Director of Human Resources and Talent

Breakthrough • Austin, TX

53d

About The Position

The Director of Human Resources and Talent is a senior leader responsible for guiding and strengthening all facets of Breakthrough’s human resources, talent acquisition, staff development and retention, and performance practices for full-time staff, interns and participants in national service. The Director of Human Resources and Talent will have a strong focus on maintaining and improving the systems that allow talent at all levels to access and thrive in the Breakthrough community. This includes developing inclusive hiring strategies, ensuring legal and organizational compliance with HR policies, supporting AmeriCorps program administration, and embedding equity into every talent-related process. Reporting to the Chief Operations Officer (COO), the Director of Human Resources and Talent will supervise the Talent Acquisition Specialist and Associate Director of AmeriCorps. The Director will partner with Breakthrough's Director of People Strategies and Culture to co-lead efforts across the organization to drive impact through Breakthrough’s most critical asset: its people.

Requirements

• Strong expertise in HR, talent acquisition and development, and the full employee lifecycle, using that knowledge to drive effective, people-centered outcomes.
• Effectively stewards organizational culture and ensures that policies, practice, systems, people strategy, and culture mirror Breakthrough’s values.
• Creates cross-organizational partnerships to deliver HR and talent initiatives and training that align with organizational goals, strengthen staff competencies, and drive effectiveness.
• Ensures that Breakthrough has the right people in the right roles by developing data-driven strategies to attract, source, and acquire talent and overseeing onboarding.
• Promotes professional development, performance feedback, and skill building and cultivates a culture of continuous learning.
• Creates an engaging, inclusive, and supportive work environment by implementing policies, programs, and practices that enhance job satisfaction, belonging, and retention.
• Skilled in leading complex, cross-functional projects, managing multiple priorities, and aligning operational systems to support organizational goals and innovation.
• Applies HR policies, AmeriCorps state regulations, and federal grant requirements with attention to detail in documentation, reporting, and record-keeping.
• Sets priorities, delegates effectively, manages conflict, promotes inclusion, stewards team culture and climate, and coaches the team to ensure steady progress toward goals while maintaining a sense of belonging and connection.
• Coaches, provides effective feedback and training, and supports direct reports to set priorities, build skills, meet goals, and grow toward professional aims.
• Works with colleagues across teams to improve outcomes, resolve conflicts, use meeting time purposefully (including managing time toward clear agendas) while ensuring all participants in collaborative efforts are included and engaged.
• Aligns team strategy with organizational goals and vision and navigates internal and external change with creativity, clarity, confidence, and compassion.
• Leads collaboratively, strategically, and inclusively with other people leaders to set vision, ensure strategic alignment, steward organizational climate and culture, maintain operational efficiency, and create meaningful impact.
• Operates with cultural humility and demonstrates written, verbal, and digital communication skills, in 1:1, small group, and whole group settings, that foster and contribute to an inclusive environment that effectively engages others across diverse identities and experiences.
• Builds trusting, effective relationships that enable collaboration, productive conflict and dialogue, honest conversations, and authentic partnership with colleagues, students, families, campus staff, volunteers, community partners, donors, and other key stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• Champion for increasing social and economic opportunity through educational attainment.
• Servant leader, feels at their best in a deep relationship with the communities in which they serve and in collaboration with others they work and partner with.
• Passionate about building authentic relationships with staff, AmeriCorps Members, and partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead core HR functions, including benefits administration, compliance, handbook development, policy implementation, and employee relations, ensuring timely, fair, and consistent resolution of workplace concerns, supporting staff through complex people issues, and maintaining a culture of trust, accountability, and safety.
• Oversee the administration, optimization, and continuous improvement of the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) to ensure accurate data management, efficient workflows, and a positive user experience for staff.
• Manage and lead the performance review process of all staff, specifically full-time staff annual review cycles and AmeriCorps member mid-service reviews.
• Serve as a collaborator and supporter to the Director of People and Culture Strategies as they lead efforts to design and execute learning and development for all team members tied to the performance reviews and pathways planning.
• Act as an employee champion and change agent, ensuring staff feel heard, supported, and able to thrive.
• Ensure HR systems reflect legal best practices and equity-centered design.
• Develop and oversee employee retention and engagement strategies, including inclusive performance management, employee lifecycle planning, and internal mobility structures, liaising with the Director of People and Culture Strategies on how team culture and learning and development supports those strategies.
• Develop and maintain workforce planning strategies to ensure alignment between organizational goals and staffing capacity, including forecasting hiring needs and supporting organizational design decisions.
• Lead and support organizational change efforts related to HR systems, policies, and talent structures, ensuring smooth implementation, staff engagement, and sustained adoption across the organization.
• Serve as the lead on staff grievance, discipline, and conflict resolution and management, liaising with the Director of People Strategies and Culture as needed to carry out restorative practices.
• Support and supervise the Talent Acquisition Specialist in recruiting all staff - full time, part-time, temporary, seasonal and participants in national service (AmeriCorps).
• Screen applications, conduct interviews, and support hiring managers in selecting top candidates for full-time, part-time, seasonal staff.
• Oversee the design and lead equitable and transparent recruitment and selection systems for full-time staff and AmeriCorps members.
• Champion inclusive hiring and developmental practices that reduce bias and increase access and representation at all levels of the organization.
• Ensure the execution of comprehensive onboarding programs that ensure cultural integration, role clarity, and early success for all hires.
• Provide and evaluate learning and development offerings for full-time staff and AmeriCorps members.
• Ensure talent practices—from recruitment to exit—actively interrupt bias and promote inclusion and belonging.
• Integrate the competency framework into talent lifecycle processes including recruitment, performance management, succession planning, and employee development.
• Support the Director of People Strategies and Culture on Breakthrough’s efforts to support staff growth in cultural competency through learning opportunities, reflection spaces, and resource sharing.
• Design and continuously improve equitable HR systems and processes across the employee lifecycle (recruitment, onboarding, evaluation, promotion, and exit), actively identifying and interrupting bias while increasing access, representation, and fairness.
• Support compliance of AmeriCorps regulations, and federal/state grant requirements, including audit readiness, documentation standards, and proactive risk mitigation across all HR systems and practices.
• Support and supervise the AD of AmeriCorps in hiring, placing, onboarding, and evaluating year-round and summer AmeriCorps members.
• Collaborate to ensure AmeriCorps members are receiving high-quality supervision, development, and support.
• Act an organizational contact with the state service commission (OneStar) and ensure compliance with all AmeriCorps grant requirements.

Benefits

• Health, dental and vision insurance; Breakthrough provides a zero cost plan option
• Life insurance
• Matching 401K retirement plan
• Thirty days of annualized PTO
• Generous leave policy

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed