Senior Director, Talent Acquisition

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential. We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

Position Description

The National Senior Director of Recruitment will serve as the strategic architect of Rocketship’s talent acquisition vision, leading all recruitment efforts across 20+ schools in four regions — spanning school-based roles, network office positions, and executive leadership hires. Recognizing that excellent teachers, leaders, and staff are the primary drivers of our mission to eliminate the achievement gap, this leader will design and execute a comprehensive, forward-looking talent strategy that ensures outstanding educators and staff serve every Rocketeer.

Reporting to the Chief Human Resources Officer, the Senior Director will oversee a national team of 10+, setting direction and building capacity to deliver 400+ hires annually while maintaining a sharp focus on equity, diversity, and representation. This leader will expand Rocketship’s reach by cultivating long-term pipelines and strategic partnerships, ensuring that our workforce reflects the backgrounds and lived experiences of the students and communities we serve. Beyond filling roles, the Senior Director will shape how Rocketship shows up in the talent marketplace, elevating our employer brand and strengthening our ability to attract, engage, and retain transformational educators and leaders.

This position may be based in Washington, D.C., Milwaukee, or the Nashville metro area. The role requires approximately 20–25% travel domestically to strengthen partnerships, engage with teams, and maintain a deep connection to local contexts.

The following are essential functions:

• Set and lead the long-term talent acquisition strategy that aligns with Rocketship’s mission and growth goals (400+ hires annually across multiple staff types).
• Partner with senior leadership to forecast workforce needs and build pipelines that strengthen instructional and leadership capacity.
• Champion hiring to ensure  staff demographics reflect the communities we serve
• Position Rocketship as an employer of choice through compelling recruitment messaging and thought leadership in the broader education sector.

• Lead, inspire, and grow a high-performing national team of recruiters, building a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation.
• Coach and develop leaders within the team to strengthen recruitment capability across regions and functions.
• Drive results through clear goal-setting and performance metrics, ensuring talent acquisition outcomes directly support student success.
• Lead team events to drive effectiveness and collaboration, including team professional development, weekly meetings, data analysis, and retreats. Identify supplemental supports (e.g. seasonal recruiters and contractors) as needed
• Set vision and drive forward special projects, including shoulder season hiring, referrals program, interview and selection processes, and school placement 

• Shape Rocketship’s employer brand in partnership with Marketing, ensuring it reflects our values and resonates with diverse talent pools.
• Build and sustain strategic partnerships with universities, residency programs, credentialing institutions, and mission-aligned organizations to secure long-term talent pipelines.
• Innovate talent attraction approaches through research, pilot programs, and omni-channel strategies that expand reach and impact.

• Design scalable, replicable, compliant recruitment systems and leverage technology to improve efficiency, equity, and candidate experience.
• Oversee recruitment analytics to measure ROI, track progress toward strategic hiring goals, and inform leadership decision-making.
• Manage and optimize the recruitment budget, aligning resources with Rocketship’s strategic priorities.

• Knowledge & Skills
• Strategic thinker with proven ability to design and execute long-term talent strategies.
• Exceptional communicator and relationship-builder with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and external partners.
• Data-driven leader who leverages analytics to drive decisions and measure impact.
• Deep expertise in full-cycle recruiting, workforce planning, talent compliance,  and employer branding.
• Demonstrated success leading diverse, high-performing hybrid teams across multiple sites.
• Experience
• 7+ years in recruitment and talent acquisition, including 3+ years in a senior leadership role at a multi-site organization.
• 5+ years of people management experience.
• Experience in K-12 education (charter, district, or nonprofit) strongly preferred.
• Proven track record of advancing and building sustainable pipelines of talent.
• Fit
• Deep commitment to Rocketship’s mission of eliminating the achievement gap.
• Alignment with Rocketship’s values: pursuit of excellence, innovation, community, tenacity, and authenticity.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm for working in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
• Flexibility to travel 20–25% and work occasional evenings/weekends.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb ladders. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

Compensation:

Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), and generous paid time off.

Rocketship Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Rocketship Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Rocketship Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Rocketship Public Schools’ employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated. Click here for our Sexual Harassment Policy.  For questions, concerns, or complaints, please contact Human Resources.