Talent Management - Director of People & Talent

Kalispel Tribe Careers•Airway Heights, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of People & Talent leads the enterprise talent lifecycle and team member experience for the Kalispel Tribal Economic Authority. They organize how KTEA attracts, supports, engages, and rewards its workforce across all business units. The role owns talent acquisition and workforce planning, HR business partnering and generalist support, team member relations and engagement, and compensation strategy, translating KTEA's people strategy into consistent, compliant, business-aligned execution. Partnering with the Executive Director of Human Resources and operational leaders, the Director advances the shift of HR from problem-solving to leader coaching. As one of two Human Resources pillar leaders, the Director of People & Talent is accountable for the workforce KTEA builds, the experience it delivers, and the pay strategy that sustains it, while the Director of Human Resources Strategy & Development owns talent development, benefits, and risk. Success is measured by the quality and speed of hiring, manager and team member experience and engagement, consistent and defensible employee relations, and a compensation structure that is competitive and equitable.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field required
Eight (8) to ten (10) years of progressive Human Resources experience, including at least three (3) to five (5) years in a leadership role.
Demonstrated breadth across talent acquisition, employee relations, and compensation.
Experience leading HR in a multi-unit or enterprise environment; hospitality, gaming, or tribal enterprise experience preferred.
Experience building or leading an HR business partner / generalist model preferred.
Strategic HR leadership across talent acquisition, employee relations, engagement, and compensation, with the ability to align people strategy to business goals.
Strong employee-relations judgment, including investigations, corrective action, and appropriate risk escalation.
Knowledge of compensation acumen — pay structure, market benchmarking, pay equity, and job/workforce architecture.
Proven ability to build manager capability and move issue resolution from HR to leaders (coaching model).
Sound knowledge of employment practices and the standards the organization elects to follow, and of tribal and gaming employment context.
Excellent communication, influence, and change management skills across all levels of the organization.
Proficiency using HRIS/HCM data (e.g., Dayforce) to inform talent, engagement, and compensation decisions.
Ability to lead through subordinate managers and manage competing priorities across a multi-unit enterprise.
Ability to obtain and maintain Tribal Gaming License
Ability to work nights, weekends, and holidays when required by business needs
Ability to maintain consistent, regular attendance
Valid driver’s license and insurability if operating a Tribal vehicle

Nice To Haves

advanced degree preferred
Professional certification (SHRM-CP/SCP or HRCI PHR/SPHR; a compensation credential such as CCP a plus) strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Direct enterprise talent acquisition strategy across KTEA business units, ensuring hiring meets workforce needs, timelines, and the Tribe's Indian Preference commitments.
Partner with operational leaders on workforce planning, pipeline development, and hiring-manager effectiveness.
Advance a lean, generalist-forward staffing model, reducing reliance on specialized roles while maintaining sourcing capability sized to demand.
Monitor time-to-fill, quality-of-hire, and retention signals, focusing recruiting effort where it most affects the business.
Partner with and provide functional HR support to Kalispel Tribal Government (KTI) HR, respecting the distinct KTEA and KTI entities.
Lead HR business partnering and generalist support for KTEA business units, providing consistent, business-aligned HR guidance.
Operationalize the shift of HR from problem-solving to leader coaching, building manager capability and accountability so people issues resolve close to the business.
Ensure HR practices, policies, and decisions are applied consistently and equitably across properties.
Serve as a senior escalation point for complex people matters, engaging the Executive Director of Human Resources and counsel when warranted.
Own the enterprise team member relations function — conduct, grievances, investigations, and corrective action — ensuring fair, timely, and well-documented outcomes.
Ensure employee-relations practices align with KTEA policy, tribal sovereignty, and the standards the organization elects to follow.
Coach leaders on performance and conduct management, escalating higher-risk matters appropriately.
Support and partner on team member engagement and experience efforts that strengthen culture and retention, with scope to take on broader engagement ownership as that function develops.
Own KTEA compensation strategy — pay structure, ranges, and market competitiveness — in partnership with the KTEA Workforce Level Architecture.
Lead the compensation cycle, pay-equity review, and salary and offer decision guidance for the enterprise.
Partner with HR Systems for compensation configuration, data, and reporting; analytics execution resides in HR Systems.
Ensure compensation decisions are consistent, defensible, and aligned to fiscal guidelines and governance.
Lead talent management and internal mobility processes that strengthen retention and career movement across KTEA.
Partner with the Director of Human Resources Strategy & Development to connect acquisition and mobility with development and succession.
Support role clarity and workforce architecture in partnership with HR leadership.
Champion KTEA's commitment to tribal member employment and advancement within talent processes.
Directs the People & Talent function — talent acquisition, HR business partnering, team member relations and engagement, and compensation strategy — leading its staff directly and through subordinate managers and supervisors. Team structure and direct reports are established and adjusted based on business needs.
Holds full people-management authority for the function: hiring and selection, work assignment, performance evaluation, and corrective action up to and including recommendation for termination.
Prepares and manages the function's operating budget and labor costs.
Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with KTEA policy and applicable law.