Director of People & Culture

Advocates For Children (AFC) is a dynamic social justice organization that strives to ensure a high-quality education for New York students who face barriers to academic success, focusing on students from low-income backgrounds. AFC works on behalf of children and youth who are at greatest risk of academic failure due to poverty, race, ethnicity, disability, homelessness, immigration status/limited English proficiency, or involvement in the child welfare or juvenile/criminal legal systems. We use uniquely integrated strategies to advance systemic reform, empower families and communities, and advocate for the educational rights of individual students.

AFC grounds our work in our organization’s values:

• Family-Centered: We listen to what families want for their children and empower them with information and support.
• Expertise: We ground our advocacy in more than 50 years of experience with the NYC public schools and deep knowledge of the legal and education systems affecting the students and families we serve.
• Passion: We are united by our unrelenting drive to dismantle obstacles to education and our unwavering dedication to NYC’s students and families.
• Community: We foster collaboration and inclusive practices within our team and with outside partners so we can learn from different perspectives and unite in advancing our common goals.
• Justice: We view the law as a powerful tool to bridge gaps in access to education and help families from under-represented communities fight for their rights.
• Impact: We recognize that our value lies in the difference we make in the lives of students and their families and push ourselves to achieve concrete results.

JOB SUMMARY

AFC is committed to shaping and sustaining a thriving, equitable, and high-performing organizational culture. The Director of People & Culture is a new senior leadership position for Advocates for Children that will join the Executive Team in this effort. Building on AFC’s existing policies and practices, this role will lead strategies for talent development and performance, learning and development, and equity and inclusion during an exciting period of organizational evolution and future growth.

As a member of the Executive Team, and in close collaboration with the COO and the Director of HR & Finance, the Director of People & Culture will partner with leaders and staff to uphold and operationalize AFC’s values, support staff at all levels, and ensure a consistent, positive, and equitable employee experience across the organization. The Director will bring both strategic vision and hands-on leadership to AFC’s dynamic and people centered team culture and community.

The Director of People & Culture will focus on culture, talent, leadership development, and organizational learning, partnering closely with HR, the COO, and the Executive Director to refine and strengthen existing people and operational practices, ensuring alignment across all people-related functions and joining AFC’s board-led efforts to support and invest in the workforce of the future.

This position will report to the Chief Operating Officer.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Organizational Leadership

• Serve on the Executive Team, contributing to organizational strategy, decision-making, and long-term planning in close partnership with the Executive Director, COO, and Director of HR & Finance.
• Operationalize AFC’s mission and values into clear organizational practices, norms, and systems that foster a people
• centered, equitable, and inclusive culture.
• Partner with leaders and staff across projects and departments to design and guide organizational change initiatives that support learning and development – including change management practices – advance equity, strengthen culture, and prioritizes data-informed decisions and technology and systems adoption to advance AFC’s mission.
• Support and advise the Executive Director, COO, Director of HR & Finance, and AFC’s executive team on risk management and employee relations matters.

Talent Development & Performance Feedback

• With the COO and Director of HR & Finance, collaborate across the organization to design a talent development and performance feedback strategy that aligns with AFC’s organizational goals.
• Lead AFC’s talent development strategy with a focus on performance feedback, growth pathways, and leadership development structures; evaluate effectiveness and recommend and implement approaches that best support AFC’s performance feedback philosophy and organizational needs.
• Review, implement, and oversee staff performance feedback processes; assess effectiveness, and recommend improvements as the organization evolves.
• Coach supervisors on inclusive leadership, effective feedback, approach to conflict resolution, and staff development.
• Plan and deliver training for supervisors and managers to strengthen management capabilities and align leadership practices with AFC’s values.
• Plan and deliver training for all staff to strengthen shared skills in communication, collaboration, inclusive practice, and alignment with AFC’s values and ways of working to support high-quality performance and service delivery.
• Work closely with other internal committees focused on organizational support.

Recruitment, Hiring & Onboarding

• Lead and continuously improve structured, equitable recruitment and hiring processes for all staff positions.
• Support effective hiring practices by helping staff streamline processes, ensure consistency, and provide a positive experience for candidates as ambassadors of AFC.
• Collaborate with hiring managers to define role competencies, design hiring timelines, and support inclusive decision-making.
• Oversee the strategic use of the Greenhouse applicant tracking system, including training hiring committees, managing workflows, analyzing applicant data, and recommending and implementing process improvements.
• Support the Director of HR & Finance in staff onboarding and integration by ensuring that cultural and equity-based components are strong and consistent.

Staff Experience, Engagement & Learning

• Design, manage, and implement staff engagement, satisfaction, and demographic surveys; analyze results and partner with leadership to implement responsive action plans.
• Collaborate with the Executive Team, projects, and departments across the organization to build shared norms around communication, collaboration, and problem-solving.
• Serve as a strategic thought-partner to the COO and the Director of HR & Finance on employee relations concerns, bringing an equity and culture lens.
• Represent AFC leadership on designated committees and/or at designated community events, as needed.

Equity, Inclusion & Culture

• Lead AFC’s internal equity and inclusion initiatives by reviewing and building upon existing frameworks, committees, and initiatives, ensuring they are coordinated, resourced, and aligned with organizational goals.
• Partner with staff-led committees to support shared goals while ensuring clarity of roles and accountability.
• Manage external consultants, trainings, and learning initiatives related to equity, anti-racism, accessibility, and inclusive practices.
• Establish annual goals, metrics, and accountability mechanisms to assess progress in advancing equity and inclusion across the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Understanding of and alignment with AFC’s mission. Please review AFC’s work at
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least 10 years of relevant work experience in a managerial role; at least 3-5 years in senior management level positions, preferably in nonprofit organizations.
• Desire to learn, both as an individual and as part of an organization, and apply diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism principles.
• Experience with organizations like AFC (e.g. nonprofits of similar size that provide services to low-income communities, legal organizations, education advocacy organizations, etc.) preferred.
• Experience with furthering anti-racist practices and diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
• Strong interpersonal and “people management” skills and a talent for teamwork and team building.
• Exceptional relationship building and influencing skills, with the ability to work across teams and effectively engage staff across levels, cultures, identities, ethnicities, and diverse perspectives.
• Proven ability to lead and work through an evolving landscape.
• Track record of serving as an advisor to executive level partners.
• Strong strategic thinking.
• Strong project management skills and a track record of successful project design and management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and ability to identify and implement solutions that have impact.
• Exceptional judgment, professionalism, and discretion in handling confidential and sensitive information and situations.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Organized, detail-oriented, flexible, and dependable.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office 365 applications.
• Experience with hiring software required.

COMPENSATION

This is a full-time position, with a salary in the range of $140,000 - $160,000, depending on experience, and includes a comprehensive benefits package.

This position is expected to work at least 3 days a week in the office and remotely on the remaining days.

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AFC is an equal opportunity employer that actively seeks to recruit and retain a diverse staff and encourages all applications including from people of color, persons with disabilities, parents of persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or gender expressions and persons of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

AFC is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability or other protected characteristic. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of employment, including the application process. For more information and to request an accommodation, contact Human Resources at View email address on click.appcast.io.