Senior Director of Human Resources

The Senior Director of Human Resources provides strategic and operational leadership for all aspects of Human Resources at Goodwill of Western and Northern Connecticut (GWCT). This position ensures the organization attracts, develops, engages, and retains the talent needed to achieve its mission while protecting the organization from employment-related risk and promoting a healthy, accountable, inclusive, and high-performing culture.

As a hands-on leader and trusted advisor to senior leadership, the Sr. Director is responsible for strengthening the HR team, improving processes and technology, and leading the people-related aspects of organizational change. The role oversees talent acquisition, employee relations, compliance, performance management, learning and development, compensation and benefits, workforce planning, and HR operations.

Essential Responsibilities

• Develop and execute HR priorities aligned with GWCT’s mission and operational needs, with clear ownership, timelines, and measurable outcomes. Advise senior leadership on workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, and employment decisions.
• Assess and strengthen the HR department’s structure, capabilities, workload, and service delivery. Clarify roles, establish service standards and team routines, develop staff, and address performance or capability gaps through coaching, reassignment, or staffing changes as appropriate.
• Oversee recruitment and workforce planning, balancing internal development with external hiring to secure needed skills and experience. Establish role-based selection and promotion criteria that assess readiness and support successful transitions.
• Lead complex employee relations matters, including investigations, disciplinary actions, performance concerns, accommodations, leaves, and separations. Ensure timely, fair, consistent, and well-documented decisions, coordinating with legal counsel when appropriate.
• Mitigate employment-related risk through compliant policies, reliable records, consistent practices, and manager training. Identify control gaps, escalate significant concerns, and ensure compliance with applicable federal, Connecticut, and local requirements.
• Strengthen performance management, onboarding, employee development, and succession planning. Equip managers to set expectations, provide feedback, hold difficult conversations, and address underperformance.
• Promote engagement, retention, accountability, and inclusion. Improve communication and collaboration across departments, using employee feedback to identify concerns and drive appropriate action.
• Oversee compensation and benefits strategy and administration, supporting competitiveness, internal equity, and financial sustainability. Partner with Finance, Payroll, brokers, and providers to resolve issues, communicate programs, and evaluate costs and service quality.
• Provide functional oversight of ADP and other HRIS platforms, including data integrity, reporting, workflows, access controls, and system utilization. Partner with IT, Finance, and Payroll to clarify system ownership, improve integrations, and reduce manual or duplicate work.
• Standardize HR procedures, documentation, and backup coverage. Manage HR vendor relationships, service expectations, contracts, renewals, and negotiations in coordination with relevant stakeholders.
• Use reliable workforce metrics to identify trends, evaluate HR effectiveness, and present actionable recommendations to leadership.
• Lead change management through clear communication, stakeholder engagement, manager preparation, and implementation support. Address resistance, assess adoption, and support other strategic initiatives as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Management, or related field required; master’s degree preferred.
• Significant progressive HR experience, including senior-level responsibility and demonstrated success leading an HR department through a substantial rebuild, turnaround, or organizational transformation, with measurable improvements in team performance, service delivery, and core HR practices.

• Strong practical knowledge across core HR disciplines, including employee relations, compliance, recruitment, performance management, development, compensation, and benefits, with the ability to combine strategic leadership and hands-on execution.
• Strong knowledge of federal and Connecticut employment laws and demonstrated judgment in managing complex personnel matters, investigations, organizational risk, and engagement with legal counsel.
• Hands-on ADP experience and strong HRIS proficiency required, including reporting, data management, and workflow improvement. System implementation, optimization, or integration experience preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change, build cross-functional relationships, advise executives candidly, and make difficult personnel decisions fairly and effectively.
• Strong business acumen, analytical skills, and experience managing benefits providers and HR vendors, including evaluating service quality, costs, and contract terms.
• Experience in a multi-site, nonprofit, retail, human-services, workforce-development, or similarly complex organization preferred.

Certification

Senior-level HR certification, such as SHRM-SCP or SPHR, strongly preferred. Additional certification or formal training in change management, benefits administration, or ADP/HRIS systems is a plus.

Leadership Expectations

The Director must demonstrate integrity, confidentiality, sound judgment, and follow-through; balance employee needs with organizational priorities; and address difficult issues promptly. As a trusted partner to senior leadership, this leader must provide independent professional advice, constructively challenge ineffective practices, and translate decisions into action. Success will be measured by stronger team performance, reliable HR services and systems, improved collaboration, and progress against agreed organizational priorities.

• Opportunities for career advancement 
• A benefits package that includes health, dental, and vision (employee paid), as well as ancillary benefits including long and short term disability, and life insurance (Goodwill paid)*
• These benefits available 1st of the month, following 60 days of employment*
• Two (2) weeks' vacation, four (4) personal days, and seven (7) days of sick time (For those working more than 20 hours a week)
• Up to $3,000 in qualified Tuition Reimbursement*
• Nine (9) Paid holidays (based on standard weekly hours)
• 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan, including Employer Match
• 50% Employee Discount 
• Anniversary Recognition Program - $50 Swag Store credit at 1 year and increasing financial awards every 5 years
• $200 Referral Program (for every candidate hired that you refer to Goodwill)
• *Only available for Full-Time Team Members

Start your journey with Goodwill today by applying at gwct.org/about/work-here

Is this position not right for you? We can help you find the right one at Goodwill or any other employer through our Career Centers! Receive free career assistance services from Goodwill (including Resume Builds/Revisions, Online Job Searching Coaching, Interview Skills, and more) at gwct.org/career-coaching