Director of Employee Experience

Abode•Fremont, CA

6d•$110,000 - $135,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Abode , one of the largest and effective nonprofits working to end homelessness in the Bay Area, is seeking a Director of Employee Experience to join our People Operations team! The Diverse Culture: We believe that we make better decisions and provide quality services when our workforce reflects the diversity of the communities in which we operate. People of color make up nearly 70% of our workforce and we strive to recruit and retain employees from all backgrounds. About the role: The Director of Employee Experience is accountable for the design, consistency, and quality of the employee experience across the full employee lifecycle at Abode Services. This role ensures that how employees are recruited, onboarded, supported, managed, developed, and exited reflects Abode’s values, reinforces professionalism, and advances the mission to end homelessness. Serving as the organizational steward of the employee experience, the Director provides strategic leadership over employee relations, manager support, engagement, culture, and feedback systems. The role partners closely with Human Resources, Training and Quality Improvement, and operational leaders to align policy, learning, and systems with a respectful, equitable, and high-performing workplace where employees can succeed and remain connected to Abode’s mission.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business, I/O Psychology, or related field required.
Ten or more years of progressive experience in employee experience, organizational development, HR strategy, or related leadership roles
Reliable transportation or access to a vehicle is required to work in an office, attend in-person meetings, and offsite events
Strategic and systems thinking
Change leadership and operational execution
Data literacy and performance measurement
Relationship building and stakeholder management
Cultural intelligence and inclusive leadership
Proven ability to lead strategic, cross-functional initiatives with measurable outcomes.
Strong analytical capabilities with comfort interpreting data to guide decision-making.
Exceptional communication and collaboration skills with the ability to influence at all levels.
Demonstrated capability for coaching, developing, and growing high-performing teams.
Deep understanding of employee lifecycle design, engagement drivers, culture frameworks, and best practices.
Empathetic leadership presence with a focus on equitable, inclusive practices.
Ability to review, interpret, and work with a variety of written materials, including electronic and printed documents, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Manual dexterity for use of a keyboard, computer, phone, and other office equipment; repetitive motion that may include the wrists, hands, and or fingers.
Remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods, while at a desk, in meetings, or working on a computer.
Occasional movement throughout the workplace and to offsite locations for meetings, training, or events.
Access to reliable transportation as needed to attend onsite meetings, trainings, community events, or other agency related activities.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or advanced HR/organizational leadership certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Employee Experience Strategy and Ownership: Own the end-to-end employee experience strategy across recruitment, onboarding, employment, development, and separation. Define what a high-quality employee experience looks like at Abode and ensure consistency across programs, departments, and locations. Translate Abode’s mission, values, and strategic priorities into clear experience expectations for leaders and managers
Employee Relations and Manager Support: Provide strategic leadership for employee relations practices, including guidance on performance management, progressive discipline, conflict resolution, and workplace concerns, in partnership with Human Resources. Partner with managers to build capability in addressing performance concerns, conduct issues, and workplace challenges in a timely, respectful, and consistent manner. Lead the application of progressive discipline and performance management processes by supporting managers with coaching, documentation guidance, and employee-facing communication, in partnership with the Director of Human Resources, to ensure alignment with established frameworks, policy interpretation, and risk assessment. Support workplace investigations and the corrective action process in collaboration with Human Resources, ensuring employee experience considerations are addressed while maintaining compliance and documentation standards. Identify trends and themes in employee relations matters to inform manager training, leadership development, and culture improvement initiatives.
Lifecycle Design and Experience Standards: Lead the design and continuous improvement of key employee lifecycle moments, including recruiting experience, onboarding, engagement touchpoints, recognition, and offboarding. Ensure employee-facing processes and interactions are clear, timely, respectful, and aligned with Abode’s culture and operational realities. Partner with HR to embed experience standards into policies, procedures, and systems without duplicating administrative ownership.
Culture, Engagement, and Belonging: Champion a culture of professionalism, trust, inclusion, and shared accountability across the organization. Design and oversee initiatives that strengthen engagement, belonging, morale, and retention. Reinforce cultural expectations through employee programs, leader behaviors, and organizational rituals.
Feedback, Listening, and Insight: Lead the employee listening strategy in partnership with Training and Quality Improvement, including surveys, focus groups, stay interviews, exit insights, and pulse checks. Analyze qualitative and quantitative data to identify themes, risks, and opportunities impacting the employee experience. Present clear insights and actionable recommendations to leadership to inform decisions and improvements.
Cross-Functional Partnership and Change Leadership: Partner with Human Resources to align employee experience goals with compliance, policy application, and people systems. Collaborate with Training and Quality Improvement to connect experience insights to leadership development, training priorities, and quality initiatives. Lead change efforts that modernize people practices and support organizational growth, stability, and transformation.
Team Leadership: Lead and develop staff responsible for employee experience programs and initiatives. Provide coaching, direction, and accountability to ensure high-quality execution and continuous improvement.