Managing Director, People & Culture

Laird Norton Wetherby•San Francisco, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Managing Director of the People & Culture team is a senior leader and operational driver responsible for building, managing, and continuously improving the human resources function at LNW. The role requires deep experience across multiple HR competencies (e.g., employee relations, talent management, policy). This strong operational foundation enables the Managing Director to combine hands-on HR leadership with the strategic perspective needed to advise the executive team and Board on people-related matters. This is not a purely visionary role, nor is it a purely administrative one. It’s a challenging but rewarding position for a leader who is excited about methodically making things better in a multi-state organization with real operational complexity. LNW is a regulated entity that operates in a wealth management industry that has been rapidly consolidating and whose competitive landscape now changes over months, not years or decades. The company has doubled in size over the past five years, and the Managing Director will need to contend with multiple legacy cultures and practices when setting policy and resolving employee matters. This requires a combination of experience, sound judgment, and empathy. The ideal candidate is a credible leader who earns the trust of employees and managers through operational excellence, clear communication, and a genuine commitment to inclusion and belonging. They are committed to building the type of workplace where talented people want to stay and grow and they model the way with their own small team by helping them develop through teaching, mentoring, and doing the work side-by-side.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive HR experience with demonstrated depth in employee relations, talent management, and policy in complex, multi-site organizations
Strong working knowledge of employment law in your home state (i.e., California for SF-based candidates or Washington for Seattle-based candidates) and ideally a working familiarity with other states where we have offices and the judgment to know when to act, when to pause, and when to call outside counsel
Hands-on experience harmonizing HR practices in organizations that have grown through merger
A track record of finishing things, producing high-quality written work product, managing competing priorities without dropping balls, and holding yourself to the same standard you set for your team
The ability to communicate at every altitude, from a one-on-one with a worried employee to the full Board
Candidates must meet all employment qualifications at time of hiring, including (i) the successful completion of background and credit checks and any pre-employment examinations, (ii) the execution of all employee agreements, and (iii) the ability to consistently and efficiently perform the job’s essential functions, duties and responsibilities.

Nice To Haves

Experience in financial services or wealth management is a plus
Courage. You say the hard thing when it needs to be said, to both the fragile and the powerful, and you do it with enough care and clarity that people trust you, even when they don't like the message.
Tolerance for ambiguity. You can make sound, defensible decisions with incomplete information, explain your reasoning, and adjust when you learn more. You don't freeze waiting for a perfect answer that isn't coming.
Ownership. When something is yours, it gets done. You don't need to be chased, reminded, or managed. The work product that comes out of People & Culture reflects your standard, and sets and upholds a high standard for team performance

Responsibilities

Assess and either harmonize or enhance HR policies across a multi-state organization; policies should be legally sound, operationally clear, and workable for employees with different experiences and expectations
Serve as the team’s go-to authority on employment law (particularly CA, WA, and NY), translating legal requirements into practical, defensible guidance for managers and employees
Build and maintain reliable, well-documented HR processes: onboarding, offboarding, performance management, leaves, accommodations, separations, so the function runs predictably and without gaps
Personally handle complex, sensitive, and high-stakes employee relations matters with sound judgment, discretion, and follow-through
Coach managers on performance management, documentation, and difficult conversations, so people issues are handled well at every level
Spot patterns and systemic risks early, and address them before they become crises
Partner with the head of Learning & Development to shape and build a talent management program grounded in the firm’s long-term business needs and the strengths of its existing team, using that foundation to inform every phase of the program, from recruiting to development to offboarding
Develop a comprehensive performance management strategy and work directly with managers to implement the strategy consistently
Lead and develop a small People & Culture team, operating as a player-coach who does the work alongside the team (including filling gaps where needed) while progressively building the team’s capabilities
Advise the executive team on organizational design and the competitive landscape for talent, grounded in the real needs of our people and the constraints of our business
Develop a forward-looking people strategy that helps us identify and cultivate future leaders, address succession issues, and evolve with a rapidly-changing technological and competitive landscape
Prepare and present clear, concise Board-level updates on people metrics, risk areas, and strategic initiatives
Guide the compensation and benefits program by advising on strategy and key inputs (e.g., what to benchmark, what matters, and why) without needing to personally build the models
Earn trust as an accessible, credible leader who listens, follows through, and treats people honestly
Drive engagement practices (i.e., surveys, listening strategies, stay and exit interviews) and turn what you hear into concrete action, not just slide decks
Partner with leadership and other internal stakeholders to foster an equitable and inclusive workplace, embedding these principles into everyday practices and decisions rather than treating them as standalone programs