Director of People and Culture

Borealis Philanthropy (Borealis) resources grassroots leaders and social justice movements for transformative change. Borealis is seeking a Director of People and Culture to provide leadership and coordination of the Borealis employee experience. Under the guidance of the Managing Director, and in concert with Borealis’ external HR consulting partner, the Director of People of Culture will ensure the equitable administration of compensation, benefits, performance management, employee relations, and professional growth. Borealis is in an exciting period of growth and the Director of People and Culture will be a critical steward of the process of scaling internal processes to match the organization’s continued expansion. Most importantly, the Director of People and Culture will be passionate about supporting transformational change and bring a desire to align internal and programmatic growth with Borealis’ organizational values: Responsiveness, Racial equity, Trust, People-Centered, Curiosity, and Boldness.

ABOUT BOREALIS PHILANTHROPY

From Black-led movement-building, to queer and trans liberation, to disability justice and inclusion, community organizers are working every day to bring about transformational change. Borealis Philanthropy exists to listen to, invest in, and support them. Our staff of experts come from the communities we serve, and bring their lived experiences, values, and visions to the work of supporting community-driven change through grantee and funder collaboration.

As a philanthropic intermediary, Borealis Philanthropy builds bridges between funders and organizers by creating opportunities for impact-driven investments. We team with funders to conceive, develop, and implement grantmaking initiatives that resource the many innovative organizations within each of our respective grantmaking funds. In partnering with philanthropy, we remove barriers to funding for grassroots organizations and invest in intersectional movements, building a future that serves all of us.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Director of People and Culture is responsible for varied and wide-ranging functions that ensure that Borealis staff enjoy a work culture that models their collective commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and reflects the important movements and identities they represent. Reporting to the Managing Director, the Director of People and Culture will steward the organization’s relationship with their external human resources partner and will be tasked with stewarding an exciting period of growth at the organization. Critical to this work will be effective scaling of internal people management processes, and a willingness to partner with Management Team colleagues to help their teams navigate this impactful inflection point in Borealis’ history. The Director of People and Culture solves complex problems, manages resources, and reinforces a safe and inclusive culture where staff can thrive.

People and Culture Leadership and Strategy

The Director of People and Culture will manage and operationalize department priorities including:

• Oversee ongoing staff recruitment and onboarding, and modify processes as needed based on best practices and values alignment. As Borealis continues to grow, maintain, and revise the employee handbook and all personnel policies, ensuring alignment with organizational values and industry best practices.
• Develop and maintain policies and programs supporting employee performance and development that include efficient feedback loops and tailored career development goals for Borealis staff.
• Support ongoing internal initiatives to create a work community that is inclusive, values aligned and responsive to feedback.
• Track progress of key People and Culture strategic and operational goals and initiatives; troubleshooting problems and optimizing data tracking efforts.
• Help facilitate the growth of the organization by proactively identifying bottlenecks ahead of time and working collaboratively to solve organizational issues.
• Model a culture of collective care and trust across the organization that centers the well-being of our people.
• Develop and manage the People and Culture department’s annual work plan and budget

Management of Outsourced HR Partner

The Director of People and Culture will manage the relationship between Borealis and its outsourced HR Partner. This will include:

• Serving as the conduit for communication and relationship management between Borealis and the outsourced HR partner.
• Liaising with outsourced HR partner for support in recruiting and retaining new staff colleagues.
• Partners with outsourced HR partner to develop and maintain employee benefits and compensation practices and programs.

Organizational Commitment

As a member of the Borealis staff, the Director of People and Culture performs certain functions that supports the organization as a whole. This includes:

• Submitting and approving expense reports and approving timecards by stated deadlines.
• Attending all staff meetings and required trainings and events.
• Participating in organizational development and change processes, including serving on committees or special project teams.
• Model Borealis’ culture and values; align outcomes, practices, and communications within the organization’s culture.
• Lead special projects and other duties as assigned.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced certification and/or degree in human resources or people management preferred.
• Ten (10) years of work experience in organizational development, leadership, and management, including traditional Human Resources management as well as designing values-based systems and policies to support people and build healthy cultures; preferably in nonprofit and/or philanthropy.
• Five (5) years of previous supervisory experience leading staff.
• Superior knowledge of, and proven ability to implement best practices in remote work compliance and policy; experience working within a remote-first organization preferred.
• Strong collaborative leadership skills to coordinate, develop, and implement compliance strategies, policies, and trainings; experience managing the relationship between an organization and an external human resource management solution preferred.
• Proven ability to provide useful feedback, as well as develop and inspire staff.
• Proven ability to manage and support organizational change; experience leading RFP processes with vendors preferred.

Knowledge, Personal Qualities and Characteristics

• Commitment to Borealis’ vision and values.
• High emotional intelligence and ability to creatively solve interpersonal challenges and negotiate complex interpersonal, intra-organizational and inter-organizational challenges.
• Analytical thinker with strong conceptual and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to navigate conflict.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with tact and discretion.
• Superior attention to detail with superb organizational skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively and build relationships within a diverse virtual work environment.
• Ability to identify and mitigate risks to the organization.
• Excellent project management skills – from the planning phase, to clarifying roles and timelines, to execution.
• Ability to manage change, work under pressure, manage multiple projects simultaneously both strategic and tactical.

Work Environment (Conditions and Physical Demands)

This job operates in a professional, virtual, home office or co-working environment, with occasional local and national travel. This role routinely uses standard office equipment, including laptop computer and cell phone. The employee is generally required to spend long periods of time sitting, typing, and working at a computer. May require the ability to occasionally lift and transport items.