Director of People & Culture

POSITION SUMMARY
 

Democracy Fund champions leaders and organizations who defend democracy and challenge our political system to be more open, just, resilient, and trustworthy. We believe that experimentation, learning, and adaptation are key to the health and resilience of any system, whether it is our organization or the American political system. As grantmakers, we focus on listening and being of service to our grantees, who are visionaries and our collaborators, and on ways we can more deeply embed diversity, equity, and inclusion as values central to the success of our work and mission. Since we believe in the power of human connection, we follow a hybrid-remote and in-the-office model, which enables flexibility and encourages collaboration. New staff must reside in the Washington, D.C. metro area (DMV), and all employees are expected in the office for several days every month.
The Director of People & Culture will join a talented and evolving team in executing Democracy Fund’s mission to create a more inclusive, multi-racial democracy. Reporting to the Managing Director of People & Culture, the Director of People & Culture will need to be a listener and leader, someone who is both operational and hands-on. They will bring proven experience and expertise in operationalizing people and culture ideas with a systems and process orientation.
Democracy Fund is a dynamic, mission-driven philanthropy with a staff of more than 75 people that is committed to centering racial equity in both its external strategies and internal operations. Becoming a valued partner to the team will require understanding the organization, listening, facilitating broad collaboration, and sharing insights and contemporary best practices regarding talent. The call to action is to build strong relationships and processes, to further develop the capabilities across the organization, and to bring operational excellence that enables talent development, retention, and growth.
The Director of People & Culture will be part of a team of HR professionals (MD of People, HR Generalist, People Team Coordinator) and must be hands-on, proactive, flexible, collaborative, and innovative in shepherding initiatives that attract, develop, and retain outstanding talent.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIESPEOPLE STRATEGIES AND GUIDANCE

• Collaborates with the Managing Director, People & Culture to proactively identify and implement goals, strategies, and process improvements to further develop a people function, committed to continuous improvement, integrity, excellence, and results.
• Continually identifies human resources best practices, industry trends, and legislative changes, recommending strategy and compliance adjustments for consideration.
• Serves as a thought partner and advisor to managers on a wide variety of HR issues. Champions an equitable and inclusive approach while building systems to strengthen people management practices, aligned with organization objectives.
• Helps guide the implementation of initiatives that enhance employee engagement, community building, culture and well-being.
• Facilitates transparent and open communications and shared responsibility that fosters a high-performing, accountable, and engaged workforce. Models effective interpersonal and listening skills to develop relationships with staff at all levels.
• Contributes to the high organizational commitment to living and nurturing organizational values of impact, learning, equity, collaboration and trust, ensuring a diversity, equity, and inclusion approach is consistently applied in our organizational culture.
• Brings best-practice research, tool-building, and emotional intelligence in emphasizing respect, empathy, and honest dialogue in our community.

PEOPLE OPERATIONS

• Maintains and provides guidance on employment policies and procedures that encompass recruitment, retention, compensation, benefits, training, development, and compliance. Ensures that policies are communicated effectively to staff and are consistently applied.
• Manages the revision or creation of relevant people policies for the organization, through periodic reviews and a proactive assessment of policy needs. Ensures organization compliance with federal, D.C., and other state employment laws, where applicable.
• Directs the daily upkeep of all benefits programs including health insurance, disability, mental health and wellness, FMLA and leave, 401(k), and related payroll interdependences. Partners with Managing Director on strategy and vendor selection and with HR Generalist on administration and employee communications.
• Serves as the liaison with the HR Generalist between the organization and the various service providers or third-party administrators. Identifies the need for program or process improvements; partners with the Managing Director on the evaluation and selection of new service providers; manages the annual open enrollment and trainings.
• Helps lead the talent strategy from talent attraction and recruitment to staff development, recognition, and retention. Ensures Democracy Fund is an attractive employer to prospective employees. Directs the related processes in partnership with the People Team and managers
• Maintains an ongoing collaborative partnership with the Finance, IT, and Legal Teams in support of aligning on cross-functional policy interpretations, compliance requirements, operational initiatives, payroll administration, and overall risk management.
• Provides ongoing management of the professional development and skill-building opportunities for staff and managers. Serves as a resource to staff members in developing their professional and personal capacity by identifying the appropriate resources. Evaluates and makes recommendations to strengthen our approach to include suggesting revised or new program offerings.
• Ensures the accuracy of data and information contained in the HRIS platform, maintained by Democracy Fund’s professional employer organization (PEO). Creates and maintains confidential employee files in accordance with best practice and legal requirements.
• Continuously enhances HR systems and processes to streamline workflows and create a user-friendly experience for staff.

TEAM MEMBER

• Actively works to support the success of other members of the entire Democracy Fund staff and cultivates an organizational culture that is highly collaborative, positive, and productive.
• Embodies external commitment to field leadership and learning and internal commitment to organizational citizenship and operational excellence.
• Strong communicator – both listening attentively and communicating with care and clarity – to support policy, management, and culture.
• Provides coaching and guidance to the HR Generalist and People Team Coordinator and, as needed, in consultation with the Managing Director, relevant managers, and other staff.
• Works effectively with staff at all levels, balancing projects and priorities for multiple team members. Supports the Managing Director with work streams that need to be elevated to the full Executive Team or a team member for a specific department.
• Contributes to a team culture that values collaboration, positivity, and transparency, encourages accountability and that drives towards impact through continuous improvement and learning.
• Other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS REQUIREMENTS

• A deep passion for strengthening American democracy.
• A deep commitment to racial equity and justice.
• A high level of integrity that embodies and reflects Democracy Fund values
• Bachelor’s degree required. A current HR certification, e.g., SPHR, SHRM-SCP, or relevant graduate study preferred.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in human resources required, including 3-5 years as an HR Business Partner, HR team leader or HR manager. Nonprofit experience is highly preferred.
• Experience providing People Team services to every level in an organization, preferably in a comparably-sized organization, i.e. between 50 and 100 employees; experience collaborating with complementary operational functions, e.g., Finance, IT. Demonstrated ability to work with sensitive, confidential information with the upmost integrity and success working in a diverse, inclusive, and fast-paced community.
• Expertise as a practitioner in two (2) or more core areas of human resources: employee relations, total rewards (benefits and compensation), performance management, talent acquisition, and retention is required. Familiarity with, or exposure to, other key people functions, e.g., HR strategy, organizational effectiveness, employee engagement, learning and development, diversity, equity, and inclusion, required.
• Demonstrated proficiency in a suite of business applications (e.g., word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, database, etc.), to create and maintain efficiencies in people processes and conduct analyses as the basis for recommendations to the Managing Director, People & Culture.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of HR information systems (HRIS), as well as an understanding of the interface between HR and financial systems, required. Experience with applicant tracking systems (e.g., Jazz or comparable platform), self-service or PEO platforms which administer payroll, benefits, and other functions, as well as other HR technologies, e.g., Saba Halogen, or a comparable enterprise HR software highly preferred.