administration; and maintains a working knowledge of SPS collective bargaining agreements.

As a member of the Human Resources leadership team, the Director provides leadership; develops knowledge, skills, and leadership capabilities; fully leverages technology and data to support effective decision-making; collaborates with all HR staff and with school and central office leaders; and directs high-quality, timely, relevant, and measurable service to schools, departments, employees, candidates, labor partners, and other constituents.

Across all assigned functions, the Director provides visible, accessible, and respectful leadership through regular engagement with HR staff and other internal constituents; establishes clear decision-making standards, review criteria, and procedures, and holds themselves and HR staff accountable for their consistent application; addresses concerns promptly; establishes and expects adherence to quality-assurance practices; develops staff performance through coaching, feedback, training, succession planning, and consultation;

and seeks feedback to ensure responsive, high-quality service.

The Director collaborates with the Human Resources leadership team, Labor and Employment Relations, Legal, Risk Management, Finance, and school and central office leaders to coordinate interdependent work, interpret laws, regulations, policies, and collective bargaining agreements, resolve complex issues, mitigate risk, manage staffing costs, and promote consistent district wide practices.

The Director uses data, metrics, audits, workforce trends, and constituent feedback to inform HR staff decisions and direction, monitor outcomes, identify disparities and risks, and evaluate the effectiveness of policies, practices, and services. This position models continuous improvement, sets expectations, and establishes processes for it.

The Director fosters trust and accountability through clear communication, consistent application of standards, timely decision-making, transparency, and respectful engagement with candidates, employees, labor partners, school and central office leaders, and other SPS constituents.

• Directs the District’s decision-making on eligibility for hire across all regular, hourly, certificated, classified, leadership, substitute, temporary, and other position types, as well as on eligibility for promotion or transfer for existing employees.

• Ensures that candidate eligibility reviews evaluate relevant facts and records, legal and regulatory requirements, certification or licensure requirements, background and clearance information, employment history, District policies, collective bargaining agreements, and other job-related considerations, including prior determinations.
• Leads processes that make timely, equitable, and well-documented eligibility determinations that prioritize student safety and learning while considering each situation’s unique facts and Seattle Public Schools’ workforce planning.
• Establishes eligibility standards, review criteria, decision protocols, and documentation requirements for all position types. Reviews complex or high-risk cases to ensure legally compliant decisions that align with bargained processes and District workforce planning.
• Directs the development and implementation of eligibility-specific training, tools, and guidance for consistent application of standards and clear…