Director, Human Resources

About the role:

As a new position in the organization, the Director of Human Resources will act as a strong HR business partner to the leadership team, working collaboratively to drive our internal culture (particularly from an equity perspective) while embracing the need to own and manage our HR compliance needs and effectively manage the day-to-day HR needs of our team. 

Reporting to the CFO, you will play a critical role in the growth and success of Start Small as you adopt a people centered approach to drive cultural change, spearhead training & development initiatives and implement new and improved people management processes and policies. At the same time, you will manage all critical Human Resource functions for our team of 35 full-time staff, manage routine administration and compliance needs and be the main point of contact for staff queries relating to payroll, benefits and HR policies. 

The successful candidate will bring a blend of functional HR and people management experience into this dynamic role, will have a proven ability to deliver an informed opinion to leadership on current people management trends and HR compliance needs and will move easily between leading the strategic and cultural direction of our people management, overseeing day-to-day staff situations and queries, and rolling up their sleeves to manage the administrative needs of our HR function. 

This is an ideal role for a human resources professional looking for a role where they can step up into a more strategic position and directly influence the direction a growing organization takes with regard to its people operations. 

What you'll do:

Culture, Strategy and Employee Experience

• Maintains knowledge of people operations trends, best practices and new technologies to continuously improve our employee experience and HR function. 
• Provides strategic advice and guidance to senior leadership and managers on all aspects of employee relations and internal culture.
• Collaborates with Director of Equity and Inclusion on the design, management and implementation of HR programs and initiatives that further our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategy.
• Oversees onboarding and off boarding processes for staff and brings continual improvement to these processes.
• Collaborates with the executive team on compensation strategy and design, ensuring we are able to drive a competitive edge in compensation design to attract and retain high-quality talent.
• Continuously monitors the ‘pulse’ of the organization (through collaboration with teams and department managers and building internal relationships) to identify needs and deliver solutions for our team. 

Human Resources and Administrative Functions

• Develops new and refines existing HR policies, practices and procedures, centering equity and inclusion throughout.
• Ensures that the requirements of existing policies are followed by all employees.
• Administers and executes routine tasks in delicate circumstances such as managing accommodations, enforcing policies, overseeing grievance processes and terminating staff. 
• Responsible for managing our compliance, payroll and benefits through our Professional Employer Organization (Justworks).
• Takes ownership of the annual benefits renewal process and makes suggestions to enhance competitiveness of our benefits offer.
• Manages administrative requirements of our 401k plan (offered via Justworks and administered by Slavik).
• Through our partnership with Justworks (PEO) and myHRcounsel (HR legal and compliance advice), maintains compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, and reviews policies and practices to ensure continued compliance.
• Manages accurate, compliant record systems for employee data and maintains official employment files.
• Manages pre-start onboarding for new hires including I9 verification, issue and collection of employee information, policies and handbook. 
• Creates monthly/quarterly reports to facilitate people operations planning and strategy e.g. DEI, termination, PTO, census reporting etc. 
• Processes accurate and timely year-end reporting for our financial audit.
• Manages all annual processes as required by our PEO (EEO filing, employee updates etc.). 

Talent Acquisition and Recruitment

• Oversees organization-wide recruitment processes including managing our Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and collaborating with departmental managers to create job postings. 
• Partners with Hiring Managers across the organization to craft an appropriate strategy for open positions and ensure that hiring is being managed effectively. 
• Delivers/sources training and provides support to leadership team to improve recruitment efforts and practices.
• Oversees equitable practices and standard hiring protocol is adhered to by hiring teams. 

Performance Management and Staff Development

• Manages our existing performance review processes, providing guidance to managers on performance appraisals and ensuring all steps are completed by teams.
• Evaluates and improves our performance review processes with the aim of moving towards continuous feedback loops and year-round performance assessments. Provides training and support to improve feedback loops across the organization. 
• Identify and deploy relevant training and professional development opportunities for staff and manage mandatory training compliance.

About you:

• A minimum of eight years of professional work experience including at least five years human resource management/people operations experience. 
• Undergraduate or graduate major in human resources or other related discipline
• Relevant advanced degrees and/or certifications are a plus.
• High level of discretion in handling sensitive and confidential situations and documentation.
• Strong relationship-building, communication, and conflict resolution skills, including the ability to work effectively across cultural differences and a demonstrated commitment to ongoing learning and reflection on one’s personal identity, while always maintaining a strong level of professionalism and tact.
• Comfortable leading discussions with organizational leadership on people operations strategy.
• A demonstrated understanding of the role of structural racism and other biases in our society and a strong commitment to address these impacts within the context of this role.
• Deep commitment to building a positive work culture that encourages feedback and accountability at all levels, particularly related to equity and inclusion.
• Thorough knowledge of employment-related laws and regulations.
• Skilled at examining data and metrics to improve the organization.
• High level of computer proficiency including familiarity with Google Apps and MS Office. Experience with PEOs or payroll systems, ATS and HRIS and ability to learn new tools and systems specific to the organization.