Director of People & Culture

Who we are:

GreenRoots, Inc. is a grassroots community-based organization with a track record, spanning 30 years, of achieving significant environmental justice and public health victories in Chelsea, East Boston, and the Greater Boston region. GreenRoots’ mission is to achieve environmental justice and a greater quality of life through collective action, unity, education, and youth leadership across neighborhoods and communities. We do so through deep community engagement and empowerment, youth leadership, and the implementation of innovative projects and campaigns.

Why this role:

GreenRoots has emerged from an intentional and thoughtful restructuring process, where the entire team paused, reflected, and reimagined how to ensure the sustainability of our work while prioritizing the health and wellness of our team. This transformative process led to an expanded team, defined hiring practices, and strengthened leadership support, all while nurturing a vibrant organizational culture. From this the team prioritized a new leadership role: the Director of People & Culture. The Director of People & Culture will be an architect of culture, a champion of equity and justice, and a guardian of GreenRoots' values, ensuring that its growth is rooted in solidarity and lived experience.

What we envision for this role is:

A leader who can seamlessly blend the art of relationship-building with the strategic implementation of equitable systems. This includes a deep understanding of Human Resources systems, benefits administration, and legal compliance, along with the creativity to improve these systems within the limitations of our budget. They will be a community-builder, strengthening the fabric of our organization through trust, transparency, and a deep understanding of our team's needs.

This leader will not only familiarize themselves with existing structures but also identify gaps and creatively build new, progressive systems that foster growth and opportunity for all staff. They will possess the vision to map out a path towards achieving our goals and the skills to implement the necessary processes to get us there. This includes a keen understanding of how to maximize our resources and develop creative solutions within budget constraints. They will seek ways to enhance our organizational culture and benefits packages, ensuring that every team member feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive. We envision a Director of People & Culture who embodies our commitment to social justice, brings a culturally informed perspective, and inspires hope and motivation within our team and contributes to the joy our team shares.

As the Director of People and Culture, you will:

• Continue and strengthen our Restructuring Process:
  • Work with GreenRoots’ Deputy Director to further institutionalize new structures and processes that were created through an intentional restructuring process ensuring these processes are permanently institutionalized. This includes our community agreements, language justice/building multilingual spaces guidelines, recruitment processes, onboarding/offboarding, fiscal year work plans, and organizational staff structure, to name a few.
  • Implement best practices for wellness and sustainability that are identified by the GreenRoots’ team through a thoughtful, and reflective process where everyone’s needs and voices are authentically listened to.

• Build and Nurture GreenRoots’ Culture:
  • Cultivate and strengthen a positive, supportive, inclusive work environment, and a democratic workplace culture that reflects and embodies GreenRoots' values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion as well as our community agreements.
  • Strengthen our organizational culture through team-building, clear communication, feedback mechanisms, and effective and transparent conflict resolution.
  • Prioritize staff well-being by creating comprehensive wellness focused on topics such as mental health, work-life balance, and stress management.
  • Build meaningful relationships with each team member to understand their roles, needs, and career goals, proactively supporting their growth and leadership.
  • Facilitate ongoing learning/training to deepen our shared understanding and internal and external practical implementation of equity and anti-oppression in all our efforts.
  • Promote language justice by embracing and centering the intersecting identities and accessibility needs of our team through GreenRoots’ language justice model.
  • Support and coach directors and managers in developing their leadership skills to foster a culture of effective management throughout the organization.

• Oversee, develop and implement GreenRoots' Human Resources Infrastructure:
  • Cultivate an HR ecosystem rooted in GreenRoots' values: review, strengthen, and implement HR policies and procedures that are not only equitable and legally compliant but also deeply aligned with GreenRoots' core values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
  • Oversee and implement the entire employee lifecycle with a focus on equity and transparency, from recruiting and hiring to onboarding, performance management (including quarterly and annual reviews/performance improvement plans), retention, and offboarding.
    • This includes a team of 32-40 full-time or part-time employees
  • Ensure organizational compliance and awareness by staying abreast of and ensuring compliance with federal/state/local employment laws and regulations, and proactively educating employees about their rights and responsibilities with a lens and commitment to equity.
  • Manage and process payroll and 401K contributions, and oversee the administration of compensation and benefits programs.
  • Support the Director of Finance with the implementation of the annual budget and the agency’s annual audit, including the 401K audit.
  • Design, develop and implement an internship and volunteer program with clear objectives, role descriptions, and training materials to ensure a meaningful experience. Coordinate with program directors to identify needs and define specific program goals and roles.
  • Exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality when conducting SORI checks and when applicable, CORI checks. Develop and implement clear procedures for communicating results in compliance with HR labor laws.

Our ideal candidate:

The most qualified candidates will possess the following skills and experiences:

• Deeply rooted in community. You are a resident of or have a strong connection to Chelsea, East Boston, or a similar environmental justice community in New England. You have a deep understanding of the systems of oppression impacting our communities.

• Cultural capital & lived experience. Your lived and cultural experiences inform your ways of being in the world and in the work. You have intimate knowledge of what justice and equity mean through your existence. It is required that you are fully fluent in English and Spanish.

• Champion of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). Through your career, you have demonstrated commitment to GreenRoots' mission and values, including environmental justice, racial equity, and community empowerment. You have a clear analysis of identity, power, and privilege and have a demonstrated commitment to anti-racist principles. You can comfortably lead a diverse and inclusive team, address power dynamics, and manage diverse needs relationships.

• Team leadership and development. You have a proven track record of effectively managing, supervising, and supporting teams. You foster a culture of collaboration, mentorship, and professional growth by providing clear expectations, constructive feedback, and opportunities for skill development. You are adept at delegating effectively, empowering team members to take ownership and contribute their unique talents.

• Human resources expertise. You have experience developing and implementing equitable and legally compliant HR policies and procedures, including benefits negotiations. You also have experience with building and sustaining democratic workplace cultures.

• Proven success as a culture setter and leader. You have a trauma-informed framework and people-centered approach when you lead. You are compassionate, reflective, an active listener, and empathetic communicator. You are committed to your and other people’s holistic wellbeing and growth. You are comfortable mediating difficult conversations; and believe that conflict/disagreement is an opportunity for reflection and transformation.

• In it for the long haul: You are able to commit to the mission and vision of GreenRoots long-term (3-5 years) and contribute to the organization's growth and impact.

• Community organizer and educator. You understand community organizing principles and practices. You have developed and facilitated engaging training and workshops for intergenerational audiences on topics such as community organizing, racial justice, equity, and other social justice areas.

Job Type: Full-time, Exempt

Compensation: Starting at $85,000 a year, based on experience

Benefits:

• 401(k); 4% Match
• Health and dental insurance
• 15 Days of Paid Vacation Time
• 12 Days of Paid Sick Time
• 5 Days of Paid Personal Time
• Professional Development
• Federal and State Holidays, including the week of Thanksgiving and up to 7 paid days during the Winter Holidays

How To Apply:

Please complete and submit your resume and cover letter to Nguyen Esparza Community Impact Strategies, describing your interest in the position and how you meet the qualifications. You may choose to submit your cover letter in a 1 min. max video format. Please send your complete application to necisconsulting@gmail.com and include “GreenRoots Director of People and Culture” in the subject line of your email.

This is a high priority hire that must be filled quickly. Please submit your application as soon as possible. We are accepting applications on a rolling basis; however, to make the first round of interviews, please apply no later than January 27, 2025.

Chelsea and East Boston residents, people of color, indigenous people, immigrants, queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people, and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Timeline

• Round 1 Initial virtual interview (approximately 30 minutes)
• Round 2 Virtual interview (approximately 90 minutes)
• Final Round (3 hours, including a presentation in-person)