Director of People & Culture

Director, People & Culture

Location: Gorham, Maine

Salary: 120k - 140k D.O.E

Job Summary:

The Director, People & Culture, serves as a strategic business partner responsible for advancing organizational effectiveness through talent acquisition, employee relations, leadership coaching, workforce planning, engagement, and culture initiatives. This role leads the Talent Acquisition and People Business Partner functions and ensures alignment between organizational goals and people strategies.

The Director partners with senior leaders to attract, develop, engage, and retain a diverse and high-performing workforce while fostering a culture that reflects the organization's values and mission. The position provides strategic consultation and execution on employee relations matters, organizational change, workforce planning, leadership development, succession planning, and talent management.

This leader develops and implements people practices that enhance employee engagement, strengthen leadership capability, support legal compliance, and position the organization as an employer of choice.

Essential Functions:

• Serve as a strategic business partner to executive and operational leaders, providing guidance on workforce strategy, organizational effectiveness, talent management, employee relations, succession planning, organizational design, and change management.
• Develop and execute people and culture strategies that support organizational goals, strengthen employee engagement, and foster a high-performing, values-driven workplace culture.
• Lead the Talent Acquisition and Human Resources Business Partner functions, ensuring effective recruitment, workforce planning, leadership support, employee relations, conflict resolution, performance management, and talent development practices across the organization.
• Oversee complex employee relations matters, workplace investigations, policy interpretation, compliance activities, and employment-related legal issues, ensuring consistent application of employment laws, organizational policies, and best practices.
• Partner with organizational leaders and People & Culture Centers of Excellence to align recruitment, onboarding, retention, compensation, leadership development, employee experience, and workforce initiatives.
• Establish and monitor workforce and recruiting metrics, analyze trends, assess organizational health, and provide data-driven recommendations that improve talent outcomes, employee engagement, operational effectiveness, and business performance.
• Lead talent acquisition strategy, employer branding, recruitment marketing, sourcing initiatives, candidate experience, and workforce pipeline development to attract and retain diverse, high-quality talent.
• Maintain current expertise in employment law, labor market trends, talent acquisition practices, organizational development, employee engagement strategies, and emerging HR technologies to ensure innovative and compliant people practices.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
• Five (5) or more years of progressively responsible Human Resources leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading Talent Acquisition and Employee Relations/HR Business Partner functions.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state employment laws, employee relations practices, compliance requirements, and talent acquisition strategies.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or related field.
• SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent professional certification.
• Experience supporting geographically dispersed operations, retail, workforce development, or multi-site organizations.
• Experience leading organizational culture, engagement, or change management initiatives.
• Experience with succession planning and talent management systems

We believe in supporting our employees just as much as they support our mission. In addition to working in a fulfilling and supportive environment, our employees enjoy:

• Medical, Vision, and Dental benefits
• Generous PTO Plan
• Paid Short- & Long-Term Disability.
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
• 50% Employee discount at Goodwill stores in ME, NH & VT
• Valuable job training with growth potential and more!

Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.