Job Title: Director of People and Culture
Reports to (Title): Vice President of Finance & Operations
Department: People and Culture
Employment Classification: Full-Time
FLSA Status: Exempt
Salary Band: MIN $142,000 | MID $177,000 | MAX $212,000
Location: Remote

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.

Our Values

Alchemy + Healing, Atrevida + Audacity, Accountability + Integrity, Ubuntu + Interconnectedness

Job Overview

The Director of People & Culture (DPC) plays a crucial role in shaping organizational culture, promoting a positive and affirming employee experience, and ensuring that Borealis is living into its commitments around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Working closely with the organization’s senior leadership team, the DPC is responsible for creating, maintaining, and transforming the workplace culture by aligning the work environment with Borealis’ stated values and mission. The DPC is also charged with overseeing our HR policies, practices, and benefits and will partner closely with an external firm, Nonprofit HR (NPHR), to ensure that day-to-day HR services are delivered in a responsive and effective manner. This partnership with NPHR is critical to allowing the DPC to provide significant leadership to the cultural aspects of this position. To thrive in this position, the DPC must bring high emotional intelligence, a demonstrated ability to nurture and maintain trustful relationships with staff and management, and a proven track record in managing organizational change and conflict.

Duties & Responsibilities

Cultural Leadership: Shaping the organization’s culture in partnership with leadership and staff to reflect its values and mission by fostering an inclusive work environment. (25%)

• Serves as a strategic advisor to the President, the Senior Leadership Team, and the Board Organizational Development Committee on matters related to organizational culture and human resources.
• Oversees the creation and implementation of programs that support a productive work culture grounded in the values of anti-racism, equity, and inclusion.
• Assesses and advances employee engagement and satisfaction, with particular attention to the experiences and needs of those who have been historically marginalized.
• Promotes and models a culture of care through individual and group engagement activities.

HR Strategy & Planning: Developing and executing HR strategies supporting organizational goals and priorities. (20%)

• Develops, communicates, and administers HR policies and procedures in partnership with NPHR.
• Meets weekly with assigned NPHR staff to share employee updates, coordinate responses to employee requests, and maintain productive working relationships.
• Provides required internal approvals for leave requests and use of staff benefits and perks.
• Leads legal compliance and risk management strategies, ensuring that HR practices comply with labor laws and regulations. Manage HR-related risks and legal matters to protect the organization.

Recruitment, Hiring, Onboarding, and Offboarding (15%)

• Partners with NPHR to oversee recruitment, hiring, and HR onboarding activities.
• Develops strategies to identify talent; establish and conduct equitable and inclusive recruitment and hiring processes for all employees.
• Manages and conducts general organizational onboarding and orientation for new employees.
• Oversees the offboarding process, including exit interviews; analyzes data to surface potential cultural issues or other staff concerns; makes recommendations to the Executive Team for continuous improvement.
• Proactively identifies new leaders and builds opportunities for advancement and growth.

Training, Development, and Performance: Overseeing learning and development programs that enhance employee skills, career growth, and leadership development. (10%)

• Assesses organizational needs; works with organizational leadership to identify professional learning and growth opportunities to support employees’ ongoing professional development.
• Stewards a culture of learning and growth, including developing and maintaining a schedule of monthly staff training and peer learning opportunities.
• Implements a standard of supervision grounded in inclusive leadership practices such as building strong relationships, active listening, clear and transparent communication, consistent and timely feedback, and clear expectations.
• Designs and leads the annual performance management process in consultation with senior leadership.

Employee Engagement & Well-being: Implementing initiatives to create a work environment that supports employees’ physical and mental well-being. (20%)

• Determines and recommends employee relations practices necessary to establish a positive employer-employee relationship and promote high employee morale and motivation.
• Develops and supports employee relations and corrective action practices and procedures that are equitable and honor confidentiality.
• Provides support and guidance to management and other staff when complex, specialized, and sensitive questions and issues arise; administers and executes routine tasks in delicate circumstances as needed by providing reasonable accommodations, investigating allegations of wrongdoing, and terminations.
• Serves as a resource for all staff by providing resolution-oriented guidance when sensitive issues arise.

Other Duties: (10%)

• Supervises and directs the People & Culture Manager, meeting regularly with them to build a productive relationship, assign projects and tasks, and mentor, coach, and evaluate their performance.
• Develops, implements, and manages the annual People & Culture work plan and budget, meeting quarterly with Finance to review expenditures.
• Collaborates with other departments, such as finance, operations, programs, communications, and development, to align HR initiatives with broader organizational goals.
• Participates in Management Team meetings to represent People & Culture, works with other directors to collaborate and align strategies and projects, and works productively with other MT members to foster a community of care.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Staff Organizational Commitment: As a Borealis staff member, you are expected to carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

• Submitting and approving expense reports and approving timecards by stated deadlines.
• Attending all staff meetings and required training 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.

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 training; 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.

Competencies (Knowledge, Skills & Personal/ Behavioral Attributes)

• 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.
• Commitment to Borealis’ vision and values

Work Environment (Conditions and Physical Demands)

This job operates in a professional, virtual, home office or co-working environment, with local and national travel. In line with Borealis’ commitments to racial equity and disability justice, our current policy is that no staff member travel or attendance at in-person meetings is required at this time. If team members are interested in attending in-person events, Borealis will, as needed, work to make reasonable accommodations to ensure their health and safety.

This role routinely uses standard office equipment, including a 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. Accommodations will be made based on ability and accessibility.

Commitment to Disability, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Borealis is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact hr@borealisphilanthropy.org. Borealis is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other category protected by local, state, or federal laws. We are committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive staff team. We strongly encourage applicants who are people of color, LGBTQ, women, trans and gender non-conforming people, people with disabilities; and/or formerly incarcerated people.

Applicants will need to submit a cover letter that includes, but is not limited to, answers to the following questions:

1. Why are you interested in working for a philanthropic intermediary that centers racial equity and the intersections with class, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ability?

2. How do the values mentioned above connect to your own lived experience?

3. How would you build community/develop relationships with different constituencies (staff colleagues and/or grant applicants and/or grantees and/or donors) in a national fully remote environment? Please try to make your answer as specific as possible to the work of the department to which you are applying.