Director of Human Resources - Meta House

Spano Pratt•Milwaukee, WI

49d•Hybrid

About The Position

Meta House seeks a collaborative, forward thinking Director of Human Resources to serve as a strategic and operational leader responsible for developing and executing the organization's people strategy. This role oversees all aspects of human resources including compliance, talent acquisition, employee relations, performance management, compensation and benefits, workforce planning, leadership development, organizational culture, and employee engagement. The Director of HR will partner closely with leaders to ensure the organization has the talent, structure, systems, and culture necessary to achieve its mission and strategic objectives. The ideal candidate is an experienced HR leader with a strong business and operational mindset, capable of balancing employee advocacy with strategic workforce planning that will include right-sizing initiatives and change management efforts.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, Organizational Leadership, Finance, or closely related field required
8+ years of progressive HR experience, including senior-level leadership responsibility
Minimum 5 years of management experience leading HR functions and supervising staff
Demonstrated experience supporting organizational growth, restructuring, or workforce transformation
Experience advising senior leadership on strategic workforce issues
Experience developing and implementing culture and employee engagement initiatives
Strategic, forward-looking, and systems-oriented
Able to move HR from reactive task management to proactive organizational partnership
Comfortable building infrastructure, priorities, and an HR roadmap
Skilled in workforce planning, succession planning, and organizational design
Sound business judgment while maintaining a mission-first perspective
Serves as a trusted thought partner to the CEO, senior leadership team, and Board of Directors
Self-directed and able to establish priorities without close supervision
Brings recommendations, decisions, and identified risks—not simply problems or options
Deep, hands-on HR generalist expertise
Strong command of employee relations, employment-law compliance, investigations, and documentation
Demonstrated expertise in administering employee leave programs, including FMLA, ADA accommodations, and attendance-related matters
Able to establish consistent, legally sound policies, SOPs, and handbook-review processes
Skilled in performance management, corrective action, PIPs, termination processes, and unemployment matters
Creates clear workflows, ownership, controls, and escalation protocols
Knows when to seek external legal counsel or use resources such as MRA
Proven talent acquisition strategist with a track record of attracting top talent
Focused on retention, first-year experience, employee engagement, and career longevity
Able to define roles, clarify job descriptions, and strengthen onboarding
Builds leader capabilities in coaching, feedback, accountability, performance conversations, and documentation
Uses data to identify turnover patterns, staffing gaps, workload inequities, and retention risks
Comfortable creating workforce metrics and reports for the Board of Directors
High emotional intelligence combined with confidence and decisiveness
Builds trust
Neutral, fair, and credible—able to remain above internal dynamics
Visible, approachable, and accessible
Strong listener
Clear, transparent communicator capable of explaining rationale behind decisions, when possible

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred
Experience in healthcare, behavioral health, nonprofit, or human services organizations
Experience leading organizational design and workforce planning initiatives
Experience supporting multi-site operations
Experience managing change during periods of significant growth or transformation
Proficiency in HRIS systems, ADP Workforce Now preferred, and Microsoft Office Suite
HR certification (e.g. SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR)
Certified Change Management or Organizational Development credentials
Ideally brings nonprofit, healthcare, behavioral health, human services, 24-hour staffing, or comparable workforce experience

Responsibilities

Develop and implement a comprehensive HR strategy aligned with organizational goals and strategic plan
Serve as a trusted advisor on workforce planning, design, succession planning, and talent management
Assess current and future workforce needs and develop strategies to recruit, retain, and develop talent
Lead HR initiatives that support organizational effectiveness, scalability, and long-term sustainability
Generate workforce and human capital data to inform decision-making and organizational improvements
Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) tied to quality, outcomes, and operational effectiveness related to human capital resources
Prepare and present updates to executive team, Board of Directors, and others (both internally and externally) as needed
Lead efforts to strengthen and sustain a positive, mission-driven culture that aligns with organizational values and vision while reinforcing accountability, collaboration, and inclusion
Design and implement continuous improvement initiatives related to employee engagement, retention, and satisfaction
Create leadership development programs that build people leadership and management capabilities throughout the organization
Partner with leadership to drive adoption of organizational changes associated with growth, restructuring, or strategic transformation
Oversee recruitment, onboarding, and retention strategies including background and reference checks, enrolling employees into contract systems, and ongoing engagement
Ensure hiring processes attract diverse, highly qualified candidates
Collaborate to develop employer branding initiatives that strengthen the organization's reputation as an employer of choice
Monitor turnover, retention, and other workforce metrics; implement improvement strategies to be responsive to same
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations
Maintain HR policies and procedures consistent with legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements
Manage employment-related investigations and employee relations matters as necessary
Partner with compliance and leadership teams to mitigate workforce-related risks
Design and implement organizational policies and procedures related to employee relations matters and performance improvement efforts including coaching leaders
Ensure fair, consistent, and legally compliant employment practices
Lead performance management systems that promote accountability, development, and high performance while maintaining organizational values and culture
Evaluate compensation structures and benefits programs to ensure competitiveness and fiscal responsibility
Ensure effective administration of employee benefits, leave programs, and other HR services
Oversee HR policies, procedures, systems, and records management
Monitor workforce metrics and HR analytics to support informed decision-making
Support gathering and presentation of information from department for audits
Evaluate organizational structure and staffing models to ensure efficient deployment of resources
Lead workforce planning initiatives to support growth, service expansion, and changing organizational needs
Provide recommendations regarding staffing levels, span of control, role clarity, and organizational effectiveness
Support strategic hiring while identifying opportunities for greater operational efficiency and right-sizing when appropriate
Establish and maintain succession plans for key leadership and operational positions
Design and implement leadership trainings and oversee other employee development initiatives