Director of Employee Experience & Professional Learning

Pendergast Elementary School District•Phoenix, AZ

9h•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Employee Experience & Professional Learning serves as the district’s enterprise leader for workforce development, employee engagement, and professional learning systems. Reporting to the Chief Talent Officer (CTO) and housed within Human Resources, the Director is responsible for designing, leading, and continuously improving integrated systems that shape the employee experience across the full employee lifecycle, including career development pathways and coaching structures that support employees in clarifying goals and planning for long-term growth. This role unifies employee engagement, onboarding, professional learning, leadership development, and compliance-related training into a coherent, high-impact talent system. The Director ensures that all employees—teachers, administrators, and support staff—are supported through intentional onboarding, continuous learning, career planning, and culture-building practices that strengthen performance, retention, and organizational effectiveness. In alignment with the district’s strategic plan and core values, the Director partners closely with district and school leaders to align adult learning, career development, and engagement strategies with instructional priorities and workforce needs. Through data-informed decision-making and a continuous improvement mindset, the Director advances a positive, inclusive organizational culture and ensures professional learning and career development systems contribute meaningfully to employee growth, leadership capacity, and student success.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Education, Human Resources, Organizational Leadership, or related field.
Previous experience in progressively responsible roles in professional development, human resources, talent management, instructional leadership, or organizational learning.
Demonstrated success designing and managing large-scale training, engagement, and culture systems in education or a complex organization.
Strong leadership, facilitation, adult learning, and change management expertise.
Effective listening and relationship-building skills with the public, staff, students, media, and school guests.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written.
Diplomatic, tactful, and effective consulting, facilitation, and presentation skills.
Advanced database, record-keeping, and technology skills (e.g., LMS platforms, engagement dashboards).
Excellent verbal, written, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Education, Human Resources, Organizational Leadership, or related field.
Experienced public school educator
Experience as a successful public school leader
Experience with learning management systems, digital credentials, and blended learning models
Background in leadership development, coaching, and employee engagement initiatives
Valid Arizona administrative certification or eligibility for appropriate certification.
Such alternatives to the above required and preferred qualifications as the Superintendent / Designee may find appropriate and acceptable.

Responsibilities

Lead districtwide employee experience and engagement initiatives aligned to the district’s strategic plan and Enterprise operating model.
Design and implement employee engagement strategies addressing recruitment, onboarding, retention, morale, and workplace culture.
Facilitate employee surveys, focus groups, and feedback forums; analyze results and recommend continuous improvement actions.
Lead and design employee events and communication forums in collaboration with communications and strategic partnerships.
Build collaborative relationships across schools, departments, and leadership teams to support a culture of accountability, service, inclusion, equity, and high performance.
Design and support voluntary, interest-based employee experiences that build community, foster connection, promote well-being and further develop organizational culture across the district.
Support employee relations practices that promote positive employer–employee relationships and high levels of morale.
Design, implement, and manage a comprehensive districtwide professional development system for all employee groups.
Identify, contract with, and manage internal and external training providers, consultants, and learning partners.
Oversee onboarding, instructional training, leadership development, compliance training, and ongoing professional learning programs.
Implement and manage in-person, hybrid, and digital learning platforms, including learning management systems (LMS), micro-credentialing, and online certification.
Apply research-based, equity-centered best practices in adult learning to ensure training is relevant, inclusive, and effective.
Establish performance metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of employee engagement, professional development, recruitment, retention, and culture initiatives.
Analyze data to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities; adjust programs accordingly.
Provide regular reports and strategic recommendations to the Chief Talent Officer and executive leadership.
Partner with principals and district leaders to align site-based professional learning and engagement strategies with district priorities and student achievement goals.
Support recruitment, onboarding, and retention efforts by aligning training and engagement strategies to workforce needs.
Collaborate with Educational Services, Operations, Technology, and Communications to ensure coherence across enterprise initiatives.
Perform such other duties and assume such other responsibilities as may be assigned by the Superintendent/Designee.