Director of Employee Relations/Human Resources
- Educational Service Center of Central Ohio (ESCCO)
- Columbus, Ohio
- Full Time
Position: Director of Employee Relations
Reports to: Superintendent
Employment Status: Regular/Full-time
FLSA Status: Administrative
Job Description: The Director of Employee Relations is a strategic leader responsible for human capital management, including talent acquisition, employee relations, and professional development, ensuring the district attracts and retains high-quality staff. This role also encompasses critical compliance functions in the Ohio Educational Directory System, serving as the lead for McKinney-Vento Act and Foster Care regulations, and overseeing student enrollment and residency verification to uphold district policies. This position is pivotal in fostering a positive district climate and ensuring adherence to all federal, state, and local educational and employment laws, with a strong emphasis on implementing restorative practices and facilitating constructive conversations to build and maintain healthy relationships within the district and school community.
Qualifications:
Minimum of three years of successful experience as a building principal or district administrator in a school system.
Master’s degree in administration, educational policy, or related field.
Valid Ohio Administrator, Principal, or Superintendent licensure.
Satisfactory criminal background check in accordance with Ohio law.
Such alternatives to the above as deemed appropriate by the Superintendent.
Preferred:
Prior experience in evaluating staff; prior experience in managing, supporting, or overseeing personnel and professional development.
Attention to detail in legal and policy issues.
Genuine enthusiasm for working with staff, families, and students.
Proven leadership abilities and organizational skills; a commitment to collaboration and collegiality.
Valid Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) and Ohio School Counselor Evaluation System (OSCES) Credentialing
Certified in crisis prevention, trauma-informed behavior management
Experience with restorative practices and effective communication strategies.
Essential Functions
Strategic Leadership & Policy Development
Provides strategic HR leadership and guidance to the Superintendent, Executive Leadership Team, and Board of Education, aligning HR initiatives with district mission and strategic goals.
Develops and implements comprehensive HR policies, procedures, and programs, ensuring compliance with federal, state (Ohio Revised Code), and local laws, Board policies, and collective bargaining agreements.
Acts as a consultant and resource to district administrators on personnel matters, including employee relations, performance management, discipline, and legal compliance.
Administers and innovates human capital resources to positively engage employees and support district goals within the Strategic Plan.
Refines and formalizes district processes, including employee handbooks and hiring procedures.
Talent Acquisition & Management
Oversees all aspects of recruitment, selection, hiring, onboarding, and offboarding of all district staff (certificated, classified, exempt, athletics, and administrative).
Creates functional strategies for onboarding, offboarding, supporting, and evaluating all personnel.
Develops and implements effective strategies to attract, recruit, and retain a diverse and highly qualified workforce.
Manages applicant tracking systems, background checks, and licensure/certification verification processes, ensuring compliance with State Board of Education requirements.
Coordinates and leads new employee orientation and induction.
Works with district leaders to determine appropriate staffing levels and ensure efficient personnel allocation.
Monitors and reviews a variety of personnel processes (e.g., postings, interviews, substitute placement, transfers) to ensure efficiency and compliance.
Intentionally participates in recruitment events (meetings, workshops, job fairs) to recruit and support a more diverse staff.
Increases workforce diversity and addresses climate/cultural needs by collaborating with the Leader of School Community Relations on recruitment, onboarding, and retention protocols.
Employee & Labor Relations
Serves as one of the primary contacts and negotiators for collective bargaining agreements.
Interprets and administers collective bargaining agreements, personnel policies, and procedures, ensuring fair and consistent application.
Manages employee grievances, investigations of alleged misconduct, and disciplinary processes, collaborating with legal counsel as needed.
Promotes positive employee relations, employee engagement, and a supportive work environment.
Responsible for effectively coordinating a collaborative process between administration and employees that develops working conditions and compensation to maintain an efficient and effective workforce.
Consults with administrators and staff on a wide variety of sensitive personnel issues (e.g., hiring, promotions, ADA accommodations, return to work) to assist in effective decision-making and enforce all relevant policies, procedures, and regulations.
Investigates grievances and/or complaints from employees, parents/guardians, or other staff to achieve resolutions that provide a healthy work environment, with an emphasis on restorative conversations to facilitate mutual understanding and repair relationships.
Compensation & Benefits Administration
Oversees the administration of employee salary schedules, classifications, and job descriptions, ensuring competitiveness and equity.
Collaborates with the Treasurer’s Office to support employee benefits programs, including health, dental, vision, life insurance, and retirement plans (STRS/SERS).
Performance Management & Professional Development
Directs the development, management, and evaluation of staff in the District.
Develops, implements, and oversees employee evaluation systems (e.g., Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES), Ohio Principal Evaluation System (OPES), and support staff evaluations), providing training and support to evaluators.
Assists principals and district administrators in evaluating the effectiveness of personnel and developing growth-oriented support systems to ensure high levels of performance and recommending personnel for continuing contracts.
Supports the professional growth and development of all staff through various initiatives, including mentorship programs, training, and leadership development.
Facilitates professional learning for the purpose of proactively engaging staff in human resource initiatives, including training on restorative practices and effective communication strategies.
Provides professional development and support to district leaders and staff members with the evaluation systems.
Facilitates professional development specifically related to the local professional development committee (LPDC) and Resident Educator (RE) program.
Serves as the Resident Educator Coordinator for the district and oversight and roll out of the mentoring program.
Facilitates, supports and serves as Co-Chair for the LPDC, ensuring compliance with licensure requirements and collaboration as a lead of the team.
Compliance & Record Keeping
Ensures district compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, including but not limited to FMLA, ADA, EEO, Title IX, Workers' Compensation, and all required trainings. Serving as the lead for PublicSchool WORKS development.
Provides leadership on Title IX and serves as Title IX Coordinator.
Maintains accurate and confidential employee records and personnel files.
Prepares and submits required reports to state and federal agencies.
Supervises the maintenance of manual and electronic Human Resources documents, files, and records (e.g., background information, personnel files, vacancy listings, applicant tracking, substitute acquisition system, HR website).
Prepares a wide variety of complex written materials (e.g., plans, budgets, funding requests, investigative reports, analyses, recommendations, procedures, handbooks) for the purpose of documenting activities and issues, meeting compliance requirements, and other required state and federal reporting requirements.
Provides internal and external reports and presentations as requested.
Maintains respect at all times for confidential information, e.g., personnel information.
Department Management & District Support
Develops and manages the human resources department budget.
Continuously analyzes HR data and metrics to identify trends and inform strategic decisions for continuous improvement of HR practices.
Responsible for the oversight of the district volunteers, including the volunteer system, procedures, handbook, background checks, and application process.
Prepares reports for the Board of Education as needed.
Promotes positive public relations related to human resources.
Serves as a role model for students and staff.
McKinney-Vento Act Compliance & Support
Leads the process for determining eligibility of unhoused youth and unaccompanied minors following all requirements under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Collaborates with families of unhoused youth to support their educational needs, ensuring immediate enrollment and access to educational and other services.
Communicates effectively with school teams on the eligibility of unhoused youth and unaccompanied minors and their access to appropriate resources, including transportation and mental, emotional, and academic support.
Acts as the designated Homeless Education Liaison, ensuring district-wide compliance with McKinney-Vento provisions, including educating all staff on unhoused youth and families’ rights to MVA provisions.
Ensures district policies and practices remove barriers to the identification, enrollment, attendance, and success in school of homeless children and youth.
Foster Care Liaison Responsibilities
Serves as the district's Foster Care Liaison, ensuring compliance with federal and state laws regarding educational stability for children in foster care.
Facilitates the enrollment, re-enrollment, or transfer of children in foster care, including immediate enrollment when necessary.
Coordinates with Franklin County Children's Services, foster parents, and others to facilitate school placement decisions to ensure educational stability.
Collaborates with transportation to arrange necessary transportation for children in foster care to remain in their school of origin when it is in their best interest.
Works with school staff to ensure children in foster care have access to appropriate academic support, services, and extracurricular activities.
Enrollment Management & Residency Compliance
Serves as the Enrollment Director for the district, ensuring alignment with Board of Education policy on the admission of resident students.
Ensures the district upholds policies to support the education of resident students and maintains the integrity of a closed-enrollment district.
Oversees the returning student verification process, ensuring annual compliance with residency requirements.
Collaborates with the Director of Technology and the Data Systems Manager to effectively manage enrollment and verification systems and processes.
Ensures parents/guardians provide the correct and required documentation for enrollment and residency verification.
Verifies the validity and authenticity of all submitted enrollment and residency documents.
Investigates instances of false documents and manages residency challenges when families are suspected of not residing within the district boundaries.
Prepares and issues official letters of withdrawal for non-residency when families are found to be ineligible.
The Bexley City School District Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity, disability, age, religion, military status, ancestry, genetic information, or any other legally protected category in its programs and activities, including employment opportunities.
This job description is subject to change and in no manner states or implies that these are the only duties and responsibilities to be performed by the incumbent. The incumbent will be required to follow the instructions and perform the duties required by the incumbent’s supervisor, who will be appointed as the authority.
Salary: Commensurate with education and experience. $115,000.00 - $148,000.00
Internal applicants must send a letter of intent and resume to Dr. Jason Fine, Superintendent, by 4 pm on Thursday, August 14, 2025.