Director, People & Culture

JFF • Washington, DC

5h • $140,000 - $160,000

About The Position

The Director, People & Culture leads JFF’s People Business Partner (PBP) function and is accountable for the consistency, quality, and risk management of employee relations, career development, employee listening, and large-scale people-facing initiatives and processes across a workforce of more than 200 employees working remotely and in offices across the United States. This functional leadership role sets direction and standards for the PBP team, builds repeatable business-partnering processes, and applies a strong understanding of the organization and nonprofit-relevant HR practices.

The director leads the PBP team and reports to the Associate Vice President, P&C. The role partners closely with the Director, People Operations & Total Rewards, Finance, Legal, Operations, and JFF leaders. It requires building trust and influence across a complex, matrixed organization and helping leaders make fair, legally sound, strategically aligned people decisions. The director stays close to complex work, exercises sound judgment, and escalates early when matters present meaningful legal, financial, or reputational risk.

The role leads PBP portfolio design and coverage; develops and holds the team accountable; establishes operating processes, standards, and cross-functional handoffs; serves as a senior advisor on complex employee relations matters; and leads enterprise people initiatives, career development, succession planning, workforce planning, and employee listening. It also partners with leaders on talent acquisition and offers, uses people data to identify patterns and risks, and contributes to P&C goals, budget, and operating rhythm.

JFF offers remote, hybrid, and in-person work options at its Boston, Oakland, and Washington, DC offices. New employees receive office equipment as needed. The hiring range is $140,000–$160,000 annually.

Requirements

• Demonstrated People & Culture/HR experience, including significant experience leading HR business partners or generalist teams and advising senior executive roles.
• Extensive experience owning segment or portfolio responsibilities for a business partner or generalist function and establishing processes, standards, and structure for consistent delivery.
• Generalist HR expertise and demonstrated employee relations experience, including managing complex cases, investigations, and separations and knowing when to involve counsel.
• Experience implementing and advising on large-scale, people-facing initiatives and processes, and turning effective ideas into standard practice while improving established processes.
• Deep familiarity with and leadership in succession planning.
• Experience leading career development and employee listening, including survey analysis and turning insights into action.
• Deep understanding of business needs, people practices, and HR practices relevant to nonprofits; clear understanding of nonprofit compliance and regulations.
• Sound judgment about escalation, keeping leadership informed, recognizing patterns, and bringing forward recommendations.
• High attention to detail, especially in documentation, case files, and communications.
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to build influence across teams and the organization; comfort presenting to all-staff audiences and senior leadership.
• Executive presence and clear written and verbal communication, with discretion, tact, and integrity in sensitive matters.
• Comfort with ambiguity and change; practical, flexible, and calm under pressure.
• Commitment to inclusion and belonging, with experience building fair, transparent people practices.
• Comfort with people data and analytics and with trying new tools, including AI-enabled approaches, to improve efficiency and employee experience.

Nice To Haves

• Some exposure to hiring and talent acquisition.
• Experience with workforce planning.
• Experience in the nonprofit sector is valued but not required.
• Experience with Culture Amp or a similar survey platform.

Responsibilities

• Lead the PBP function by defining portfolios, coverage, decision rights, goals, and success measures, and align coverage with JFF’s evolving organization and areas of greatest complexity.
• Ensure PBPs lead the full talent lifecycle in their portfolios, including leader partnership, workforce and skills planning, performance, team effectiveness, and employee relations coordination.
• Translate P&C strategy into clear priorities, proposals, and recommendations for senior leaders.
• Lead, develop, coach, and hold the PBP team accountable for quality, timeliness, risk management, stakeholder experience, and appropriate escalation.
• Develop PBP career paths and development plans, provide candid feedback, review workload and capacity at least quarterly, and ensure cross-training, backup coverage, and transition plans.
• Build and continuously improve the PBP operating model, including RACI and handoffs, case management and documentation standards, escalation and risk practices, intake and triage, annual calendars, templates, playbooks, and process maps.
• Clarify handoffs with People Operations & Total Rewards and ensure each handoff has a named owner, next action, and timing.
• Serve as the escalation point and senior advisor for complex employee relations matters, including conflict, performance and conduct concerns, investigations, accommodations, and separations, in partnership with the AVP, P&C and legal counsel as needed.
• Ensure employee relations matters are handled promptly and consistently, with sound documentation, and coach leaders on difficult conversations, performance management, and fair, defensible decisions.
• Review employee relations patterns and PBP data to identify risks, recommend policy or practice changes, and build manager capability; ensure guidance reflects applicable nonprofit and multi-state employer requirements.
• Advise on and lead enterprise people initiatives, including performance and calibration cycles, organizational changes, policy updates, and manager enablement; plan implementation, communication, adoption, and measures of success.
• Present to all-staff audiences, the JFF Leadership Council, the Executive Team, and, as needed, the Board; conduct post-cycle reviews and ensure improvements are implemented, measured, and communicated.
• Lead career development approaches, including career paths, internal mobility, growth conversations, and manager capability.
• Lead succession planning with executives and senior leaders to identify critical roles, build talent pipelines, and prepare future leaders.
• Partner with Finance, Operations, and leaders on workforce planning so staffing, budgets, and organizational priorities remain aligned.
• Provide generalist judgment in talent acquisition by partnering with PBPs and hiring managers on role design, hiring approach, and offers.
• Lead employee listening in partnership with People Operations, including engagement and total rewards surveys, pulse feedback, and exit and stay insights; turn results and people data into action plans and hold leaders accountable for acting on feedback.
• Partner with Employee Resource Groups and inclusion, belonging, well-being, and employee voice groups to stay connected to staff experience.
• Build trusted relationships across JFF, influence outcomes without direct authority, recognize patterns, and keep the AVP, P&C informed of emerging risks and decisions needing executive attention, with recommendations.
• Partner with the Director, People Operations & Total Rewards to ensure PBP guidance on compensation, benefits, and policy is accurate and consistent.
• Provide senior-generalist support across the P&C portfolio when priorities shift or high-stakes issues require experienced support, then stabilize work and hand it off with clear ownership and next steps.
• Contribute to P&C’s annual goals, budget, and operating rhythm, and model JFF’s values and Compass leadership expectations.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Retirement benefits through a 403(b) plan, including employer contributions for eligible employees
• Paid time off
• Paid leave benefits
• Professional development opportunities
• Office equipment for new employees as needed

What This Job Offers

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