Human Resources Manager

Public Advocates Inc. is a nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing, transportation equity and climate justice.

We spur change through collaboration with grassroots groups representing low-income communities, people of color and immigrants, combined with strategic policy reform, media advocacy and litigation, “making rights real” across California since 1971. Learn more about our work at: https://publicadvocates.org/

Position Summary:

Public Advocates seeks a full-time Human Resources Manager who will have the primary responsibility for managing the day-to-day and core HR activities for our staff of 35 employees. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the HR Manager will support Public Advocates in all areas including recruitment, on- and off-boarding, performance evaluation, professional development, benefits and compensation administration, employee relations and administration of HR policies and procedures.

We are looking for candidates with strong HR experience in nonprofit organizations, preferably with experience working in legal aid and/or advocacy organizations. Please note that the HR Manager will be expected to work out of our San Francisco or Sacramento office at least two days/week and there will be occasional travel to Northern and Southern California.

Key Duties & Responsibilities include:

• Recruitment:
  • Develop staffing and hiring plans in collaboration with COO, team leaders and senior managers.
  • Implement and manage a streamlined and effective recruiting process that addresses organizational needs and meets our commitment to inclusivity and accessibility for candidates.
  • Cultivate diverse internal and external candidate pools.
  • Support the intern recruitment process and oversee summer programming.
• Performance Management:
  • Own and manage the performance evaluation process and calendar, including tracking completion and supporting managers as needed.
  • Refine evaluation tools and components and identify and implement process improvements as needed, incorporating feedback from staff.
  • Help supervisors identify performance issues early and develop plans to meaningfully and productively address these issues.
• Professional Development and Training:
  • Work with the COO to develop supervisor training to ensure supportive and high-quality supervision across the organization.
  • Work with staff and senior leaders to determine and resource staff training needs.Plan and facilitate external and internal training opportunities.
  • Help supervisors create professional development plans for all staff to address both immediate skill and knowledge gaps and longer-term growth at PA.
  • Track and ensure compliance with legal training requirements (e.g., harassment and workplace violence prevention).
• On-Boarding and Off-Boarding:
  • Develop and manage a consistent and thorough on-boarding process that fully supports new hires.
  • Support supervisors during their employees’ transition into PA.
  • Develop and manage the off-boarding process, including an exit interview process that is helpful to employees and the organization.
• Benefits & Compensation Administration:
  • Administer all employee benefits including enrollment in and termination from plans, annual open enrollment, broker relationship management.
  • Administer compensation changes and coordinate benefits and compensation information with the Finance team to ensure timely and accurate payroll processing.
  • Manage, and help employees during, leaves of absences including CFRA, disability and paid family leave programs.
• General HR Administration & Compliance:
  • Work with the COO to ensure that HR policies, programs and practices are current, law-compliant and consistent with organizational values and objectives.
  • Serve as primary point of contact for staff regarding HR policies and procedures.
  • Collaborate with senior managers to conduct employee performance improvement meetings, terminations and investigations.
  • Work with senior leaders to manage employee relations, address conflict and act as a sounding board for staff who need one.
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:
  • Lead implementation of the organization’s DEI vision, goals and needs within the HR function, including recruitment, development, evaluation and success of diverse and underrepresented staff.
  • Partner with management to promote a positive workplace culture.
• Other:
  • Lead or contribute to special projects to develop and strengthen PA’s talent management system (e.g., performance management, applicant tracking, employee engagement).
  • Perform other work as assigned.

Required Skills:

• Experience, professional maturity and presence to establish credibility and respect among all staff, including senior management and PA leadership
• Demonstrated ability to recommend and/or make sound decisions that balance the needs of the organization and the staff
• Ability to exercise discretion and sound judgment
• Demonstrated commitment to racial equity and social justice
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to listen empathetically and effectively at all levels throughout an organization
• Negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Skilled and experienced in giving and receiving constructive feedback, and teaching others to do the same
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to work effectively across a range of diverse demographic and personal and professional experience levels
• High degree of self-awareness, emotional intelligence
• Proven ability to recruit, hire, develop and help retain effective, diverse teams

Education and Experience:

• 5+ years of progressively responsible HR experience in nonprofit organizations, leading or consulting with senior management on HR issues
• Bachelor’s degree preferred