Director of Human Resources

Director of Human Resources

The Director of Human Resources (Director) is a key leadership role responsible for ensuring that Lambda Legal's employment practices, policies, benefits programs, and labor relations are effective, compliant, equitable, and aligned with the organization's mission and values. Reporting to the Chief of People & Culture (CPC), the Director serves as a strategic advisor and functional leader within the People & Culture department, with primary responsibility for employee and labor relations, employment compliance, benefits administration, and related HR operations.

The Director serves as a management co-chair of the labor-management committee, in partnership with Lambda Unites, the organization's employee union (WBNG Local 32035, CWA), and leads day-to-day labor relations in partnership with the CPC and COO. This includes administering the collective bargaining agreement, managing grievances and labor-management processes, leading bargaining efforts on behalf of Lambda Legal for successor contracts of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and fostering a constructive and collaborative relationship with union representatives.

The Director also oversees the organization's benefits function and supervises the Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist, ensuring effective and compliant administration of employee benefits and related payroll processes. The Director is responsible for the continued growth of the Payroll and Benefits Specialist, and leadership within the function. The Director advises supervisors and organizational leaders on employee relations, workplace investigations, employment policies, and personnel matters;and works closely with the CPC and legal counsel, as appropriate, to address complex employment and compliance issues.

The Director will partner closely with the Director of Talent and the CPC on cross-functional People & Culture priorities, including workforce planning, employee engagement and retention, and other initiatives that span the employee lifecycle. While each Director will have distinct areas of functional ownership, the roles are expected to operate as close partners in advancing the organization's overall People and Culture strategy.

What you'll do:

• Serve as a management co-chair of the labor-management committee to lead day-to-day labor relations affairs and bargaining efforts for successor contracts of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
• Partner with the CPC and COO on the collective bargaining strategy, negotiations, contract administration, and ongoing labor-management collaboration.
• Interpret and administer the collective bargaining agreement and ensure compliance with its provisions.
• Manage unit grievances from submission through resolution, including coordinating with organizational leaders, managers, union representatives, and legal counsel as appropriate.
• Coordinate labor-management committee meetings (e.g. annual joint labor-management performance review committee), including preparation, follow-up, and implementation of agreed-upon actions.
• Partner with the Director of Talent in administering the performance management process.
• Partner with the CPC and organizational leadership on employee relations matters, including workplace concerns, investigations, conflict resolution, mediation, and personnel decision-making.
• Provide guidance to supervisors and leadership on employee relations matters, including performance concerns, disciplinary actions, accommodations, leaves, workplace conduct, and other employment issues.
• Identify emerging employee and labor relations trends and recommend appropriate interventions to the CPC and organizational leadership.
• Ensure bargaining-unit job description reviews and related classification processes in partnership with the Talent team and organizational leaders.
• Monitor compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations and advise the CPC and organizational leaders regarding changes and potential areas of risk.
• Serve as an internal advisor to staff, supervisors, and managers regarding the interpretation and application of HR policies, procedures, rules, employment laws, and collective bargaining agreement provisions.
• Lead the ongoing review, maintenance, and education of the employee handbook and HR policies, ensuring policies are legally compliant, clear, equitable, and aligned with organizational values.
• Partner with the CPC and legal counsel, as appropriate, on employment-related compliance matters, investigations, policy interpretation, and emerging legal or regulatory requirements.
• Conduct or oversee workplace investigations and recommend appropriate corrective or preventive actions.
• Maintain appropriate HR documentation and records and ensure practices comply with applicable recordkeeping requirements.
• Identify and assess employment-related risks and recommend improvements to policies, practices, and processes to mitigate organizational exposure.
• Support organizational compliance with applicable requirements related to leave, accommodations, workplace conduct, wage and hour practices, and other employment matters.
• Oversee the organization's employee benefits function, ensuring effective, equitable, and compliant administration of health and wellbeing, retirement, leave, and other employee benefit programs.
• Supervise and provide strategic direction to the Sr Payroll & Benefits Specialist, including establishing priorities and supporting professional development.
• Partner with the Sr Payroll & Benefits Specialist and vendors on annual benefits planning, open enrollment, vendor management, plan administration, and employee communications.
• Monitor benefits programs and vendor relationships and recommend changes that improve employee experience, cost effectiveness, compliance, and organizational needs.
• Ensure accurate and timely administration of employee benefits, including eligibility, enrollment, qualifying life events, leaves, COBRA, and related processes.
• Partner with the CPC and Finance team on payroll-related policies, processes, audits, and issue resolution.
• Evaluate HR operational processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, service delivery, and employee experience.
• Ensure appropriate HR data, records, and systems are maintained and used effectively to support compliance and operational decision-making.
• Partner with the Director of Talent, CPC, and organizational leaders on workforce planning, including assessing organizational staffing needs, workforce trends, position structures, and future talent requirements.
• Provide HR and employment-related guidance on organizational changes, restructurings, position classifications, and other workforce initiatives.
• Partner with the Director of Talent on retention and employee engagement initiatives, contributing an HR perspective informed by employee relations, benefits, workplace practices, and workforce data.
• Contribute to broader People & Culture initiatives that require cross-functional partnership between HR operations and talent development.
• Evaluate and recommend improvements to HR systems, technology, workflows, and processes within the Director's portfolio.
• Partner with the CPC and relevant internal stakeholders to implement and optimize HR technology and systems.
• Use HR data and trends to identify compliance, employee relations, benefits, labor, and operational issues and inform recommendations.
• Develop and maintain appropriate reporting and metrics related to labor relations, employee relations, benefits, compliance, and HR operations.
• Identify opportunities to improve the consistency, efficiency, and effectiveness of People & Culture practices across a geographically distributed workforce.
• Partner with the CPC and other leaders to ensure coordinated delivery of HR programs and services across the organization.
• Serve as a trusted subject-matter expert and advisor to organizational leaders on matters within the Director's portfolio.
• Contribute to broader People & Culture strategy and organizational initiatives where the Director's functional expertise is relevant.
• Promote fair, equitable, inclusive, and consistent employment practices across the organization.
• Participate in organizational leadership meetings and committees as appropriate to the scope of the role.

Who you are: With the understanding that no one person will offer every desired skill and characteristic outlined below, compelling candidates will offer much of the following:

• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in HR, with a strong balance of strategic planning and hands-on execution.
• Demonstrated experience working in a unionized environment, including experience administering a collective bargaining agreement and managing labor-management relationships.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and HR compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated experience advising managers and organizational leaders on complex employee relations and employment matters.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain trusted, collaborative relationships with employees, managers, senior leaders, and unit representatives.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to navigate sensitive, complex, and sometimes conflicting perspectives with professionalism, empathy, and sound judgment.
• Experience partnering with counsel on complex employee relations, compliance, or labor matters.
• Experience overseeing complex employee benefits and/or payroll-related operations within a unionized environment.
• Strong judgment and discretion, with the ability to appropriately manage sensitive and confidential employee matters.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret policies, collective bargaining agreements, and employment requirements and translate them into practical guidance for managers and employees.
• Strong project management, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience supervising, coaching, and developing staff through a values-aligned approach.

Preferred competencies and qualifications:

• SHRM-CP, PHR, or equivalent HR certification.
• Experience working in a nonprofit, advocacy, legal, or other mission-driven organization.
• Experience working with geographically distributed or multi-state workforces.
• Experience administering self-funded health plans and gender affirming care.