KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of free, open enrollment, college preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and life. There are 255 KIPP schools across the nation and the District of Columbia, serving more than 100,000 students. Nationally, KIPP students are graduating at 3x the national average for low-income students.

Founded in 2008 with 50 students in 5th grade, KIPP Columbus currently serves nearly 2,000 students in grades Kindergarten through twelfth.  The mission of KIPP Columbus is to create a system of schools where students develop the intellectual, academic, and social skills needed to understand and take action on issues they encounter in everyday life. 

KIPP Columbus continues to rank as one of the top five schools for academic growth of any school in the state of Ohio, and is a top performing urban school in the state for academic growth. In our second class of graduating high school seniors in the spring of 2021, 100% of students were accepted to college with over $20 million in merit scholarships from colleges and universities awarded.

In addition to academic excellence, KIPP Columbus also partners with more than 100 community organizations to provide extracurricular activities, programming, health and wellness services, meals, and more to KIPP students, families, and the broader community. KIPP is also a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, offering more than 10 varsity sports. 

The KIPP Columbus learning campus will continue to advance student learning, expand partnerships, enable superior programming, and serve as a teaching and leadership lab for schools nationwide, reimagining education through a deeper lens of antiracism, excellence, and joy.  

Interested in learning more about our school?  Please check out our website: https://www.kippcolumbus.org/

The Opportunity

The primary responsibility of the Human Resources Associate is to support the Human Resources Director in our efforts towards success in onboarding, supporting/payroll, and retaining the talented teams that we will need in order to best serve our KIPP Columbus students, families, and team.  The Human Resources Associate scope of work includes administrative, compliance, and payroll oriented tasks.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

Benefits, Compensation & Attendance:

• Coordinate operations for all health and welfare benefits programs (not limited to primary medical, dental, disability, Retirement Systems, etc.) in conjunction with HR Director to ensure employee needs are being met

• Cross-train on employee compensation information and support the finance team in administration of payroll on behalf of Human Resources

• Manage the Namely system overall from new hire onboarding, employee time off requests, and employee closeout

• Monitor and maintain accurate time off record of all KIPP employees

Employee Relations & Policies:

• Support the HR Director in the effort to manage personnel issues and labor relations situations, providing support and counsel to employees and managers, consulting with outside legal and other resources as appropriate

• Support the HR Director in the effort to ensure that policies and procedures are in compliance with federal and state labor laws and regulations

• Support the creation, maintenance, and distribution of staff handbook and employee policies

• Maintain confidential human resources files 

Onboarding, Exiting Process, & Human Resources Systems:

• Collaborate with HR Director, hiring managers and other staff to develop and implement onboarding, off boarding processes, and programs

• Coordinate new hire onboarding training and setup for payroll

• Coordinate staff exit process

• Coordinate the employee claims process

• Coordinate open enrollment for health insurances

• Participate in continued implementation and maintenance of an HRIS (Human Resources Information System) and HR intranet site or comparable resource. The current HRIS is Namely,

• Ensure training sessions for all staff and hiring managers are setup in PublicWorks 

• Ensure all new hire training session are setup and completed prior to approved start date

• Contribute to implementation and maintenance of Staff Performance Management systems and programs

• Contribute to employees qualifications and credentialing process for offer letters and audits

• Coordinate staff retention initiatives including but not limited to KIPP Columbus celebrations, staff socials, and teacher appreciation week gifts 

• Support student recruitment and enrollment activities as needed

• Other duties as assigned

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university

• At least 3 years of successful experience and demonstrable results in a related human resources, employee relations, and employee benefits 

• Excellent customer service skills

• Judgment; ability to handle sensitive employment information with discretion and confidentiality as appropriate.

• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook 

• Knowledge of human resources best practices and legal/compliance requirements

• Demonstrated ability to multi-task and work within an ambiguous, fast-moving, start-up environment, while driving toward clarity and solutions

• Commitment to building relationships and trust with leaders, teachers, students, parents, and the community of Columbus

• Adept at thinking strategically, translating plans into action, and exhibiting excellent judgment

• Detail oriented with exceptionally strong follow-up and follow-through skills

• Belief that outstanding school leaders, staff, and teachers can achieve excellent outcomes for all students

• Ability to persevere with a sense of optimism, strong problem solving skills, and desire to learn and grow in a collaborative professional learning community

• Willingness, and commitment, to go above and beyond to prove the possible with students.

• Ability to multi-task and work within an ambiguous, fast-moving, start-up environment, while driving toward clarity and solutions

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Extreme flexibility, with a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate high levels of responsibility and multiple priorities

• Model the values of KIPP Columbus (Imagine, Navigate, Seek, Persevere, Integrity, Responsibility, and Empathy)

Compensation and Benefits

KIPP Columbus offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefit plan including medical and dental insurance, as well as group term life insurance, retirement plan and paid time off.  

Statement of Non-Disclosure

KIPP Columbus is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying to the school for consideration of any position (admission, employment, etc.). KIPP Columbus does not discriminate on the basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 4112.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.