Senior Director, Human Capital

Position: Senior Director, Human Capital

Reports to: Vice President, Human Capital

Organization Summary:

United Way of New York City (UWNYC) is a nonprofit mobilizing people and organizations to eradicate barriers and create opportunities that improve the lives of low-income New Yorkers. Part of the United Way Worldwide system, one of the world's most recognized charitable brands, we envision caring communities in which all individuals and families have access to quality education and the opportunity to lead healthy and financially secure lives. We strive to model our values in all our relationships, both internal and external: Collaboration, Compassion, Integrity, Accountability, and Superior Performance.

Position Overview:

The Senior Director, Human Capital (HC) will play a key role in fostering strong partnerships with UWNYC leaders, and members of the HC team, to proactively develop and execute HC strategies that support organizational goals. The role will focus on ensuring that the organization attracts, develops, and retains the best talent, while also assisting with shaping and managing programs that support employee engagement, total rewards and professional development. The ideal candidate will bring both professional curiosity, operational and strategic HC expertise to advise and lead on key talent management initiatives, including talent acquisition, employee engagement, total rewards, professional development and performance management. A career HR professional, the Sr. Director, Human Capital will report to the Vice President, Human Capital and be located at our New York City headquarters.

Primary Responsibilities:

Talent Acquisition:

• Partners with the VP of HC to understand and execute the organization’s talent management strategy particularly as it relates to current and future needs.
• Collaborate closely with assigned leaders to develop strategies for recruitment, development, and retention of employees, understanding business needs and how to develop effective recruitment strategies for open roles across the organization.
• Lead the full recruitment lifecycle for assigned groups, from crafting job descriptions and sourcing candidates to conducting interviews and managing offers.
• Utilize a variety of sourcing channels (job boards, social media, networking events, etc.) to attract top talent.
• Work closely with the HC team to ensure the recruitment process is efficient, streamlined, and results driven.
• Promote UWNYC brand and culture during recruitment efforts, ensuring the best fit for both the organization and candidates.
• Lead intern and temporary staffing initiatives
• Develop and lead the talent review processes, including succession planning discussions with leaders and career development initiatives.
• Work with leadership to design and support talent development programs, including leadership development, career pathing, and succession planning.
• Provide guidance and coaching to managers on how to assess, develop, and retain talent within their teams.
• Identify gaps in skills and competencies, and work with leadership and HC team to address gaps through targeted training or development programs.
• Support and advise managers on performance management, providing coaching on handling employee relations, and ensuring fair and consistent application of policies.
• Research, recommend, develop and implement interview and selection strategies.

Talent Development:

• Develop and implement talent management strategies that align with business objectives, focusing on employee development, performance, and retention.
• Assist in the identification and implementation of training and development programs aimed at building skills and capabilities across the UWNYC workforce.
• Manage and facilitate performance management process, ensuring clear alignment between employee goals and business objectives.

Strategic HC Partnership:

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Vice President, Human Capital, business leaders and staff, providing HC guidance and solutions that align with the UWNYC values and objectives.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to identify key business challenges and workforce needs and develop HC strategies that drive results.
• Partner with HC colleagues to design and implement talent management strategies, ensuring the organization attracts, develops, and retains top talent.
• Support organizational design and change management initiatives, including organization systems changes and restructuring.
• Ensure that HC capital programs (e.g., total rewards, performance management, leadership development and professional development) are aligned with organizational goals.

Employee Engagement & Organizational Culture:

• Lead HC employee engagement initiatives, and ensure a positive organizational culture that promotes collaboration, innovation, and high performance.
• Lead and partner with HC colleagues and other UWNYC teams to develop and conduct employee surveys, feedback mechanisms and assessments, and analyze results to recommend and implement engagement action plans and retention strategies.
• Partner with HC colleagues and other key partners to develop a robust onboarding program, including the development of New Employee Orientation and associated onboarding activities.
• Serves as the HC member of the Culture Committee’s Employee Activities sub- committee.
• Work with leaders to identify opportunities for improving the work environment and company culture to foster high employee engagement.
• Collaborate on the design and implementation of retention strategies, identifying key factors for high employee turnover and recommending solutions.

HC Operations, Total Rewards and Compliance:

• Lead compensation, benefits, and recognition strategies to ensure the company’s offerings are competitive and aligned with its goals. Make recommendations based on fiscal drivers.
• Participate in annual Salary Actions process.
• Ensure HC programs and practices comply with all relevant labor laws, industry standards, and corporate policies.
• Work closely with HC colleagues to ensure smooth HC service delivery and the effective use of HC systems.
• Lead efforts to develop systems to monitor and analyze HC metrics (e.g., turnover, headcount, employee satisfaction) to provide insights and recommendations to the organization. efforts to document HC related procedures and practices. Analyze HC data to provide actionable insights to leadership.
• Lead and manage HC projects that contribute to the improvement of HC and business processes or the implementation of new initiatives.

Administrative:

• Contribute to and maintain thorough project planning practices to ensure all programmatic work, including evaluation, is planned, documented, and tracked with fidelity—both within the team and with key internal and external stakeholders as projects demand. This includes the following key competencies:

1. Organization: Constantly capture explicit and implicit needs related to the project, prioritize them, communicate them, assign them, and ensure timely delivery
2. Time management: Estimate time commitments effectively, set realistic deadlines, and prioritize tasks to meet project milestones
3. Problem-solving: See issues coming well in advance, analyze root causes, and develop effective solutions to keep the project on track
4. Risk management: Identify potential risks, assess their impact on project objectives, and implement mitigation strategies.

• Manage staff, including at least one direct report, in a manner that fosters high expectations, including:

1. Ensure expectations are clearly defined and regularly monitored.
2. Offer consistent feedback and solicit feedback from report.
3. Build relationships on trust and lean into challenging conversations.
4. Foster a culture of mutual growth and service to the UWNYC community.

Other Related Duties as Assigned

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 8 years of experience as a business partner focusing on talent acquisition and management, total rewards, professional development and employee engagement.
• Proven experience with full-cycle recruitment, including sourcing, interviewing, and onboarding.
• Strong understanding of talent management practices, including leadership development, skills gap analysis and employee engagement.
• Excellent communication (written and oral), relationship-building, and consulting skills.
• Ability to influence business leaders and drive change through effective talent management practices.
• Knowledge of current employment laws, trends, and best practices in recruiting and talent development.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data and use insights to drive business decisions.

• Proficiency in HRIS systems and talent management software (e.g., LinkedIn Recruiter, ADP).

Preferred Qualifications:

• SHRM, HRCI or similar HR certification is a plus.
• Experience in a high-growth or fast-paced organizational environment.
• Familiarity with employer branding and social media recruiting strategies.
• Master’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or Business Administration.

Key Competencies:

• Strong Communication Skills: Clear communication is essential to guide leaders and employees through development processes and ensure goals are understood.
• Brand Steward: Manages and protects the UWNYC HC brand, internally and externally.
• Leadership and Coaching: The ability to guide and coach leaders themselves, not just employees, to develop strong, supportive leadership styles.
• Problem-Solving Abilities: Recognize challenges in Human Capital and produce solutions that are tailored to individual, or team needs.
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: Understanding the needs and concerns of both leaders and staff, ensuring that development efforts are both effective and supportive.
• Strategic Thinking: Being able to align individual development goals with broader organizational objectives to drive business success.
• Project Management: Ability to manage and coordinate multiple development programs, track progress, and report on outcomes.
• Continuous Learning Mindset: Staying up to date with the latest trends in professional and leadership development, talent acquisition, total rewards, employee engagement practices and HRIS systems.

Salary Range:

• Senior Director Salary Range

Additional Requirements:

• Successful completion of background check.
• UWNYC is presently on a Hybrid/In-Person work schedule.

United Way of NYC Core Competencies for All Staff

• Mission Focused: Catalyze others’ commitment to the mission to create real social change that leads to better lives and healthier communities. This drives their performance and professional motivations.
• Relationship-Oriented: Understands that people come before processes and is astute in cultivating and managing relationships toward a common goal.
• Collaborator: Understands the roles and contributions of all sectors of the community and can mobilize resources (financial and human) through meaningful engagement.
• Results Driven: Dedicated to shared and measurable goals for the common good: creating, resourcing, scaling and leveraging strategies and innovations for broad investment and impact.
• Brand Steward: Steward of the brand and understands his/her role in growing and protecting the reputation and results of the greater network.

United Way of New York City is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer