Director, People & Performance

The Juilliard School • New York, NY

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, People & Performance will partner with the Associate Vice President of Human Resources and the HR team to advance the school’s Human Resources function. This role leads the People & Performance pillar—encompassing HR Operations, Employee Relations (ER), Talent Acquisition, Engagement, and Learning & Development—to cultivate strong people acquisition and development, a positive and safe workplace, and a consistent, high-quality employee experience.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• A minimum of 7–10+ years of progressive HR experience with a strong background in Employee Relations, HR partnering, and full-cycle talent acquisition.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the end-to-end employee lifecycle, including workforce planning, onboarding, performance management, retention strategies, and offboarding.
• Advanced expertise in managing complex employee relations cases, conducting thorough, objective workplace investigations, and guiding disciplinary and grievance procedures.
• Strong foundational knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws, regulations, and institutional reporting requirements.
• Ability to advise managers on union contract compliance and maintain productive labor-management relationships.
• General familiarity with benefit programs and leave administration (such as FMLA, NYS/NYC Leave Laws) to advise employees as needed and coordinate effectively with benefits, total rewards, and legal partners.
• Detail-oriented, with excellent communication, listening, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) needed.
• Ability to maintain the highest degree of confidentiality and diplomacy at all times, having a high level of professionalism, flexibility, and a customer-service-driven mindset.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize multiple assignments and responsibilities.
• Sound judgment, with an open and collaborative style that encourages teamwork and cooperation; serves as a strong role model and coach.
• Demonstrated ability to work with a wide range of constituencies (staff and faculty) with diplomacy and tact.
• Understanding of and commitment to the strategic mission of The Juilliard School.

Responsibilities

• Develop strong, trusted relationships with colleagues across the entire school. Meet regularly with managers to proactively address employee-related issues, identify trends, and develop solutions.
• Provide nuanced employee relations guidance tailored to the distinct cultural and policy environments of both administrative staff and academic faculty constituents. Advise, counsel, and coach managers on complex employee relations and performance management issues. Partner with leadership to develop performance improvement plans (PIPs) and manage the involuntary exit process compassionately and compliantly when necessary.
• Analyze data from multiple sources (HCM-Oracle, employee surveys, exit interviews, etc.) to develop and implement continuous improvement in HR operations and measure the effectiveness of training programs to improve future learning initiatives. Share feedback constructively with managers and use data-driven insights to improve the work environment for current and future staff.
• Establish and maintain modern ER standards, investigation protocols, and process-time targets. Utilize case management software for security and confidentiality of ER related information. Responsible for all Employee Handbook reviews and updates. Serve on the policy committee as requested by the AVP.
• Coordinate closely with Legal, Community and Culture, and Non-Discrimination & Title IX departments to ensure a unified intake process and resolution of employee issues.
• Responsible for investigations, grievance processing for union employees, disciplinary actions, and separations.
• Assist with Labor Relations as needed, working closely with organized staff and management on all labor-management and health and safety issues. In coordination with the AVP, interpret and advise managers and union employees on collective bargaining agreement contracts.
• Partner with school constituents and the People Operations & Engagement Manager to develop innovative recruitment strategies that meet institutional talent needs and ensure equitable sourcing methods and search committee protocols. Enhance employer branding and market open positions creatively to extend sourcing efforts beyond traditional channels.
• Coordinate the comprehensive performance management system and utilize data to inform professional learning and development strategy.
• Partner with the AVP and People Operations & Engagement Manager to provide a comprehensive learning and development strategy that supports employee growth, skill enhancement, and leadership development at all levels.
• Support the AVP in building 'learning-enabled' change management plans and communication toolkits to help managers and staff navigate institutional transformations and minimize operational friction.
• Ensure widespread institutional adoption and understanding of HR policies, job description standards, and performance management practices.
• Support and supervise the HR Partner, People Operations & Engagement Manager, People Operations Coordinator, and the People Operations Assistant by fostering a team culture of collegiality, professionalism, and customer forward philosophy in HR operations.
• Own and optimize the HR service commitment including standards of service, HR office hours and the team's institutional visibility cadence.
• Oversee employee engagement programs and events.
• Partner with the Associate Director, Total Rewards to ensure all employee information in the HRIS system related to new hires, employment status, and the onboarding/offboarding of employees is accurate.
• Responsible for reviewing and approving various HR and payroll transactions.
• In coordination with the AVP, proactively identify problems, developing options and recommendations to drive critical decisions. Review the mitigation of risks, resolution of issues, and management of resources to successfully meet project goals and deliverables.
• Work closely with the AVP of HR and People Operations & Engagement Manager on annual budgets, conducting cost analysis, and estimating expected costs for initiatives.
• Special projects and other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Complimentary admission to all Juilliard performances
• Significant day-of ticket discounts to performances across partner organizations
• Contribution to your 403(b)
• Generous paid time-off policy
• Winter break
• Summer Fridays
• Tuition remission for Juilliard Extension classes for full-time staff

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director