Title: Director, Human Resources
Location: 4822 N. Broadway Chicago, IL 60640
Schedule: Monday to Friday (8:30am-5:00pm) Hybrid, on site at least three (3) days per week
Summary:
The Director, Human Resources, serves as a strategic and operational leader responsible for delivering comprehensive HR support across the organization. This role leads the HR Business Partner function while owning all aspects of employee and labor relations, ensuring alignment between people strategies and business objectives.
This position partners closely with leadership to drive workforce effectiveness, manage employee relations risk, support a unionized workforce, and ensure consistent, compliant HR practices. The Director plays a critical role in shaping a high-performing culture while balancing operational needs, employee experience, and regulatory requirements.
Essential Functions:
Duties & Responsibilities
HR Business Partnership & Strategic Support
- Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders on workforce strategy and organizational design
- Lead HR Business Partner function to deliver consistent support
- Support workforce planning, succession planning, and performance management
Employee & Labor Relations
- Lead employee relations and workplace investigations
- Manage union engagement, grievances, and contract interpretation
- Advise leadership on disciplinary actions and risk mitigation
People Operations
- Leads and manages the People Operations teams responsible for Benefits, Compensation, Payroll, HRIS, Recruitment, and Learning & Development.
- Ensures efficient, accurate, and service-oriented HR processes across the full employee lifecycle.
- Develops and maintains HR processes, SOPs, and service-level expectations to drive consistency and quality.
- Implements process improvements that enhance data accuracy, minimize manual work, and optimize employee and manager experiences.
- Ensures alignment across HR functions through strong communication, collaboration, and operational integration.
- Ensures compliance with ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, and other regulatory requirements.
- Oversees the design and management of learning and leadership development initiatives.
- Partners with leaders to identify skill gaps and create development pathways.
Supervisory Responsibilities (if applicable):
Benefits, Payroll, HRIS, Recruiting
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institute of higher learning in human resources management, business administration, or related fields. Master’s degree preferred.
- Minimum ten (10) years of progressive Human Resources experience required.
- Minimum seven (7) years of HR management at the Director level or above required.
- Previous experience working in a union environment and with grievance management
- Work experience in a nonprofit organization is a plus
Certifications/Licenses:
Human Resource Certification at SHRM PHR or SPHR level required. Lean or other process improvement certification, is a plus.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (K/S/A):
- Strong expertise in HRIS systems, payroll operations, benefits, and compensation programs.
- Strong understanding of employment law, payroll regulation, and HR best practices.
- Strong Union Relations
- Advanced analytical skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights.
- Excellent communication, training, and relationship-building skills.
- High level of professionalism, confidentiality, and judgment.
- Strong project management and organizational skills.
- Ability to lead through change and drive cross-functional alignment.
- Skilled in process optimization, technology adoption, and systems thinking.
- Excellent communication skills. Strong networker, relationship builder and communicator with experience collaborating with diverse work teams and stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to handle confidential and sensitive information possessing skills to handle situations in a professional and diplomatic manner.
- A high degree of collaboration and emotional intelligence, self-motivation, and analytical ability.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange; Windows operating systems; and other software routinely used by HHCS.
- Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
- Strategic thought partnership and consultancy skills.
Work Arrangement:
Work arrangement: This role is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement; it is expected this person be on site at least three days per week and would be able to meet for "in person" meetings when needed or at the request of others. In-person meetings may be required on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, etc.). There may also be the availability to work from home when appropriate.
Work Environment:
- The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
- Some program sites operate on a 24/7 basis, 365 days per year. To meet both the needs of our participants and contractual obligations, employees are required to be flexible in regards to scheduling and work location.
- Program sites are located throughout the Chicago area, including the North and South sides of Chicago, as well as the suburbs. Employees may be required to report to any one of our locations on a temporary or permanent basis.
Physical Demands:
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
- The employee is regularly required to sit, stand and walk.
- The employee must be able to stoop, kneel and/or crawl.
- The employee is regularly required to use hands to key, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms.
- The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
- The employee must have unrestricted ability to provide physical restraint.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
Equal Opportunity Employer Statement
HHCS is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs. HHCS is committed to providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment. Consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws, HHCS prohibits discrimination or harassment against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression), national origin, citizenship, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy applies to all employment practices, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, discipline, and termination. HHCS also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs, as required by law.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's Degree in HR management, business administration, or related field
- Master's Degree
- Minimum ten (10) years of progressive Human Resources experience
- Minimum seven (7) years of HR management at the Director level or above
- Previous experience working in a union environment and with grievance management
- SHRM PHR or SPHR certification
- Expertise in HRIS systems, payroll operations, benefits, and compensation programs
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange, and Windows
- Lean or other process improvement certification
- Work experience in a nonprofit organization
What We Do
At Heartland Human Care Services, we are courageous champions of human rights. We believe society is better for everyone when we can all participate. We support individuals facing poverty, displacement, and injustice, and help them build on their strengths to reach their full potential. Because we have seen it, we believe that with support and hope, lives can change. Why work for Heartland Human Care Services? Because it's more than a job, it's a purpose. Our multicultural staff of courageous champions are passionate about our mission and make Heartland Human Care Service a dynamic and exciting place to develop your career! Our Programs: • Housing Program • Asset Building • Travelers Aid • Refugee & Immigrant Community Services • Unaccompanied Children (UC) • Opportunity Youth (OY) • Freedom from Trafficking (FFT) • Violence Recovery Services (VRS) • Home Study and Post Release Services (HSPRS) • Rapid Employment and Development Initiative (READI) • Farmworks • Supporting Education and Employment Development (SEED)
