Managing Director of Human Resources

Managing Director of Human Resources

About the Opportunity

The Managing Director of Human Resources is an executive-level leader responsible for overseeing Democracy Prep’s HR infrastructure, employee relations strategy, and compliance systems across the organization. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, this leader operates at the systems level to ensure the organization’s people policies, processes, and employee lifecycle systems are implemented consistently, effectively, and in alignment with Democracy Prep’s mission and values. The Managing Director of Human Resources serves as a strategic partner to senior leadership while also ensuring the successful execution of HR operations across the network. This role directly manages key leaders across the People Team and is responsible for strengthening systems that support employee relations, performance management, compliance, and HR operations. This is a critical leadership role responsible for ensuring Democracy Prep’s people systems scale effectively to support a growing and evolving organization.

Who You Are

• A self-reflective and self-aware teammate dedicated to aligning your work with Democracy Prep’s commitment to antiracism and contributing to a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• A strategic systems leader with a strong understanding of HR infrastructure and experience designing scalable systems that support large organizations.
• An experienced manager with a track record of building strong teams and leading leaders across multiple HR functions.
• A leader with a strong sense of urgency and exceptional attention to detail who drives work forward with precision, accountability, and follow-through.
• A trusted advisor who can navigate complex employee relations matters and provide sound judgment in sensitive situations.
• A thoughtful decision-maker who can synthesize complex information, weigh risk, and make clear and timely decisions.
• A collaborative partner who builds strong relationships with school leaders and central office teams to ensure effective people management across the network.
• A professional who demonstrates exceptional discretion and integrity when handling confidential information.

What You’ll Do

HR Strategy & Executive Leadership

• Partner with the Chief People Officer to design and execute Democracy Prep’s enterprise human resources strategy.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to senior leaders and network leadership on complex employee relations, organizational health, and people management challenges.
• Participate in executive and network leadership discussions related to organizational design, staffing strategy, and workforce planning.
• Ensure HR systems and policies support the organization’s long-term strategic priorities and operational needs.
• Provide leadership and oversight across core HR functions to ensure consistency and alignment across teams.

Employee Relations & Organizational Health

• Oversee the organization’s employee relations framework, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant handling of employee concerns, investigations, and disciplinary processes.
• Provide strategic guidance on complex employee relations matters and investigations.
• Ensure consistent implementation of performance management processes across the organization, including disciplinary actions and performance improvement plans.
• Partner with legal counsel and executive leadership to mitigate organizational risk and ensure compliance with employment laws.
• Monitor trends in employee relations issues and proactively identify opportunities to strengthen leadership capacity and workplace culture.

Leadership Coaching & Development

• Provide strategic consultation and coaching to senior leaders and school leaders on people management, team health, and organizational culture.
• Support leaders in navigating complex personnel decisions and organizational challenges.
• Ensure school leaders and managers have the tools, guidance, and support needed to effectively lead their teams.
• Collaborate with Talent, Total Rewards, and People Operations teams to ensure coordinated support across the employee lifecycle.
• Directly manage and develop leaders across Democracy Prep’s HR function.
• Build strong systems of accountability, collaboration, and professional growth across HR functions.
• Alongside other People Team leadership, establish clear priorities, metrics, and processes to ensure the delivery of high-quality support to staff across the organization.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement within the HR team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in a related field preferred.
• 5–10 years of relevant experience in human resources, including significant experience in employee relations and HR leadership.
• Demonstrated experience leading HR teams and overseeing complex HR functions.
• Strong knowledge of employment laws and HR compliance requirements.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage sensitive and complex personnel matters with sound judgment and discretion.
• Experience working in education, nonprofit organizations, or similarly complex mission-driven organizations strongly preferred.

Compensation & Work Environment

Salary range for this role is $170,000 to $190,000 and is commensurate with equivalent experience leading development in the education or another nonprofit space. Democracy Prep staff members are provided with comprehensive benefits and a working environment that includes the necessary technology and resources to succeed. Democracy Prep employees work on a hybrid schedule with three days based in our New York City office and two days at home each week. Some evenings and weekends will be required, including attendance at board meetings, fundraising events, or other network events.

Equal Opportunity Statement

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.