People & Culture Manager (Seasonal)

JACOBS PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL INC•Becket, MA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Jacob’s Pillow is seeking a People & Culture Manager (Temporary) to join their team on a temporary basis, starting as soon as possible through December 2026. This is a hands-on, high-impact role embedded within a small, dynamic People & Culture team. The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced, mission-driven environments and brings both strategic thinking and a roll-up-your-sleeves operational approach to HR work. This role is hybrid, with required on-site presence during the summer festival season (approximately June through August). Candidates who are local to western Massachusetts or reside within a one-hour radius of Becket, MA are strongly preferred.

Requirements

+5 years of progressive HR/People Operations experience, with demonstrated depth in employee relations, leave management, and payroll/benefits support.
Strong working knowledge of federal and Massachusetts employment law, including FMLA, PFML, ADA, wage-and-hour, workers’ compensation, and benefits compliance.
Hands-on experience with HRIS platforms (Paycom experience strongly preferred) and comfort navigating payroll and benefits systems at a detailed, transactional level.
Experience managing I-9 verification processes and maintaining compliant employment eligibility records.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust quickly across all levels of an organization.
Proven ability to handle sensitive situations with discretion, empathy, and a commitment to fairness.
Experience working in mission-driven, nonprofit, or arts/cultural organizations.

Nice To Haves

PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification.
Experience supporting or facilitating Affinity Groups, ERGs, or DEIB programming.
Familiarity with the unique HR dynamics of organizations with both year-round and large-scale seasonal workforces.
Comfort operating with a high degree of autonomy in a small-team environment.
Experience developing, writing, or maintaining HR Standard Operating Procedures.
Local to western Massachusetts or within a one-hour commuting radius of Becket, MA.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted resource and first point of contact for employee relations matters, including workplace concerns, conflict resolution, and performance-related conversations.
Conduct fair, thorough, and timely investigations when needed, ensuring compliance with organizational policy and applicable employment law.
Coach managers and supervisors on best practices for feedback, documentation, and navigating sensitive personnel situations.
Partner with leadership to proactively identify and address workplace climate issues before they escalate.
Support the planning and execution of staff events, social programming, and community-building activities that foster connection and belonging across year-round and seasonal staff.
Design and implement engagement initiatives that strengthen staff morale, retention, and sense of belonging.
Provide operational and strategic support to existing and emerging Affinity Groups and ERGs, including meeting facilitation, resource coordination, and leadership development for group leads.
Collaborate with the Director of Talent, Inclusion & Culture to align ERG programming with the organization’s broader inclusion and belonging strategy.
Serve as an accessible liaison between ERG members and organizational leadership, ensuring that employee voices inform institutional decision-making.
Serve as a primary liaison for all employee leave programs, including FMLA, PFML, ADA accommodations, and other statutory and organizational leave policies, coordinating intake, documentation, and return-to-work processes in partnership with the Director of Talent, Inclusion & Culture.
Provide end-to-end operational support for workers’ compensation claims, coordinating with carriers, healthcare providers, and supervisors to ensure timely reporting, proper documentation, and compliance.
Serve as a key liaison to the People Operations Manager, taking temporary ownership of the process and providing critical capacity during high-volume periods.
Own the I-9 verification process for all new hires under the guidance of the People Operations Manager, ensuring compliance with federal employment eligibility requirements and maintaining audit-ready records.
Support compliance with federal, state, and local wage-and-hour regulations, benefits reporting requirements, and ACA obligations.
Provide high-level support to the People Operations Manager, who leads payroll processing, by assisting with troubleshooting, auditing timekeeping records, and resolving discrepancies within the organization’s HRIS (Paycom).
Serve as a knowledgeable resource for staff on benefits enrollment, eligibility, claims issues, and life-event changes, working directly with carriers and vendors as needed.
Collaborate with the People Operations Manager to maintain data integrity across payroll, benefits, and personnel systems.
Support the development, updating, and maintenance of departmental Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure consistency, compliance, and institutional knowledge continuity.
Contribute to department-wide projects and priorities as they emerge during the transition period, including policy updates, process improvements, and documentation.
Maintain strict confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in all matters related to personnel information and organizational operations.
Support the transition to incoming permanent leadership by ensuring clean documentation, organized systems, and a clear operational handoff.