Director, Special Projects - Labor Relations

ABOUT ALLIANCE COLLEGE-READY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools is one of the largest and most successful nonprofit public charter school networks in the nation, operating 26 high-performing, middle and high schools that educate nearly 13,000 scholars who make up the heart of Los Angeles’ Latinx, Black, and recent immigrant communities. Alliance schools have been recognized as among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, the U.S. Department of Education, and the California Department of Education. Since opening our first school in 2004, 95% of Alliance scholars have graduated from high school. We strive to uplift our scholars and their communities by fostering unparalleled educational opportunities that encourage scholarly thought, resilient learning, powerful communication, mind-body wellness, and community advocacy. To learn more, visit www.LAalliance.org.

ROLE SUMMARY

The Director, Special Projects - Labor Relations on the Talent team, in partnership with the Chief People Officer, supports the planning and coordination of labor negotiations and the implementation of any collective bargaining agreement across schools and the network. The Director, Special Projects - Labor Relations will work closely with the Talent Leadership Team, Alliance’s Executive Cabinet, school leaders, and labor partners to center what is best for our scholars and staff alike. The ideal candidate for this position will be a strong project manager, listener, influencer, and executor with an ability to manage myriad stakeholder relationships and an aptitude for identifying and addressing needs. This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced talent professional to take a leadership role in helping Alliance achieve its mission of ensuring equity and excellence for scholars in Los Angeles.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Management

• Oversee the project management of labor negotiation, managing cross-functional engagement and CBA implementation, providing rapid response or resolution, developing project plans, and conducting data analyses.

• Streamline and synchronize the engagement of key stakeholders and leaders for bargaining proposals.

• Coordinate meetings and logistics of bargaining and stakeholder engagement.

• Manage and track progress toward goals for negotiations and labor relations.

• Support the preparation of key members of the collective bargaining team including the Chief People Officer.

• In partnership with key members of the Communication Team, develop strategic communication with stakeholders to support information flow and the bargaining process. 

Leadership and Advising

• Prepare for and lead, in partnership with the Chief People Officer and Counsel, the engagement of key advisors to develop initial and subsequent proposals for bargaining. 

• Advise network leaders on the latest industry trends impacting employee and labor relations and deeply understand school and network data and needs.

• Develop the guidance for and lead the system implementation of any policies related to collective bargaining agreements, which could include the development of training, meeting with key members of school and network leadership teams, and supporting Talent leaders in implementing new policies and practices. 

THE IDEAL CANDIDATES WILL HAVE

• Commitment to Alliance’s core beliefs and mission.

• Knowledge of urban school systems, school environments, and school culture.

• Exceptional project management skills and experience in a context of competing priorities with limited resources and infrastructure; with the ability to efficiently manage multiple projects and deadlines, work across departments and functions, and translate strategies from plans to action.

• Proven track record of effective leadership and ability to navigate complex issues.

• Ability to work effectively in a multi-layered organization, build strong relationships with a variety of home office and school-based colleagues, as well as external stakeholders and labor partners, and lead others to action and implementation. 

• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills with an understanding of the impact that different approaches have on organizational culture and performance.

• Strong conceptual, analytic, and organizational/systems thinking necessary to interpret data, develop strategy, and lead implementation/execution.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey information to a variety of audiences (e.g., large groups, staff meetings, executive briefings, public board meetings, memos, etc.).

• Fluency with Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and other office and project management software.

• Willingness to go above and beyond to contribute to the success of a dynamic team committed to a new future for urban education.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• A Bachelor’s Degree or higher from an accredited college or university in human resources, education, public administration or policy, or a related field

• At least five (5) years of progressive professional work experience in talent and/or public sector work  with at least two (2) focused on labor relations functions 

WORK LOCATION

This position is a hybrid role which will include a combination of working from home, our network office, and travel to school sites. The successful candidate will be given a $400 work-from-home set-up allowance and receive a monthly stipend of $100.

BENEFITS

In alignment with our commitment to equity for our scholars, Alliance is committed to equity and transparency for our team and offers competitive salaries commensurate with experience as well as generous retirement and health benefits. This position is exempt.

• Relocation: Individuals residing outside of the Greater Los Angeles area are eligible for a relocation bonus of $5,000 for individuals and $7,500 for new staff with families/partners.

• Health Insurance: Medical, dental, and vision plan options that are covered at 100% of monthly premiums for individual employees and at least $1,000 per month towards medical family plan premiums. Please click HERE for more information on health insurance.

• Retirement: Alliance Home Office employees are eligible for a retirement allowance equal to 7.5% of their regular yearly earnings. Please click HERE for more information on retirement.

• Paid Leave: Regular full-time 12-month employees receive 8.5 weeks of vacation and paid time off. Additionally, full-time employees accrue 3 weeks of flexible paid time off per year and receive 27 other paid holidays as part of our network calendar.

• Professional Development: At Alliance, we believe in supporting staff growth and development. Home Office staff are allocated $500 per year for professional development expenses.

COMPENSATION

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should submit an application. Please note that only candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.

** PLEASE NOTE: Alliance College-Ready Public Schools requires that all team members be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for the safety of our students, family, and staff. Team members may apply to seek a medical exemption. Regardless of your current vaccination status, our team can advise you on how to fulfill this important requirement so that you can start the position in a timely way. **

Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the requirements, women and other underrepresented people tend to only apply when they match every criterion. If you think you meet some of the qualifications, but don't necessarily check every box in the job description, we encourage you to still apply. If you have questions contact the Staffing Team at JoinUs@laalliance.org.

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools are tuition-free public charter schools that do not discriminate against any scholar, parent, community member, or staff member based on actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.