Head of People - Seattle

Ascend Partner Firms•Bellevue, WA

About The Position

Ascend is seeking a Head of People to support one of its local partner firms by developing and leading talent programs that attract and retain highly engaged professionals and help them become the firm’s future leaders. The role oversees People and Human Resources functions and administrative operations, including talent acquisition, employee engagement and relations, performance management, and learning and development. It enables business growth by devising and deploying strategic initiatives that deliver effective HR solutions for the partner firm. The Head of People advises the leadership team on strategic human-capital needs, develops and executes a data- and research-informed People strategy, and adapts talent priorities to the accounting industry’s competitive dynamics. The position collaborates on talent attraction and retention, professional development, and the integration of newly acquired businesses; uses market analysis to develop competitive pay scales; and drives continuous improvement while addressing talent risks and relevant regulatory and policy changes. The role also oversees employee services, internal People communications, personnel compliance, and People KPIs. It leads the development of Academy training programs with Ascend People leadership, directs semiannual performance evaluations and manager enablement, and partners with Ascend’s Head of Professional Development to implement role- and level-based learning pathways. The position helps ensure the firm has high-performing people in key roles to support future growth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Track record of supporting People- and/or Talent-focused objectives with clear, effective, and actionable strategies.
Superior emotional intelligence and influencing skills.
Outstanding oral and written communication abilities.
Excellent leadership attributes and the capacity to inspire and motivate cross-functional teams.
Strong organizational, critical-thinking, and prioritization skills.

Responsibilities

Advise the leadership team on the business’s strategic human-capital needs.
Develop and execute a data- and research-informed human-capital strategy aligned with the firm’s strategic plan.
Maintain an understanding of talent needs and accounting-industry competitive dynamics, refreshing strategic outcomes as needed.
Collaborate with leadership to deploy programs for talent attraction and retention, professional development, and integration of newly acquired assets.
Use compensation data and relevant market analysis to develop standardized, competitive pay scales.
Drive continuous improvement, mitigate talent-related risks, and stay apprised of relevant regulatory, policy, and industry changes.
Oversee employee services, including benefits enrollment, employee relations, and payroll, and respond to employee questions in a timely, proactive manner.
Manage internal communications on People matters, ensuring information is clear, accessible, and actionable.
Manage compliance for personnel matters, including hiring and termination procedures.
Lead the development and monitoring of People KPIs, identifying leading indicators and addressing issues proactively.
Build Academy training programs in partnership with Ascend People leadership.
Direct semiannual performance evaluations using role scorecards and develop supportive feedback loops.
Teach managers consistent and effective performance-management and bonus-evaluation practices.
Partner with Ascend’s Head of Professional Development to implement learning pathways by role and level, using available resources.
Help ensure the firm has high-performing people in key roles to drive future growth.