Job Title: Executive Director of Talent Development & Strategic Staffing Initiatives
Wage/Hour Status: Exempt
Reports to: Chief of Human Capital and Talent Development
Pay Grade 08: Administrative
Dept./School: Human Capital & Talent Development Date Initiated: Feb. 2026
APPLY AT: JG consulting
WHO WE ARE
La Joya Independent School District (LJISD) is committed to the success of every student and staff member. With a century-long tradition of excellence in the Rio Grande Valley, we are proud to serve over 22,000 students across more than 30 campuses. Our mission—Educational Excellence: The Right of Every Student—drives our work every day.
We are grounded in five district priorities:
- Customer Service
- Trust & Transparency
- High-Quality Instruction
- Excellence in Leadership
- Integrity & Accountability
We believe that attracting, developing, and retaining high-quality talent is essential to student success.
WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR
We are seeking a transformational leader who believes that people development drives organizational excellence and student success. The ideal candidate is a strategic systems-thinker who can design, implement, and sustain districtwide talent development structures that grow leaders from entry to excellence.
This leader demonstrates:
- A strong commitment to leadership development, mentoring, and succession planning
- Proven experience building coherent hiring and interview systems.
- The ability to design and calibrate evaluation and performance growth frameworks.
- Experience aligning recognition and compensation systems to performance and impact.
- Skill in using data to guide workforce planning, retention strategies, and leadership pipelines
- The ability to collaborate across departments while maintaining a clear focus on development and growth
- A belief that internal talent cultivation and equitable opportunity strengthen district culture and student outcomes
This role is focused on talent development, leadership pipelines, evaluation systems, mentoring, and strategic workforce structures and does not serve as the district’s compliance or employee relations authority.
WHY LA JOYA ISD
You will be joining a district that is building on a strong tradition of athletic and academic excellence while rapidly evolving to create innovative systems that elevate student outcomes through athletics. As Executive Director, you will receive strategic, targeted support in your leadership journey and have access to high-quality, research-based professional development and resources. La Joya ISD is deeply committed to continuous improvement, data-driven decision-making, and fostering a culture of growth—for our students, staff, and athletic programs.
Education/ Certification:
- Master’s degree in Human Resources, Educational Leadership, Public Administration, or a related field required
- Mid-Management/Principal Certification preferred
- Campus and/or Central Office leadership preferred
- TTESS Appraiser Certification required
Experience:
- Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible leadership in human capital, education, or organizational development
- Demonstrated success leading human resources/talent management in a complex public sector or education organization
- Proven experience designing leadership development pipelines, employee engagement initiatives, or succession planning systems
Major Responsibilities and Duties
Strategic Talent Development Leadership
- Align talent development systems to district strategic priorities and academic goals
- Forecast leadership and workforce development needs annually with Academic and Finance teams
- Lead long-term leadership sustainability planning across campuses and departments
Talent Acquisition Systems & Hiring Excellence
- Oversee and refine districtwide recruitment and selection systems
- Develop innovative recruitment strategies for critical shortage areas and leadership roles
- Design, implement, and maintain a districtwide interview and hiring playbook ensuring transparency, consistency, and equity
- Monitor hiring quality metrics and adjust strategies to improve candidate selection and retention
Leadership Development & Pipeline Systems
- Design and sustain leadership pathways for teachers, assistant principals, principals, and central office leaders
- Implement and oversee a Formal Leadership Mentoring Program aligned to district leadership standards
- Build and maintain a Leadership Recruiting & Pipeline System connecting entry, onboarding, growth, and advancement
- Partner with universities and professional organizations to expand leadership pipelines
Evaluation & Performance Development Systems
- Establish and oversee districtwide evaluation criteria and role-specific rubrics for all employee groups
- Ensure BOY–MOY–EOY growth cycles provide clear expectations, actionable feedback, and professional development alignment
- Support supervisors in coaching, targeted improvement planning, and performance conversations
- Maintain calibration and consistency across evaluation practices
Strategic Compensation & Recognition Alignment
- Lead development of a Strategic Compensation Framework aligned to evaluation systems and district priorities
- Support phased implementation of a Performance-Based Compensation Ladder recognizing excellence across roles
- Collaborate with Finance to ensure sustainability, transparency, and equity in compensation alignment
- Align employee recognition structures with evaluation outcomes and engagement data
Data, Dashboards & Continuous Improvement
- Maintain workforce dashboards tracking vacancies, turnover trends, leadership pipeline health, mentoring participation, and evaluation outcomes
- Use real-time data to refine hiring, mentoring, and leadership development strategies
- Pilot innovative tools, technologies, and professional learning systems that strengthen workforce effectiveness
Budget & Resource Management
- Manage talent development program budgets, vendor contracts, and professional development resources
- Support financial modeling related to leadership academies, mentoring programs, and workforce initiatives
Community & Employee Engagement
- Promote the district as an employer of choice through leadership development opportunities
- Lead employee recognition and engagement initiatives tied to performance and growth
- Build partnerships with higher education institutions and leadership organizations to expand professional pathways
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Supervise coordinators, specialists, and program leads within Talent Development
- Establish performance expectations, coaching cycles, and leadership growth plans for department staff
- Develop internal succession capacity within the Talent Development team
WORK ENVIRONMENT
- Office setting with frequent campus visits and leadership meetings
- Occasional evening or weekend responsibilities during hiring and development cycles
- Moderate district travel
PHYSICAL & MENTAL DEMANDS
WORKING CONDITIONS
Physical Demands
Typical demands of an office environment, including extensive computer use and district-wide travel for meetings and events. Lifting and carrying of books, boxes, and audiovisual equipment, light (15-20 pounds), climbing, stretching, visual acuity, walking, pulling, bending, stooping, climbing stairs, reaching, pushing, sitting, kneeling, standing, and twisting, may be required to control behavior through physical restraint. Ability to manage high-volume initiatives with shifting priorities.
Work Environment
Primarily office-based with regular interaction with district staff, educators, students, families, and community members. Campus visits will be required as needed and as a part of ensuring program implementation with fidelity and monitoring of service delivery models. Attendance at evening or weekend events may be required. Occasional prolonged and irregular hours.
Reading, supporting instruction, demonstrating computer skills appropriate for assignment, effective communication and interpersonal skills, ability to work well with students, concentration (detailed work), interpretive skills (policy, procedure, dates), reasoning skills, understanding verbal instructions, analyzing, differentiating, memorizing, coordinating, compiling, and computing.
Mental Demands:
Work with frequent interruptions, maintain emotional control and professional discretion.
POSITION WORKING DAYS
226 days
COMPENSATION
Based on the district’s approved compensation plan.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive description of all work requirements and responsibilities, and management reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other responsibilities be performed when the job changes. Additionally, the minimum level of education notated as a requirement could be supplemented by commensurate experience and/or certification(s) or license(s) as determined by the hiring manager.