Manager, People and Culture

ABOUT OUR SCHOOL

Atlanta International School (AIS) is a preschool to grade 12 private, non-profit school with language immersion and International Baccalaureate (IB) Curriculum in the Buckhead area of Atlanta.

Our mission is simple - To develop courageous leaders who shape their world for the better. The core values that drive our school are:

• The joy of learning and purposeful effort.
• Mutual respect and understanding in an intentionally inclusive and intercultural community.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

AIS employs 300+ employees to make up an incredibly diverse and international workforce. The Manager, People & Culture leads the (AIS) human resources function, including but not limited to recruiting, compensation and benefits, policy creation and implementation, employee communications and relations, development, training and performance management. This is a true generalist role that impacts all facets of the employment experience at AIS.

Reports to: Head of Finance & Operations

Department: Human Resources

Classification: Full-Time, Exempt

Start Date: Immediate

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Talent Management

• Accountable for the full employee life-cycle including recruitment, orientation, on-boarding,
• Retention, training and development alignment with business needs.
• Oversees and guides decisions regarding processes and policies, ensuring consistency and fairness.
• Provides guidance, direction and oversight to the HR department. The current HR team consists of a full-time payroll/HR generalist and two part-time HR assistants. 
• Handles highly confidential and sensitive information appropriately and ensures communication
• of critical employee issues with appropriate school leaders. Makes recommendations on employee and culture-impacting matters.
• Support school leaders in talent and performance management including coaching team and school leaders in performance issues, including delivering feedback, documentation and termination decisions.
• Runs the recruitment and selection process for all senior-level vacancies and manages annual recruitment of 15-30 teachers annually, including offer letters/contracts, correspondence, travel and new hire orientation logistics.

Employee Relations

• Provides HR expertise and consultation to ensure compliance with applicable labor and
• employment practices.
• Provides guidance on incentive programs and leads all performance management initiatives.
• including annual reviews.
• Leads the design, development and implementation of school-wide training and initiatives related to legal requirements, new policies, etc.
• Responsible for reviewing, developing and updating employment policies and handbooks, as needed.
• Regularly conducts internal audits (classifications, employee files, etc.) to ensure controls are in place and compliant with all applicable federal, state and local laws.
• Conducts efficient, impartial and confidential internal investigations.

Internal Communications & Employee Engagement

• Ensures that the employee perspective is represented in conversations and decisions that impact the employee experience.
• Develops significant internal communications (emails, policies, trainings, videos, intranet updates) to keep AIS colleagues informed and engaged.
• Organizes and chairs an employee engagement committee that brings employees from across the organization together to solve cultural and systems-based challenges.

Data, Payroll, Benefits & Compensation

• Responsible for benefits strategy (medical, supplemental benefits, 403B plan, disability, etc.) contract negotiations, benefits administration, annual audits and open enrollment process. May serve as a trustee, plan administrator and fiduciary for benefit programs.
• Able to analyze the current state of employee data and make recommendations for appropriate systems upgrades (HRIS, applicant tracking systems, for example), as needed.
• Provides data for various compensation and market surveys. Interpret, analyze and present results and insights to the Senior Leadership Team.
• Maintains annual budgets for compensation, immigration, relocation and benefits spend. 
• Manage annual employee contract renewal process, including generating contracts and offering guidance to employees, as needed.
• Accountable for bi-monthly payroll and management/use of payroll system to ensure immediate and accurate access to employee information. This role serves as back-up to the payroll specialist.
• Overall management and facilitation of FMLA benefits in accordance with applicable laws.

Immigration

• Responsible for visa application, maintenance and reporting (J1/J2, H1B, PERM applications/Green Cards, etc.). Solid understanding of immigration system is essential.
• Manages relationship with external immigration counsel, as well as annual immigration budget, internal process and employment agreements

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE/SKILLS

Demonstrates proven expertise and a track record of success as a team leader with expert abilities to lead, inspire, and motivate people, including:

• High level of intercultural competence, including experience working across diverse teams, employees and ideally in multiple international contexts.
• Strong analytical ability, including intermediate to advanced data-analysis, reporting and presentation skills. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to build effective cross-functional relationships as this role works closely with all educational and operational school teams.
• Experience with DEI reporting and strategies as they pertain to recruiting and retaining a highly diverse workforce.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• 5-7+ years in HR generalist roles with demonstrated management experience.
• 2-3 years experience working in a school or academic setting is highly desirable but not required.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Atlanta International School is deeply committed to diversity among our staff and applicants of diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

TO APPLY

To apply for this role, please send a resume and cover letter as attachments, using ‘Manager, People and Culture’ as the subject heading.

We will contact those applicants whose skills and experience best match our needs. Due to the high volume of applications, we regret that we are not able to take or return phone calls regarding employment.