Employee Relations Manager

KIPP • Camden, NJ

2d • $115,000 - $135,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Employee Relations Manager will provide high-touch employee relations support primarily to our South Jersey workforce, with a focus on the Camden region. This role encompasses a broad scope of responsibilities, including managing employee relations issues at the school, regional, and CMO levels; partnering with the HR Operations team on onboarding, benefits, compensation, and self-service tools; supporting performance management and teacher certification; overseeing leave management, reasonable accommodation requests, and workplace investigations; and developing policies and processes that remove barriers so staff have the tools and support they need to focus on the classroom. By fostering a supportive and compliant work environment, this role helps ensure our educators can deliver a world-class education and prepare students for choice-filled lives. This position also requires a deep commitment to the KIPP Team and Family mission of educational equity and to supporting staff so they can create the conditions for students to thrive.
This is a Camden-based, hybrid position requiring in-person presence, with flexibility to work remotely when appropriate.

Requirements

• Knowledge of K–12 education settings, including school operations, instructional workforce dynamics, and the unique compliance needs of charter schools.
• Demonstrated knowledge of HR management, policies, best practices and procedures.
• Strong understanding of state and federal employment and labor laws, including leave, wage and hour, and anti-discrimination statutes.
• Knowledge of HRIS systems and their application in employee data management and reporting.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly in both verbal and written formats.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a high degree of accuracy in documentation, investigations, and compliance-related work.
• Skill in interpreting and analyzing employee relations data, policies, and workplace trends to identify actionable insights and solutions.
• Strong writing skills, with the ability to draft reports, disciplinary actions, employee and manager communications that are clear, precise, and legally sound.
• Strong facilitation skills, with the ability to guide training, lead difficult conversations, and build manager capability.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides), and HRIS platforms for data tracking, reporting, and documentation.
• Ability to adapt to the various needs of the organization and employees while balancing compliance and organizational priorities.
• Ability to multitask and manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to apply critical thinking to gather and evaluate relevant information and evidence to solve problems and make sound, data-informed decisions.
• Ability to leverage relationships with stakeholders at all levels, managing up, down, and across, to build alignment, influence decision-making, and drive results.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment under pressure and in time-sensitive situations.
• Ability to handle highly sensitive information with absolute confidentiality, discretion, and professionalism.
• Ability to travel to school locations to meet with staff and managers as needed.

Responsibilities

• Conduct Employee Relations investigations, including gathering and analyzing facts, applying relevant laws, policies, and past practice to reach conclusions and present findings for further action and proposed remediation.
• Prepare investigation summary reports, track investigations in case management systems, and draft proposed disciplinary documentation as needed.
• Consult with managers and leadership teams to provide guidance to address specific employee performance concerns, including performance improvement plans and involuntary termination processes and practices.
• Guide and train managers in overall performance management concepts in alignment with the organization’s philosophy, practices, and processes.
• Partner with the Leave Manager to provide leave-related support and customer service to employees and managers.
• Manage the full cycle for reasonable accommodation requests, including engaging in the interactive process with employees and leadership to ensure compliance and effective resolution.
• Support employees and managers with workers’ compensation claims, including coordination with external providers and internal stakeholders.
• Lead the regional project planning for KIPP Miami’s renewal cycle, ensuring effective guidance and counsel on annual contract renewals.
• Partner with the Compensation team to respond to compensation-related queries and assist in resolving outstanding matters.
• Ensure compliance with applicable State and Federal employment and labor laws and related wage and hour regulations.
• Engage with internal and external legal counsel to proactively assess risk and conduct due diligence.
• Guide management and leadership teams in navigating various employee and labor relations-related issues to minimize potential employment-related risk and liabilities.
• Partner with relevant stakeholders to develop, conduct, and facilitate a variety of Employee Relations training, such as Performance Development and Evaluations, Management Essentials, Anti-Harassment/Discrimination, and Workplace Behaviors.
• Partner with a school-based operations/leadership team on teacher certification requirements.
• Assist with the execution of annual compliance campaigns as they relate to region-specific and organization-wide mandatory trainings
• Create broad partnerships among school-based, regional, and CMO teams to develop and implement practices that reflect a consistent, fair, and aligned approach.
• Collaborate cross-functionally across school-based, regional, and CMO teams to solve complex employee relations issues.
• Provide support to school-based, regional, and CMO teams on leave management, reasonable accommodations, discipline issues, compensation, and benefits.
• Apply expertise in data analysis and the presentation of data to see beyond the numbers and help inform, influence, support, and execute our talent decisions.
• Investigate ways to measure and visualize existing processes for greater efficiencies.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects that require inputs from cross-functional stakeholders while balancing the impact on the needs of the organization.
• Leverage tools, such as Zen Desk and Wiki, to drive analytics and enable staff to utilize self-service support on routine inquiries.

Benefits

• Robust benefits that include medical, dental, and vision
• KIPP 403b retirement plan, including matching contributions
• A school-issued laptop
• Generous Time-Off Policy
• Up to 12 weeks 100% parental leave for primary caregivers
• Employer paid life insurance
• Extensive optional ancillary benefits including, short term and long term disability and accident and hospital indemnity

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed