Director of Talent & People Operations

Unity Prep (Formerly Democracy Prep Stewart Campus) 
San Antonio, Texas 

About the Opportunity

As the Director of Talent & People Operations, you will ensure smooth, efficient, and people-centered talent and people operations across our school. You’ll lead core processes such as recruiting, onboarding, offboarding, people systems administration, compliance tracking, and general employee support—ensuring every team member experiences seamless and consistent support.

You will report to the Regional Superintendent, Virginia Boyce and collaborate closely with other school leaders to deliver excellent service across the full employee lifecycle.

Who You Are

• Detail-Oriented Executor: You thrive on process efficiency, organization, and precision across multiple priorities.
• Service-Minded Partner: You bring empathy and a customer-service orientation to all interactions with staff and leaders.
• Systems Thinker: You enjoy improving workflows, using technology to simplify operations, and maintaining clean, accurate data.
• Discreet and Reliable: You handle sensitive information with care and uphold confidentiality 
• Collaborative and Adaptable: You enjoy being part of a high-performing team and are eager to grow your career in people and talent operations.

What You’ll Do

Talent Acquisition & Compensation

• Manage the full tactical recruitment process from job posting to offer logistics. Expected volume is ~15 roles annually with the bulk of hiring occurring in the Spring for the following school year.
• Create, post, and maintain open job requisitions across multiple platforms (e.g., job boards, LinkedIn, school websites).
• Proactively source candidates through online databases, referrals, and targeted outreach to build diverse candidate pipelines.
• Conduct initial phone screens to assess candidate fit and alignment with organizational mission and competencies.
• Coordinate interview logistics, including communicating with candidates and hiring teams, and preparing materials.
• Track candidate progress in the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and maintain accurate recruitment data and reporting.
• Support reference checks, offer letter preparation, and pre-hire compliance steps
• Keep up to date records related to licensure and Texas-mandated requirements; work directly with employees to ensure that requirements are met and that teacher certifications are kept current
• Lead compensation management, including salary offers and pay band alignment
• Oversee annual salary letter processes, including increases, transfers and promotions.

People Operations

• Manage day-to-day people operations, including employee recordkeeping, data updates, and HRIS administration.
• Oversee onboarding and offboarding processes, ensuring accuracy in documentation, technology setup, and system access.
• Coordinate new hire orientations in partnership with school leadership to familiarize employees with company policies and benefits.
• Lead all payroll processing related functions in partnership with the Finance vendor
• In partnership with school leadership, lead communications on the Texas Incentive Allotment to employees and coordinate financial steps with the finance vendor.
• Administer and audit employment verifications, I-9 compliance, and other required employment records.
• Respond to employee inquiries regarding policies, benefits, PTO, and people systems with accuracy and professionalism.
• Oversee all processes and compliance related to leaves of absence (parental, STD/LTD, FMLA), accommodations, worker’s compensation, etc…
• Maintain compliance with federal and state employment laws and internal policies.
• Lead the annual compliance training process for any state or district required training.
• Drive the annual handbook acknowledgement process.
• Lead all aspects of benefits administration, open enrollment, and employee benefit audits.
• Support employee recognition and engagement, and data-driven improvements to the employee experience.
• Support school leadership with the documentation and tracking of employee relations issues (correction action, improvement plans, etc…) 
• Ensure staff are compensated accurately, including ensuring staff receive the appropriate HB2 allocation as indicated by their Texas service records.

Process Improvement & Systems Management

• Partner with the Regional Superintendent and Fractional Chief People Officer (contractor) to streamline People and Talent processes and documentation.
• Establish and maintain strong systems for service record maintenance, including collecting and evaluating service records during the onboarding process for new employees and keeping up-to-date service records for current employees.
• Identify opportunities to automate or simplify tasks through HRIS utilization, Google Workspace, or other tools.
• Maintain data integrity in HR systems and manage reporting requests as needed.
• Support policy rollouts and employee communications, including creating clear and user-friendly guides or FAQs.
• Maintain relationships with local agencies such as the Educational Service Center, subscribe to TEA policy updates, and attend professional opportunities as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Operations, or related field.
• 2–4 years of experience in People/Talent operations, administration, or people coordination.
• Working knowledge of HRIS systems, employment documentation, and compliance best practices.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• School based experience is preferred, but not required
• SHRM-CP or HRCI certification is preferred but not required.

 Salary range: $74,900 - $87,900, commensurate with equivalent experience for the role. 

Democracy Prep is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, familial status, domestic violence victim status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances. Our mission is to educate responsible citizen-scholars who will change the world. We strongly believe that by building a DREAM team that represents numerous perspectives, backgrounds, and areas of expertise, we can achieve this goal together. This is a value we highly support and strongly encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.