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Salary: USD 145,000 - 165,000 / annual
SchooLinks is seeking a Director of Talent & Performance to work directly with the CEO on designing and implementing people strategies for a high-growth, performance-driven edtech company. This is not a traditional HR role—the company explicitly seeks someone who thinks like a coach, acts like a strategist, and drives results like a GM.
You will lead the talent function with one direct report (HR Operations Manager) and own two primary priority areas: (1) Talent Acquisition—building a rigorous hiring process to recruit top performers; and (2) Performance Management—implementing a top-grading framework (9-box talent grid) across the organization. You will also support HR compliance, HR risk management, and day-to-day people operations.
The role requires an operator-first mindset with a "coach up / manage out" philosophy. You must be comfortable with conflict, direct feedback, and high standards. You'll need strong understanding of KPIs across departments, excellent negotiation skills, and the ability to maintain diplomacy while driving accountability. Success is measured by developing trusted relationships across all organizational levels, increasing talent density, creating clear performance differentiation, faster resolution of underperformance, and building a culture where values are lived rather than merely stated.
SchooLinks operates with PACE at its core: Performance-Driven, Above & Beyond, Caring Candor, and Effort & Ownership. The company is building a championship team with high expectations and radical candor.
Benefits include 100% health care coverage for employees, 401(k) with company matching, dental & vision, parental leave, subsidized gym membership, remote work stipend, and annual team offsite.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 5+ years of experience leading people organizations, ideally in enterprise software and SaaS
- Strong understanding of performance management and top-grading philosophy
- Strong sense of fiscal responsibility and budget management
- Required mindset: operator first, coach up/manage out orientation, comfort with conflict and direct feedback, bias toward action and clarity, respected for judgment not just empathy, energized by high standards and accountability, operates with urgency
- Experience that helps: implementing 9-box or similar talent frameworks, background in high-growth/high-expectation environments, track record of coaching leaders through tough people calls and managing out underperformance effectively, familiarity with Amp It Up or similar performance-driven philosophies
- Bonus: experience working with founders or executive teams, part of a company that scaled rapidly, personally made and stood behind difficult people decisions
