The Director of Human Resources is responsible for varied and wide-ranging functions that are critical to enhancing the effectiveness of the Essie employee experience.
Under the direction of Essies Sr. Director of Strategy & Operations, the Director of Human Resources ensures the administration of employment, compensation, performance management, employee relations, training is carried out in alignment with organizational strategy and our core values.
The Director of Human Resources works closely with other members of the Operations Team to attract, motivate, develop, and retain great people through effective resourcing, training and development, performance management, and reward strategies.
This role requires a strong working knowledge of benefits administration and payroll oversight in order to provide guidance and support to staff.
As a senior member of the organizational leadership, the Director of Human Resources reports directly to the Executive Director and will help shape Essie’s present and future—contributing to strategic decision making in the present while helping to architect Essie’s internal growth in alignment with our values.
At Essie, how we win is as important as what we achieve, and our ideal Director of Human Resources approaches Black Feminist organizational culture development and scaled organizing goals with equal rigor and commitment.
Core Responsibilities
Human Resources
– Direct all aspects of personnel processes including hiring, on-boarding, off-boarding, benefits, and compensation.
Administer Essie’s policies, including staffing, employment processing, compensation, health and wellness benefits, training and development, records management, safety and health, succession planning, employee relations, and retention.
Manage an organized, developmentally-focused, and timely performance evaluation process.
Oversee staff retention strategy.
Lead the efforts in recruiting, hiring, on-boarding and off-boarding employees.
Administer Essie’s benefits package including annual open enrollment and retirement plan; manage relationships with vendors; make recommendations for opportunities to enhance or adjust benefits provided; ensure staff are equipped to make sound decisions about benefits through training and one-on-one meetings.
Manage an HR firm or staff member to conduct transactional Human Resources activities including running on-time, accurate semi-monthly payroll and ensure appropriate withholdings, pre-tax benefit deductions, reimbursements, bonuses, compensation adjustments, and garnishments, processing and administering all leave-of-absence requests and disability paperwork: medical, disability, and FMLA, coordinating employee payments with the Employment Development Department or other state agencies.
Support the Operations Team by providing human resources advice, counsel, and decisions; analyzing information and applications.
Personnel Growth Infrastructure
– Lead the development and maintenance of human resources infrastructure, policies, and procedures to keep Essie functioning smoothly and aligned with our race and gender justice values .
Develop organization strategies by identifying and researching human resources issues; contributing information, analysis, and recommendations to organization strategic thinking and direction; establishing human resources objectives in line with organizational objectives.
Guide management and employee actions by researching, developing, writing, and updating policies, procedures, methods, and guidelines; communicating and modeling enforcing organization values.
Serve as a management team resource on personnel issues, policies, and strategies.
Personnel Risk Management
– Oversee compliance, policies, personnel, and personnel risk management issues.
Assess and mitigate potential harms to the organization.
Field any personnel complaints or grievances; escalate to Senior Director of Strategy & Operations when necessary.
Conduct personnel investigations when necessary.
Complies with federal, state, and local legal and safety requirements, employment law and policies and by studying existing and new legislation; anticipating legislation; enforcing adherence to requirements; advising management on needed actions.
Handle discipline and termination of employees in accordance with organizational policy.
Oversee off-boarding processes for transitioning staff, including compliance.
Who We’re Looking For
Ideal Qualifications
10+ years’ experience in Human Resources recruitment, hiring, benefits, compensation, retention, compliance, employee policies, and personnel growth infrastructure with a minimum of 4 years serving in management role(s) within the nonprofit sector.
Superior knowledge of employee policies, personnel issues, and personnel risks as well as state and federal employment law.
Strong collaborative leadership skills to coordinate, develop, and implement policies, training, and compliance strategies.
Demonstrated ability in planning, leading, developing, and coordinating hiring, recruiting, and retention.
Impeccable attention to detail and excellent verbal communication, writing, and editing skills.
Significant experience recruiting dynamic, confident, and empowered change-makers.
Significant experience supervising people in a way that acknowledges differentials in privilege and power, recognizes their gifts, encourages their confidence, supports their growth, and holds them accountable to standards.
Successful track record as a collaborative leader and director who excels in managing people and policies in a growing, fast-paced, and non-traditional work environment.
Adept with Mac operating systems, Google Suite, and MS Office Suite (especially Excel, Powerpoint, and Word).
Commitment to the beliefs and values of Essie with a demonstrated passion for progressive politics, specifically in gender justice, race justice and ending mass incarceration.
Qualities
Values-driven and deeply in-tune with personal motivation. You care deeply about people and the impact that organizational culture, processes and policies have on them, which informs your strategies and daily work.
You move with a sense of and are able to maintain a high standard of respect for others whatever the situation may be.
You are a leader in modeling solutions-oriented approaches to problems and bringing out the best parts of the team to achieve success.
Communicates from connection to purpose and people. You believe that policies should be accessible and information empowering.
By delivering clear and thoughtful information, you know you can help Essie be more impactful and individual team members more confident in the process and more courageous in their work.
You are here for the people.
Ethical discernment and honesty we can trust. You are a trusted ethical compass for the people with whom you work.
You dont just do whats standard or required by law
– you do whats right for your people
– even if a higher cost or greater time investment is attached. You are a thoughtful team member who acts in alignment with your integrity and are unfailingly trustworthy.
Sees #Woke as a verb. You are committed to continuously deepening and evolving your own understanding of systems of oppression through study, openness, and humility.
And you easily recognize your own relationship to privilege and power, examining and shifting your behaviors as appropriate.
Uplifting and additive. You see mistakes as opportunities for growth; problems as catalysts for solutions, and inspire others along the journey.
You carry a positive approach, can-do attitude, a sense of humor, and authentic kindness wherever you go