Talent and Human Resources Officer

Cleveland Metropolitan School District

About The Position

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) serves approximately 37,000 students in 100+ schools. Over the past several years, the Greater Cleveland community has united behind the collective goal of ensuring every child in Cleveland attends a high-quality school and every neighborhood has a multitude of great schools from which families can choose. The Cleveland Plan defines CMSD’s approach to the reinvention of public education and holds our community accountable for the success of Cleveland’s schoolchildren. The Cleveland Plan is supported by Ohio House Bill 525, which provides much-needed flexibility and autonomy for the district and its schools. Our schools have autonomy over human and financial resources in exchange for accountability for performance. The principal has primary responsibility and accountability for establishing his or her school as a high-quality, high-expectations academic center with a focus on personalized instruction, professional support for teachers, and school-wide practices that lead to measurable results. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District has developed standards of excellence that the district applies to all parts of the organization inclusive of schools, principals, school leadership teams, networks, and central office. Alignment between Standards of Excellence (SoE) and the district’s Theory of Action helps ensure that principals are able to focus on scholar achievement and that central office supports are timely and effective. Our Vision for Learning in a Post-Pandemic World: In our pursuit of a more fair, just, and good system of education, we want each of our learners, both each of our scholars and each of their educators, to be individually and collectively presented with academically / intellectually complex tasks that are worthy of their productive struggle and allow them authentic opportunities to demonstrate their work and their learning of academic content and transferable skills in a joyful and adventurous environment. About the Officer of Talent: The Talent Officer leads the district’s Talent and Human Resources department, with full accountability for the execution, consistency, and results of all people systems across the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD). Reporting to the CEO’s Chief of Staff, the Talent Officer advises the CEO and the CEO’s cabinet, manages a team of 20 dedicated professionals, and oversees the strategy and execution required to attract, engage, develop, and retain an effective and diverse workforce for CMSD. This role requires strong operational leadership, sound judgment, and the ability to manage complex systems in a large, unionized public sector environment. The Talent Officer ensures that CMSD’s people systems operate reliably and equitably, align with district priorities, and support school leaders and central office teams in effectively leading their staff. This leader ensures that the department remains grounded in the district’s: Equity & Inclusion, Student & Community Focused, Growth & Learning, Care & Well-Being, Excellence & Achievement.

Requirements

Successful candidates will demonstrate Executive Influence and Strategic Communication Earns credibility at the executive level by consistently bringing clarity, sound judgment, and a point of view to the most consequential decisions the district faces.
Comfortable challenging assumptions and holding firm on recommendations even in high-pressure environments.
Understands the political, community, and operational dynamics that shape leadership decisions and proactively accounts for them.
Communicates with clarity, respect, and awareness in conversations and interactions with others.
Listens intently and actively to stakeholders; Influences others, understands nuance, and skillfully interprets motivations and perceptions.
Pushes back thoughtfully and navigates challenging conversations to enable better decisions.
Cross-Cabinet Partnership and Team Alignment Fosters a culture of high expectations with shared strategic goals around measurable outcomes and continuous improvement in Talent operations and Talent leadership capacity-building in key stakeholders.
Prepares the Office of Talent and leadership team for effective decision-making conversations, anticipating and organizing key questions and data that support productive discussions about Talent priorities.
Builds coalitions and works collaboratively with diverse stakeholders at all levels, including district personnel, students, families, community and political leaders, and advocacy groups.
Ensures targeted, differentiated professional development is delivered to members of the Talent team.
Talent Expertise & Systems Leadership Maintains a focus on goals and results; establishes clear metrics for success for how Talent plays an essential role in the district meeting its defined student outcome goals
Demonstrates excellent execution, attention to detail, and leadership skills; the ability to balance overarching district goals with detailed steps to achieve academic objectives.
Develops innovative solutions to complex, systemic workforce challenges in a unionized, public sector environment.
Demonstrates an understanding of how effective people systems directly drive student outcomes, and designs HR operations accordingly.
Leads from the perspective of a service provider, policy advisor, thought partner, and capacity-builder for school leaders.
Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required.
Experience managing large teams and holding leaders accountable for results
Demonstrated success leading complex organizational systems and operational functions
Experience supporting leaders in performance management, employee relations, and workforce planning

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred.
Experience in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field preferred; SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent HR certification preferred.
Experience working in K–12 education, public sector organizations, or unionized environments

Responsibilities

Attracting Talent Lead the district’s recruitment and staffing strategy to ensure schools and the central office are staffed with strong and diverse talent.
Drive the districtwide talent acquisition strategy that builds diverse, high-quality pipelines for critical roles across schools and the central office.
Oversee workforce planning and staffing projections to ensure the district is positioned ahead of hiring needs.
Strengthen selection systems and the capabilities of school leaders and hiring managers to ensure equitable, consistent, and mission-aligned hiring decisions.
Engaging Talent Strengthen employee experience and engagement across the district by ensuring effective systems, clear communication, and responsive support for staff and managers.
Lead the strategy and continuous improvement of employee onboarding, with a specific focus on the experience and early retention of teachers.
Oversee the district’s engagement survey (Spark), ensuring results drive meaningful action planning at the school and system level.
Ensure HR systems and people processes operate with the reliability, equity, and responsiveness that staff and leaders depend on.
Developing Talent Strengthen manager effectiveness and performance systems across schools and the central office.
Own the district’s performance management systems, ensuring consistent application of evaluations, expectations, and accountability across union and non-union environments.
Build managers' and school leaders' capacity to coach, develop, and retain strong staff — and to address performance concerns with clarity and fairness.
Support high-stakes employment decisions, including non-renewals, disciplinary actions, and performance improvement, in partnership with district leadership.
Develop and steward career pathway opportunities that recognize and advance strong performers across the district.
Retaining Talent Use data and strong operational practices to support workforce stability and retention.
Use workforce data to identify retention risks, anticipate vacancies, and inform proactive planning across schools, operations, and the central office.
Lead the district’s total rewards strategy — including compensation, benefits, and recognition — to ensure CMSD remains equitable and a competitive employer.
Partner with district leaders to identify and address systemic conditions that drive attrition and undermine workforce stability.
Maintaining legal and regulatory compliance In partnership with the Legal Team, ensure strong labor relations and legal compliance across a unionized, civil service environment.
Oversee the administration and implementation of collective bargaining agreements, ensuring consistent and equitable application across the district.
Maintain sound labor relations practices and trust-based relationships with union leadership throughout contract administration and negotiations.
Advise the CEO and cabinet on labor relations strategy, including during sensitive negotiations or disputes.
Ensure district-wide compliance with licensure requirements, civil service rules, and employment regulations, including Rapback, EEOC, and ADA.
Leading and managing a strong team Serve as the district’s senior operator for Talent and Human Resources, leading a team responsible for key people systems.
Lead and develop a team of 20 professionals across total rewards, performance management, talent pipeline, employee relations, licensure, and data strategy.
Serve as the primary Talent advisor to the CEO and executive leadership, driving alignment between people systems and organizational priorities.
Partner closely with the Chief of Staff to ensure Talent strategy, culture, and operations are integrated with the district’s broader direction.
Ensure that the Office of Talent serves as a valued partner to schools and to the District's leadership.
Manage the performance and effectiveness of the Office of Talent, including the successful monitoring and achievement of the team’s shared goals, and the creation and management of the department’s budget.
Promote and model a positive and collaborative culture and brand for the Talent Office and district by ensuring efficient systems, timely customer service, and accurate, transparent information for all stakeholders.
Champion a people function that school leaders and staff experience as credible, responsive, and consistently fair.