Director of Human Resources

At West End House (WEH) our mission is at the heart of all we do. We provide high-impact programs that support youth as they achieve academic success, explore the arts, develop career readiness & leadership skills, and adopt healthy lifestyles. We are committed to advancing racial equity through our work and throughout all aspects of our organization- our youth programs, our community and family engagement, and our board and leadership. Our ability to achieve this and deliver high quality programming year after year is contingent on the recruiting, retaining and supporting of our staff (currently totaling approx. 50 employees, which increases to 65 in the summer). These functions directly enable our services and are pivotal in ensuring the West End House continues to offer youth opportunities to explore the arts, prepare for careers, and develop healthy lifestyle habits.

To help support our continued success, WEH seeks an energetic, creative, and collaborative Director of Human Resources (HR) with excellent judgment, interpersonal skills, and a passion for youth development. This is an exceptional opportunity to design and lead strategies to recruit, develop, and retain top talent to fuel a critical mission aimed at supporting youth as they discover their own path forward to a healthy and fulfilling future.

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the Director of HR is a high impact position that will develop and lead HR strategies and operations, while developing an environment where our entire team can thrive. They will lead staff recruitment, training, and development, so that our staff can create the greatest possible impact for the young people we serve. The Director of HR will foster an organizational culture for staff that in turn promotes an optimal experience for our youth.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Attract & Recruit Diverse Candidates

• Build on WEH’s current recruitment and hiring processes to attract quality diverse employees at every level.
• Support hiring managers by drafting and posting position descriptions, screening candidates, interviewing, and recommending candidates for hire.
• Work with senior leadership to create and execute the communications strategy and branding for recruitment and talent acquisition, which will offer candidates insight into all that WEH has to offer.
• Assess the competitiveness of WEH compensation and benefits programs and practices against the relevant markets and make recommendations for improvements and changes.
• Build and monitor a DEI strategy for the organization to foster the kind of inclusive workplace that attracts and retains the very best talent.
• Develop relationships with higher education and community partners to expand WEH’s talent pipeline.

Onboard, Develop & Assess Talent

• Implement and make improvements to WEH’s onboarding and new hire training process, making sure that employees feel welcomed, informed about their benefits, and prepared to excel in their roles.
• Continue to build and evolve WEH’s talent retention processes including organizational core competencies, goal setting, performance metrics, feedback, coaching, annual reviews, and fair compensation.
• Manage WEH’s professional development programming, identifying and implementing training and development opportunities for individuals and teams.
• Coordinate with, and guide as necessary, relevant management to address employee relations issues, both responsively and proactively

Administer Benefits & Ensure Compliance

• Manage all benefits (selection, administration, etc.) at WEH working collaboratively with our HR partner Positively Partners, COO, and Finance team
• Supervise payroll and ensure compliance with processes around timesheets, PTO, overtime, etc.
• Oversee benefit plan communication, enrollment, and administration, not limited to health benefits, 401K administration, disability, etc.
• Stay abreast of benefit and policy trends and best practices
• Manage WEH compliance with all labor and employment laws keeping current on changes in local, state, and federal law.
• Oversee HR systems (employee files, requests for leave, workers compensation, DUA, payroll systems) managed by Positively Partners to ensure accuracy and improve the overall operations
• Ensure timely and accurate submission of data requested by BGCA, Department of Labor, etc. and all reporting relative to state and federal law.
• Track and maintain all employee certificates and licenses

Lead Culture-Building

• Work with the senior leadership team to shape organizational culture.
• Help define and create strategies for WEH’s organizational culture goals, working to make WEH an employer of choice.
• Help ensure that WEH is an equitable and inclusive workplace where all employees feel valued and can thrive through training, coaching, and overall strategy and practice.
• Develop and steward succession plans that promote organizational growth from within.
• Other projects may be assigned by COO or CEO.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

There are a multitude of ways to learn and grow professionally and we know that people gain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. With this in consideration, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate most of the qualifications and experiences listed below:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, human resources, or relevant field required.
• Advanced degree in human resources, public or business administration desirable.
• Five or more years of professional experience in key aspects of human resources management and staff development and/or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge and professional experience in talent management, recruiting, compensation, benefits, training and staff development, employee relations, and performance management.
• Ability to relate effectively to diverse groups of talent from all social and economic segments of the community.
• Current knowledge and understanding of regulations, industry trends, current practices, new developments, and applicable laws regarding human resources.
• Proficiency in business and human resources related computer software applications, which may include Microsoft suite, as well as talent management systems, payroll and time and attendance systems, etc.
• Working knowledge of Massachusetts and federal labor law and legal requirements for 501(c)(3) organizations preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to organize, direct and coordinate operations in personnel supervision; the recruitment and retention of key personnel; and employee recognition.
• Ability to think strategically for the organization on an operational basis.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Demonstrated leadership experience.