Head of Talent and Culture

Who we are

The News Literacy Project, founded in 2008, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization building a national movement to ensure that all students are guaranteed to be skilled in news literacy before high school graduation, giving them the knowledge and ability to participate in civic society as well-informed, critical thinkers. NLP is the country’s leading provider of news literacy education and works with districts and educators in all 50 states, primarily through our signature e-learning platform, Checkology®, and weekly educator newsletter, The Sift®. To read more about the organization and our plans, visit our website.

Where you fit in

The News Literacy Project empowers educators to teach middle and high school students how to sort fact from fiction in the digital age. We are at an exciting inflection point for our work, and we are making critical investments to rapidly scale our growth and impact.

To that end, we are seeking a mission-aligned Head of Talent and Culture to l bring strategic vision and execution skills to strengthen and further NLP’s existing culture-building and professional development foundation. . The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership and counsel to the organization’s executive leadership team and assist the organization in adopting best practices. This is an impactful opportunity for someone who seeks to support and further develop a workplace environment where belonging and inclusion thrive, and a standard of excellence in achieving outcomes is the norm.

This position reports to the Chief Operating Officer and is a member of the executive team.

About the position

This position will develop, lead and implement all workplace culture and employee professional development initiatives, as well as ongoing staff engagement activities.

Specifically, in this job, you will:

• Serve as a steward and monitor of existing best practices and the implementation of new initiatives that further our employee-centered, inclusive and supportive work environment.
  • Oversee the creation and implementation of a new management philosophy, an aligned manager training program, and an aligned staff review process.
• Drive the planning of annual staff retreats in collaboration with executive leaders.
• Organize and facilitate team-building activities, workshops, and training programs for staff.
  • Support individual staff with guidance regarding their professional development goals to support career growth and skill building.
  • Oversee and guide NLP’s Staff Experience and Employee Culture (SEEC) committee as an instrument of employee voice and contribution.

About you

This position will directly support the teams that impact many thousands of educators and hundreds of thousands of students in schools across the country and it plays a pivotal role in shaping and achieving our organizational strategy. While we do not expect candidates to meet all qualifications, the successful candidate will have all or most of the following:

• Bachelor’s degree and an advanced degree in Human Resources or a related field.
• SPHR or SHRM-SCP and GPHR certifications preferred.
• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in the human resources field.More specifically, in the development and implementation of workplace culture building and best practices, as well as the management of the professional development function for staff.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with a demonstrated capacity to foster belonging and inclusion in multicultural work environments.
• Proven success in building and maintaining positive and professional and productive working relationships across our entire staff.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to handle complex challenges independently.
• Leadership abilities with a team approach, as well as the skills to be a good colleague.
• Experience working effectively in a remote work environment.
• Limited travel required (less than 15%).
• Experience with a nonprofit organization is highly desirable.

This full-time position is virtual. Highly qualified candidates who live and are authorized to work in the United States are encouraged to apply.

Our Interview Process

Candidates selected to participate will be asked to complete a skills assessment (1-2 hours) and up to three rounds of virtual interviews (2-3 hours total). Interviews are conducted one-on-one and in group settings. Finalists will be asked to provide references.

The News Literacy Project welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds. We offer equal opportunity in employment for all qualified persons and prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, ancestry, age, veteran status, disability unrelated to job requirements, genetic information, military service or other protected status.

We deeply value diversity in the workplace and strongly believe that a diverse team enriches our organization and strengthens our ability to realize our mission (read/print NLP’s Organizational Values [PDF] and Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion [PDF]).