Job Description

ABOUT OUR DISTRICT:

The Syracuse City School District is undergoing a new phase of innovation and transformation with the goal of ensuring that all students graduate high school with the skills needed to be ready for college and career. For Syracuse, all means all. The School Board and Syracuse community have charged the Superintendent with improving student achievement, and she is seeking a dedicated and diverse team of educators to partner with her in moving the district toward its goals.

The Syracuse City School District represents 35 schools and programs, including 6 high schools, 6 middle schools, 6 K-8 schools, 13 elementary schools, and 4 alternative education programs, serving approximately 19,000 students Pre-K–12. Of these students, 82.3% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, 20.1% are served by the Office of Special Education, and 83% are students of color.

The Executive Director of Staff Relations is responsible for leading and managing the staff relations program for the Syracuse City School District. This role involves overseeing personnel investigations, contract negotiations, administration of collective bargaining agreements, and personnel policies. The Executive Director ensures a safe and productive workforce, fair administration of agreements, supports positive employee relations, and coordinates staff evaluations and development programs. Assist with the coordination of legal matters for the District and works with outside counsel to ensure an effective and efficient representation of the District.

REPORTS TO: Senior Director of Staff Relations

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Acts as negotiator for the School District; prepares for and conducts contract negotiations with bargaining units to arrive at mutually satisfactory agreements on wages, hours and working conditions.

• Ensures that the administration of collective bargaining agreements and policies relating to personnel administration are conducted in dignity, fairness and truthfulness.

• Recommends appropriate members of the administration to serve on the negotiating team.

• Identifies and compiles necessary data used in negotiations.

• Recommends tentative agreements to the Superintendent for approval and makes recommendation to the Board of Education.

• Facilitate legal matters with outside counsel and assist counsel with the effective representation of District matters including discovery, witness preparation, and informing the Superintendent.

• May recommend personnel policies and personnel placement to the Superintendent for approval and makes recommendation to the Board of Education.

• Discusses requests from non-represented employees and employee groups on wages, hours and terms and conditions of employment, and recommends to the Superintendent results of these discussions.

• Plans, organizes and assists in the representation of the District in fact-findings, arbitration, mediation and representational proceedings.

• Acts as official designee of the Superintendent at appropriate stages of the grievance process, serving as hearing officer for personnel and student hearings when so designated.

• Coordinates all aspects of contract administration during the term of various contracts with employee organizations, ensuring appropriate evaluation of all staff with the various bargaining units.

• Interprets the negotiated contracts to members of the administration and staff.

• Regularly communicates with the union units in order to maintain and enhance positive employee relations.

• Assists the appropriate administrator in the coordination of investigation and documentation of alleged unsatisfactory performance and improprieties by employees of the District.

• Assists in the prosecution of disciplinary hearings where appropriate.

• Establishes and enhances relationships between building administrators, professional and non-certified staff, parents and the community.

• Supervises the staff relations team including recruitment, interviewing and selection of candidates, fringe benefits, job descriptions, wage and salary administration.

• Prepares and maintains statistical information on all personnel and submits the necessary statistical reports to various governmental agencies and the Board of Education.

• In conjunction with other designated administrators, initiates, prepares, and administers appropriate in-service and staff development programs with District responsibilities for evaluation, professional development, remediation, and performance improvement.
  
  

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Thorough knowledge of principles and practices of personnel administration and employee relations as practiced under applicable state and federal civil service and labor legislation.
• Good knowledge of contractual agreements covering employees in the district.
• Good knowledge of principles and practices of public administration inclusive of organizational principles, management principles, fiscal processes, and personnel administration.
• General knowledge of the law and legal procedure.
• Good knowledge of principles and practices of supervision.
• Ability to orally present clear and logical arguments on a wide variety of issues at negotiation sessions.
• Ability to analyze information gathered for the purpose of making recommendations and decisions.
• Ability to prepare detailed and complex correspondence for the purpose of explaining and supporting decisions and recommendations.
• Ability to supervise a small number of professional, paraprofessional, and clerical employees.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience in labor relations and negotiations or personnel function, preferably in a school setting. JD preferred.
• Applicants should possess or be eligible for NYS School District Administrator (SDA) or School District Leader (SDL) certification or meet Civil Service qualifications.

This position is a supervisory Superintendent’s appointment. As such, it is not a probationary appointment and may be terminated at any time. The selected candidate will knowingly waive rights under New York Education Law or Civil Service Law to a permanent appointment or to Section 75 rights under Civil Service Law. Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of the district’s hiring requirements, including fingerprinting clearances.

SALARY: $174,338 185,360 (2026-2027)

Competitive salary and benefits. Refer to the District’s Unit 3 (A) Benefits Handbook for Unrepresented Administrators.