Chief People and Culture Officer

An increasing number of Americans – most of whom are women and people of color – are employed in service sector jobs that are marked by low wages, no health care, job insecurity, and lack of training and career advancement opportunities. The SEIU Education & Support Fund tackles these issues by designing and facilitating worker-centered, relationship-based, and accessible education, training and workforce development programs. We serve as a strategic partner to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and collaborate with other unions, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and employers to help workers access good jobs and spark positive social change. Throughout our work, we promote a culture of empowerment that honors experience, culture, diversity, and inclusion.

The SEIU Education and Support Fund (ESF) is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization founded for the purpose of developing and managing worker-centered education, training and professional development programs. We work closely with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the labor union that represents nearly 2 million workers in healthcare, the public sector and property services. Our mission is to provide education and training programs that empower workers, raise standards, and promote high quality jobs.

ESF has a long history of administering initiatives designed for health care workers, however, currently, our core sectors include early childhood education, human services and property services. ESF manages labor-management training funds in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and California. You can read more about us and our history here.

The role

The Chief People and Culture Officer will work to ensure strong people and culture systems for a healthy, inclusive, and sustainable organization. This will include ensuring high quality employee experience and engagement. As a labor aligned, worker centered organization, we need someone in this role who values participatory models and democratic structures to help build a strong culture.

The Chief People and Culture Officer will work with the Executive Director to strengthen an inclusive and cohesive organizational culture and will drive organizational effectiveness as it relates to internal culture. This position is responsible for driving the vision and strategy of a newly created People and Culture Department. In collaboration with the staff and the executive leadership team, this person will design and implement systems, structures, processes to ensure employees are connected to ESF’s culture, engaged in their role and team, and remain motivated to contribute to ESF’s success and objectives. They will lead a team of two incumbent staff, including the HR Director and Manager. They will set a regular communication cadence with staff as the organization continues to implement its recently developed strategic plan. They will work with senior leadership and department directors to guide the overall development and empowerment of the ESF team.

We are looking for someone with strong emotional intelligence, management, and problem-solving skills. The person will be experienced in transforming workplace culture to promote a culture of empowerment that honors experience, culture, diversity, and inclusion. We are looking for someone who is energized to ensure high quality employee experience and engagement for our 54 full-time employees (and growing!) and develop an inclusive strategy for in-person and virtual staff engagement and growth. Ideally, you have also helped to scale an organization, you understand the big-picture thinking required and how to guide teams through the changes associated.

Opportunities for Impact

Culture & People

• Craft and launch an integrated culture and engagement strategy that transforms the workplace, aligns all staff with the vision and strategic direction of the organization, and will be instrumental in transforming ESF into a high-performing successful workplace deeply rooted in our values and purpose.
• Lead all DEI efforts by formulating and executing strategies, systems, processes and structures designed to promote a culture of empowerment that honors experience, culture, diversity, and inclusion.
• Work collaboratively with senior leadership and department directors across the organization to implement and integrate culture initiatives into everyday operations.
• Shape and deliver innovative culture and engagement initiatives.
• In consultation with the HR Director, set and achieve goals for employee retention.
• Evaluate the compensation structure and philosophy and create a template and cadence for review and improvement
• Stay abreast of industry trends and best practices in HR management and incorporate them into the organization's strategies and initiatives.
• Foster a positive and inclusive work environment by promoting open communication, collaboration, and respect among employees.

Organizational Effectiveness

• Implement metrics to measure the impact of our initiatives, providing real-time insights into the success of our culture, engagement, and communication strategies.
• Will use HR metrics and workforce planning to analyze data that will inform targeted leadership development and career pathways within the organization.
• Create an employee engagement philosophy for the organization that enables all employees to find purpose in their work.
• Lead a team who will regularly conduct employee engagement assessments and work with individuals to create customized action plans rooted in data insights that drive results.
• Manage the design and administration of competitive compensation and benefits programs to attract and retain top talent, ensuring pay equity, market competitiveness, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Organizational Leadership and Management

• In collaboration, this person will provide guidance about the evolving organizational structure and ensure it is aligned with SEIU ESF’s values and culture.
• Participate as an active member of the Senior Leadership Team to guide and manage the growth and direction of the organization.
• Lead the existing (and growing) human resources team, embedding a culture of collaboration and professional growth
• Support an existing team of HR professionals by providing guidance, and tangible training/growth opportunities within their respective fields that aligns with the mission and goals of the organization.

Talent Acquisition

• Guide the team, who will develop and implement an innovative talent acquisition strategy, establishing the best recruitment practices and building a pipeline of talent for future roles.
• Partner with organizational leadership to anticipate talent needs and strategy and work through the extended P&C team to gather requirements and track and report on results.

Location

This position is full-time and remote position. Candidates based in CA or the Northeast are preferred.

Compensation

This is a full-time executive position with a salary range of $125,000 - $140,000. We offer competitive wages and top-notch benefits, including 100 percent employer paid medical, dental, and vision plans for the employee and eligible dependents; a defined benefit pension plan for retirement; paid holidays, sick leave, and personal days; and up to 5 weeks of vacation (4 weeks initially and 5 weeks after year two), and a paid week of office closure. We are a hybrid organization with co-located and remote staff. We provide a home office stipend for employees who telework, and cell phone stipend (or company sponsored cell phone) for all employees.

Personal and Professional Attributes

• At least 15 years of broad leadership and organizational development experience including talent strategy and performance management.
• At least 15 years experience as a People and Culture leader, with some of that experience at an organization that has scaled quickly.
• Experience working with large-scale multiracial and multilingual organizations.
• Experience creating multi-layered, long-term DEI initiatives with proven success in a culturally diverse environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing and embedding equity and inclusion within programs, practices, and policies.
• Experience in managing organizational change, especially during periods of growth or transition and/or in a fully remote environment.
• Experience designing, developing, and supporting organization-wide talent management programs that cover performance management, talent development, coaching, succession planning, data analytics and relationship management.
• Alignment with ESF’s vision and values to promote a culture of empowerment that honors experience, culture, diversity, and inclusion.
• Experience working with senior leadership to make recommendations or build consensus.
• Budget development and resource management experience.
• Should deeply resonate with the training fund’s mission and values and a genuine commitment to the workers it serves.
• Proven ability to learn quickly, work independently, meet multiple deadlines with a keen attention to details.
• Adept at working collaboratively with various departments and stakeholders to achieve shared goals.
• Should possess excellent organizational skills, ensuring projects, tasks, and relationships are managed efficiently and deadlines are met.
• Exceptional creative problem solving with a curiosity to learn new things and explore new approaches.
• Ability to influence stakeholders in written and oral communication.
• Executive-level presentation skills.
• Ability to travel 30% including quarterly trips to the East Coast

Preferred Attributes

• Experience as a member or staff of a labor union
• SHRM SCP certification or certification in CA law.
• Ability to speak Spanish

Application Process

The preferred application deadline is June 30 at 5pm ET. This search is being run by NRG Consulting Group. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.