Talent & Culture Manager

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Governors Action Alliance (GovAct) is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit nonpartisan initiative that helps Governors work across state lines to champion fundamental freedoms and improve people's lives. GovAct serves as a centralized platform for collaboration across Governors’ Offices—incubating, launching, and supporting alliances of Governors. These alliances share cutting-edge policy and legal approaches to some of the most challenging and critical issues we face, from reproductive freedom, democracy, public safety, and public health.

Currently, GovAct supports the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, Governors Safeguarding Democracy, the Governors Public Health Alliance, and other Governor-led initiatives and collaborations. Specifically, GovAct helps:

• Build capacity and expertise by connecting experts across Governors' Offices and organizations, tailoring best practices, model policies, and legislation, and advancing other legal and policy innovations for Governors to advance bold policies;
• Develop innovative ideas for collaboration by breaking out of silos and advancing creative initiatives;
• Advance affirmative agendas for Governors to maximize their powers to protect fundamental freedoms and counteract federal overreach; and
• Partner with other nonprofit organizations and other stakeholders.

More information about GovAct can be found at www.GovActAlliance.org.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Talent and Culture Manager will be at the heart of shaping what it feels like to work at GovAct — helping a talented, mission-driven team thrive as the organization grows. This person will oversee every stage of the GovAct employee experience, from recruiting and onboarding to performance, growth, and culture-building — ensuring that GovAct’s values are embedded in all facets of GovAct’s work.

In close coordination with GovAct’s fiscal sponsor and the GovAct team, the Talent and Culture Manager will cultivate a strong, inclusive, and connected workplace where people feel supported and inspired to do their best work. They will serve as a trusted partner to staff and leadership alike — a champion of our people and a steward of GovAct’s commitment to collaboration, learning, and excellence.

GovAct has grown rapidly in its first year. The Talent and Culture Manager will play a defining role in scaling our systems and practices to meet this moment — helping GovAct build the infrastructure, procedures, and shared values that will sustain our team for years to come.

This is a unique opportunity for a leader who loves building from the ground up, thrives in fast-paced environments, finds joy in helping others succeed in service of a greater purpose – and who believes deeply in GovAct’s mission of supporting governors in protecting fundamental freedoms across the country.

This role will require some travel to attend work related in-person meetings and functions.

Responsibilities:

Talent and Recruitment

• Partner with leadership to design and manage equitable recruitment processes for all open roles, from job description development to candidate screening and onboarding.
• Coordinate with GovAct’s fiscal sponsor and external search firms to ensure hiring practices align with organizational values and principles.
• Maintain and improve candidate tracking systems and onboarding checklists to ensure seamless transitions for new hires.
• Support hiring managers in building diverse candidate pools and ensuring consistency in the interview and evaluation process.

Employee Experience and Culture

• Design and implement initiatives that strengthen GovAct’s culture of trust, collaboration, and belonging.
• Lead regular engagement and feedback processes, such as employee surveys, recognition programs, and culture-building initiatives.
• Manage GovAct’s performance management cycles and partner with supervisors to set clear goals, support feedback conversations, and identify growth opportunities.
• Coordinate professional development and learning opportunities, including training sessions, workshops, and leadership coaching.
• Support internal communications and cross-team collaboration to reinforce shared purpose and clarity across the organization.

Systems, Process, and Compliance

• Serve as the liaison with GovAct’s fiscal sponsor/HR department to ensure compliance with employment laws and consistent implementation of policies.
• Maintain accurate records of personnel, evaluations, and professional development activities.
• Partner with finance and operations teams to ensure accurate tracking of headcount, compensation changes, and organizational structure updates.
• Manage and refine HR-related systems and tools, including performance management, onboarding, and employee engagement platforms.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

While no one candidate is likely to embody all the qualifications enumerated below, success in this role will require a people-centered professional who possesses many of the following abilities and experiences:

Experience

• 5-7 years of progressive experience in talent, culture, or human resources management, ideally in mission-driven or fast-paced organizations.
• Experience managing or supporting all stages of the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, development, performance, and offboarding.
• Demonstrated experience cultivating strong internal culture and designing systems that promote inclusion, accountability, and growth.

Skills

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills; ability to build trust across teams and levels.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines in a fast-moving, high-performance environment.
• Proficiency with HRIS, CRM, and/or performance management software systems (e.g., BambooHR, Lattice, or similar).

Qualities

• Deeply passionate about the mission of GovAct and excited about supporting its people and growth.
• Empathetic, discreet, and emotionally intelligent communicator.
• Solutions-oriented, flexible, and able to navigate ambiguity.
• Self-starter with a strong sense of integrity and collaboration.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or certification in HR, Organizational Development, or related field preferred.

VALUES AND LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES

To effectively meet this critical startup moment, successful candidates will also bring relevant and diverse lived and professional experiences to the build of the organization and will align with key founding values of GovAct including:

• Belief in the power of government and governors’ offices in particular to advance bold, affirmative agendas that protect fundamental rights and defend the Constitution.
• Strong, hands-on work ethic needed to support fast-paced start-up growth and development of a sustainable organization.
• Political adeptness, sound judgment, and experience handling sensitive information needed to gain trust and work effectively across governors’ offices.
• Collaboration, communication, and relationship skills needed to operate effectively across a complex and matrixed network of stakeholders and teams.
• Resiliency, optimism, and solutions orientation needed to advance a joyful approach to the work, remain responsive rather than reactive, and support progress when meeting difficult challenges.
• Commitment and demonstrated ability to work effectively and build alignment across lines of difference.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is $100,000 - $120,000 annually based on experience. GovAct provides all employees 12 paid holidays and 30 paid days off. GovAct provides an excellent benefits plan, including parental leave, medical, dental, vision, short-term, and long-term disability; wellness, technology, and professional development stipend; and a robust 401K program.

The salary range for this position is $100,000 - $120,000 annually based on experience. GovAct provides all employees 12 paid holidays and 30 paid days off. GovAct provides an excellent benefits plan, including parental leave, medical, dental, vision, short-term, and long-term disability; wellness, technology, and professional development stipend; and a robust 401K program.