VP of People

First Place for Youth•Oakland, CA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

First Place For Youth is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to supporting foster youth in their transition to adulthood, with a focus on education, employment, and housing. The Vice President of People (VP of People) is a strategic, results-oriented senior leader responsible for building and executing a comprehensive people and culture function across the organization. Reporting to the CEO, the VP of People serves as a trusted advisor to leadership and a champion for employees at all levels. This role owns the full people lifecycle — from talent acquisition and onboarding through compensation, performance management, and retention — while ensuring the organization remains compliant, competitive as an employer, and positioned to scale. The VP of People will bring a people-centered, data-informed mindset, sound judgment, and the operational rigor needed to build best-in-class people systems in a mission-driven, multi-site environment. At First Place, our people are our program. The VP of People will be the steward of an organizational culture where every staff member feels seen, supported, and connected to the mission — understanding that how we care for our team directly shapes how we show up for the young people we serve.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive HR, people, or culture experience paired with 8+ years in a managerial role.
Demonstrated expertise across the full people function including talent acquisition, compensation, benefits, employee relations, performance management, and people compliance.
Experience in a multi-site organization strongly preferred.
Bachelor's degree required.
Ability to translate organizational goals into people strategy and operational plans.
Comfortable operating at both a high level and getting into the details when needed.
Skilled at using data and workforce analytics to drive decisions and measure outcomes.
A strong dedication to cultural competency that creates conditions that remove barriers and increase a sense of belonging.
Strong working knowledge of compensation design, market benchmarking, pay equity analysis, and total rewards strategy.
Familiarity with California-specific wage and hour law required.
Proven track record building and managing full-cycle recruiting functions.
Experience developing structured hiring processes, employer branding, and onboarding programs at scale.
Deep knowledge of federal and California employment law.
Ability to recognize organizational risk and proactively develop policies and practices to mitigate it.
Experience managing employee relations matters and complex people investigations.
Exemplary people management skills with a track record of developing high-performing teams.
Skilled at coaching managers and leaders at all levels.
Able to work cross-functionally and build trusted relationships across departments.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
Able to present complex people data, culture insights, and policy matters clearly to leadership, staff, and the Board of Directors.
Exercises sound judgment around confidentiality and sensitive information.
Strong ability to manage people-related budgets, analyze compensation data, and collaborate with Finance on workforce cost planning.
Highest levels of personal and professional integrity, with a demonstrated ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
Professional, adaptable, and able to build relationships across a broad range of people and roles.
Leads with warmth and genuine curiosity about people.
Remains composed and solutions-focused in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
Availability for occasional evening and weekend work, and willingness to travel periodically to other office locations as needed.
Participation in organization-wide events, all-staff meetings, and leadership convenings as a visible and engaged member of the leadership team.

Nice To Haves

MA, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent certification a plus.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a multi-year people and culture strategy aligned with First Place’s mission, organizational goals, and growth plans.
Serve as a key member of the Leadership Team, providing strategic guidance on workforce planning, organizational design, people risk and wellbeing, and initiatives that strengthen our team and culture.
Use workforce data and people metrics to surface insights, spot trends, and continuously improve the employee experience and organizational outcomes.
Represent the organization’s people and culture function externally, helping position First Place as an employer of choice in the nonprofit sector.
Champion a culture of belonging, psychological safety, and continuous learning — modeling the values and behaviors that make First Place a place where people thrive.
Own the strategy and standards for full-cycle recruiting and hiring across all roles and locations, ensuring consistency, equity, and alignment with organizational values.
Develop structured screening and interview frameworks to ensure values-aligned rigorous and equitable candidate evaluation.
Oversee a comprehensive onboarding program that builds genuine connection, cultural belonging, and early momentum for new hires.
Build and maintain talent pipelines and employer branding strategies to attract mission-aligned, high-quality candidates.
Ensure the candidate experience reflects First Place's values — treating every applicant with care and transparency regardless of outcome.
Design and manage a competitive total compensation philosophy including salary structures, incentive programs, and employee benefits that reflect our commitment to valuing our people.
Lead annual compensation review processes to ensure pay equity, market alignment, and fiscal responsibility.
Oversee benefits administration, vendor relationships, and open enrollment while ensuring compliance with federal and California regulations.
Advocate internally for compensation and benefits that reduce financial stress and enable staff to show up fully to their work.
Design and lead a holistic employee experience strategy — from day one through career growth — informed by engagement surveys, stay conversations, and exit insights.
Partner with leaders and managers to foster a positive, high-performing workplace culture rooted in First Place's core values and address employee relations matters with care and equity.
Identify systemic drivers of turnover and implement targeted solutions to improve wellbeing, connection, and retention.
Build programs and rituals that celebrate staff contributions, deepen team connection, and reinforce a sense of shared purpose across sites.
Lead organization-wide performance management systems including goal-setting, review cycles, and calibration processes designed to support growth, not just evaluation.
Partner with department leaders on professional development pathways, leadership development, and succession planning that invest meaningfully in staff at every level.
Provide coaching and guidance to managers on strengths-based feedback, constructive accountability, and employee growth.
Create development opportunities that help staff build toward their aspirations, not just the needs of their current role.
Set the organization's compliance framework and risk management approach across all operating locations, with the Director of HR leading day-to-day implementation and monitoring.
Own the strategic direction for people policies and the employee handbook, delegating drafting, updating, and maintenance to the HR team while ensuring final approval and organizational alignment.
Provide strategic oversight of people systems (HRIS) and ensure the HR team maintains accurate personnel records, confidentiality standards, and operational efficiency.
Establish standards for employee relations investigations and serve as escalation point for complex or high-risk matters, with the Director of HR managing investigations day-to-day.
Partner with Finance on payroll coordination, headcount planning, and budgeting for people-related expenses.
Collaborate with Operations on policies and compliance initiatives that impact staff, including workplace safety and regulatory programs such as the Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP).
Work closely with Program and Development teams to ensure people processes support the needs of diverse programs and funding structures.
Lead and develop the HR team through direct management of the Director of HR, setting clear goals, providing ongoing feedback, and creating conditions for the team to do its best work.

Benefits

15 days of vacation time in the first year
12 days of sick time
2 floating holidays
15 paid holidays
Employee’s choice of Kaiser or UCH HMO/PPO with up to 90% of the premium covered by First Place on certain plans
Principal dental and vision coverage with up to 90% of the premium covered by First Place
Healthcare and Dependent care FSA plans
Principal basic life and voluntary life insurance coverage
Employee Assistance Program
401(k) retirement savings plan
Paid sabbatical