Managing Director, People & Culture

MacArthur Foundation•Chicago, IL

1d•$350,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is seeking an accomplished, strategic, and values-driven executive to serve as its next Managing Director, People & Culture. This role reports directly to the Foundation’s President and serves as a member of the Foundation's executive leadership team. The Managing Director will provide vision, strategy, and leadership for all aspects of the Foundation's people and culture agenda. This executive will play a critical role in ensuring that MacArthur continues to attract, develop, engage, support, and retain exceptional talent while cultivating a workplace culture that enables staff to thrive and advance the Foundation's mission. As a trusted advisor to the President and senior leadership team, the Managing Director will serve as the Foundation's chief people strategist, leading efforts that strengthen organizational effectiveness, leadership capacity, employee engagement, and long-term talent sustainability. The successful candidate will combine strategic perspective with operational excellence, helping to shape the employee experience while ensuring that people practices, programs, and policies align with MacArthur's mission, values, and commitment to the Just Imperative. MacArthur is navigating a period of change and heightened ambition. As the Foundation responds to an increasingly complex external environment, embraces new technologies, and seeks to deliver greater impact without proportionate growth in its workforce, the Managing Director will help shape how the organization works, leads, collaborates, and adapts. This leader will help MacArthur sustain the best of its highly collaborative, intellectually curious, and mission-driven culture while strengthening organizational agility, accountability, clarity, and effectiveness. This is an exceptional opportunity to influence the future of one of the world's leading philanthropic institutions and help steward the people and culture that power its local and global impact.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive human resources leadership experience, including significant experience in senior enterprise-level roles; prior experience in the non-profit or philanthropic sector is a plus.
Broad-based expertise across the people agenda, including talent and leadership development, organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, performance management, total rewards, employee relations, talent acquisition, and HR operations and technology.
Experience building, leading, and developing high-performing People & Culture teams, with the ability to empower subject matter experts, integrate work across functions, and strengthen the team’s collective impact.
Demonstrated success leading organizational change and transformation, strengthening culture and organizational effectiveness, and translating people strategy into measurable organizational impact.
A track record of advancing inclusion and belonging as an integral part of organizational culture, talent strategy, and decision-making, with a demonstrated commitment to creating environments where people with different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives can thrive.
Strategic and enterprise-minded, with the ability to connect people, culture, and organizational priorities to the Foundation’s broader mission and strategy.
A credible advisor with the judgment, courage, and confidence to challenge constructively, make difficult decisions, set clear expectations, and hold others accountable.
An approachable, authentic, low-ego, and highly collaborative and empathetic leader.
Exceptional emotional intelligence with the ability to build trust, navigate complex organizational dynamics, and balance differing perspectives and competing priorities.
An exceptional communicator and listener who brings clarity to complex issues, communicates with candor and transparency, and can engage, influence, and inspire audiences across all levels of the organization.
Highly skilled in diplomacy, influence, facilitation, negotiation, and conflict resolution, with the ability to build alignment without relying on consensus.
Deeply aligned with MacArthur’s mission, values, and Just Imperative.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and utilizing HRIS platforms.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in the non-profit or philanthropic sector is a plus.
An advanced degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or a related field is a plus.
SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) or SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) or other relevant HR certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

Serve as a member of the leadership advisory team, contributing to organizational strategy, policy development, and enterprise decision-making.
Advise the President and senior leaders on workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, culture, employee engagement, and organizational change.
Position People & Culture as a proactive and influential strategic partner, ensuring people, organizational, and culture implications are considered early in enterprise decisions and helping leaders anticipate rather than simply respond to workforce needs.
Help strengthen organizational agility, decision-making, prioritization, and accountability, enabling the Foundation to adapt effectively while preserving its deeply collaborative culture.
Champion the thoughtful use of technology, including emerging AI-enabled tools, to modernize people practices, improve efficiency, reduce unnecessary administrative burden, and enable new and more effective ways of working.
Utilize people analytics and workforce data to inform talent and organizational decisions.
Lead organizational change and transformation efforts, including any organizational redesign and culture change, to support evolving organizational needs and strategic priorities.
Lead initiatives that strengthen staff engagement, connection, collaboration, team building, and employee recognition across the Foundation.
Strengthen and sustain an inclusive workplace culture aligned with the Foundation’s mission and values in partnership with the Equity Office and the Just Imperative, where all employees feel valued and supported to do their best work.
Foster a culture that combines trust, care, and inclusion with clear expectations, candid feedback, accountability, continuous learning, innovation, and a shared commitment to high performance.
Lead employee relations and serve as a trusted advisor on complex workplace matters, including conflict resolution, mediation, and sensitive organizational challenges.
Oversee the development, implementation, and administration of HR policies and procedures.
Working with the Office of the General Counsel to ensure compliance with applicable employment laws and best practices.
Develop workforce planning strategies that align talent needs with organizational priorities.
Oversee talent acquisition strategies and processes to attract exceptional and mission-aligned talent and ensure recruitment practices support the Foundation's commitment to excellence and broad perspectives.
Oversee onboarding and orientation programs that successfully integrate new employees into the Foundation's culture and operations.
Oversee the Foundation's performance management systems and processes.
Strengthen managers and equip leaders to set clear expectations, support employee growth, provide meaningful feedback, navigate difficult conversations, differentiate performance, and hold people accountable with fairness and consistency.
Lead enterprise-wide succession planning efforts to ensure leadership continuity and long-term organizational resilience.
Conduct and oversee organizational and individual needs assessments to identify development opportunities and strengthen organizational capabilities.
Direct and develop approaches to adult learning and professional growth that support employee development and career advancement for emerging, mid-level, and senior leaders.
Lead the Foundation's total rewards strategy, including benefits and total compensation.
Ensure compensation and benefits programs remain competitive, equitable, and aligned with organizational goals and talent needs.
Monitor market trends and recommend enhancements that support attraction, retention, and employee well-being.
Oversee internal communications related to people and culture, and partner with leadership ensuring communication is clear, timely, and transparent and help employees understand what is changing, why, and what it means for them.
Lead and execute cross-functional special initiatives that advance strategic workforce, culture, and organizational objectives.
Serve as a member of the Foundation's Crisis Management Team.
Partner with the President and senior leadership to support the Board on People & Culture matters, providing relevant insights, analysis, and recommendations on executive talent, succession, compensation, workforce risk, and other people-related priorities as appropriate.