Executive Director of Labor (0994)

San Francisco Unified School District•San Francisco, CA

34d•Onsite

About The Position

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is seeking an Executive Director of Labor Relations (0994) to lead its labor relations function. This role is the primary owner of collective bargaining, contract administration, labor-management relations, grievances, dispute resolution, and other complex labor matters. The Executive Director is responsible for fostering productive, positive, and sustainable relationships between the District and its 16 employee organizations. The Executive Director will develop and implement a comprehensive labor relations strategy that advances District priorities while strengthening relationships with our labor partners. This role requires a leader who can operate effectively in a highly visible and complex public-sector environment, navigate competing interests, provide clear and practical counsel, negotiate effectively, exercise sound judgment and discretion, and distinguish between matters requiring formal dispute resolution and those best addressed through collaboration and problem solving. The Executive Director will lead and develop the Labor Relations team and establish the systems, processes, and expectations necessary to deliver timely, consistent, equitable, and legally compliant labor relations services across the District.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree (B.A. / B.S) from an accredited college or university
Five years of related professional-level experience
Up to 4 years of education requirement may be substituted for additional experience on a year-for-year basis
Ten (10) to twelve (12) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in K–12 education or the public sector, including several years of significant labor relations experience representing either management or labor.
Experience may include service as a district or public-agency administrator, labor relations leader, union leader, or elected officer of a labor organization.
Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to build trusting and effective working relationships with senior leaders, labor partners, school leaders, employees, and colleagues
Previous experience as a system-level leader in education, with demonstrated ability to solve complex problems, improve systems, and influence outcomes without relying on formal authority.
Demonstrated success leading, coaching, and developing high-performing teams and individuals.
Strong analytical and systems-thinking skills, with the ability to use data to inform strategy, identify systemic challenges, and build effective systems and infrastructure where none exist.
Excellent leadership and management skills and high professional standards for customer service, responsiveness, and quality of work.
Ability to work effectively across multiple functions and levels of a large, complex organization and to lead cross-functional work toward shared outcomes.
Ability to operate effectively in high-pressure environments, exercise sound judgment, and manage confidential, sensitive, and consequential matters with discretion.
Strong technology skills, including proficiency with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Responsibilities

Develop, lead, and continuously improve the District’s labor relations strategy in alignment with SFUSD’s priorities.
Serve as the District’s primary labor relations advisor to executive leadership, the Board of Education, and people managers.
Lead and oversee collective bargaining with the District’s employee organizations, including bargaining strategy, proposals and counterproposals, costing, communications, implementation planning, and agreement administration.
Establish clear bargaining objectives and lead cross-functional teams to ensure negotiations reflect operational realities, fiscal constraints, workforce considerations, and District priorities.
Build and maintain productive, professional relationships with labor partners while effectively representing and advancing the interests of the District.
Advise executive leadership and the Board of Education on the labor relations implications of major organizational, staffing, compensation, operational, and policy decisions.
Oversee the administration and interpretation of collective bargaining agreements and promote consistent application of contractual provisions across schools and departments.
Lead the District’s grievance and dispute-resolution strategy, including oversight of complex grievances, arbitrations, unfair labor practice matters, and other labor-related proceedings.
Identify patterns and systemic issues arising from grievances, negotiations, and labor-management interactions and recommend changes to District policy, practice, training, systems, or collective bargaining agreements.
Train and advise principals and people managers on collective bargaining agreements, labor relations practices, and management responsibilities to proactively support compliance with District agreements.
Partner with Legal Counsel, Human Resources, Finance, and other departments to address complex labor and employment matters and ensure coordinated implementation of labor agreements.
Develop proactive approaches to resolving workplace and labor-management disputes before they escalate to formal proceedings, when appropriate.
Maintain current knowledge of applicable California employment and education law, collective bargaining requirements, Board policies, and District agreements and practices.
Ensure District leaders receive timely, practical, and consistent guidance regarding collective bargaining agreements, bargaining obligations, grievances, past practices, and other labor relations matters.
Establish systems, protocols, timelines, and service standards for the Labor Relations Department and monitor performance against established expectations.
Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for the Labor Relations Department and use data to continuously improve departmental performance and service delivery.
Analyze trends in grievances, disputes, settlements, bargaining, and contract administration to identify opportunities for systemic improvement and risk reduction.
Communicate complex labor relations matters clearly and concisely to senior leaders, managers, employees, labor representatives, the Board of Education, and other stakeholders.
Maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in highly sensitive, complex, and consequential matters.
Manage, coach, and develop Labor Relations staff to deepen individual expertise, strengthen collective efficacy, and build the department’s capacity to serve the District.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Performs other related duties as assigned.