Senior Director, People & Culture

Job Purpose:

The Senior Director, People & Culture serves as HSSA's senior People & Culture leader and a key strategic advisor to the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Leadership Team. This position is responsible for developing and implementing people strategies that strengthen organizational performance, leadership effectiveness, employee engagement, workforce sustainability, and culture while ensuring compliance with employment laws and sound people practices.

The Senior Director oversees all aspects of the People & Culture function, including talent acquisition, employee relations, leadership development, compensation, benefits, training, organizational development, compliance, safety, and culture initiatives. This role partners closely with leaders across the organization to strengthen management capability, improve organizational effectiveness, and support HSSA's mission, values, and strategic priorities.

Operating within a lean People & Culture department, this role requires a senior organizational leader who can balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution while building trust, fostering accountability, and supporting organizational growth in a complex, mission-driven environment.

Essential Functions:

• Serve as a strategic advisor and thought partner to the CEO and Executive Leadership Team on workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, leadership development, employee engagement, and culture.
• Develop and implement People & Culture strategies aligned with HSSA's strategic plan and organizational priorities.
• Assess workforce needs and organizational structure, making recommendations that improve effectiveness, accountability, communication, and employee experience.
• Lead organizational change initiatives, restructures, workforce planning efforts, and culture-building strategies that support organizational goals.
• Monitor workforce trends, organizational risks, and talent challenges, providing proactive recommendations to leadership.
• Develop workforce metrics and organizational insights to support informed decision-making.
• Lead initiatives that strengthen organizational culture, employee engagement, trust, accountability, and collaboration.
• Develop and implement strategies that address employee retention, workforce sustainability, burnout prevention, compassion fatigue, and employee well-being.
• Foster a workplace culture that promotes inclusion, respect, psychological safety, and professional growth.
• Partner with leaders to strengthen communication, employee experience, and organizational resilience.
• Oversee talent acquisition, onboarding, employee development, performance management, and succession planning programs.
• Design and support leadership development initiatives that strengthen management effectiveness and organizational performance.
• Coach and advise leaders on employee relations, performance management, organizational change, communication, and leadership effectiveness.
• Build leadership capability and support succession readiness across the organization.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Oversee employee relations matters, workplace investigations, conflict resolution efforts, and corrective action processes.
• Maintain HR policies, procedures, and practices that support compliance, consistency, fairness, and operational effectiveness.
• Identify and mitigate workforce-related risks that may impact organizational performance, culture, compliance, or employee engagement.
• Provide guidance during organizational transitions, sensitive employee matters, and workforce-related challenges.
• Direct compensation and benefits programs to ensure competitiveness, equity, fiscal responsibility, and alignment with organizational goals.
• Lead compensation benchmarking, market analysis, pay practices, and salary administration efforts.
• Oversee benefits strategy, vendor relationships, renewals, and employee education regarding benefit offerings.
• Partner with organizational leadership to support effective workforce investment and retention strategies.
• Promote a culture of workplace safety, including both physical and psychological safety.
• Partner with operational leaders to support workplace safety initiatives, risk reduction efforts, and employee well-being programs.
• Lead and develop the People & Culture function, establishing strategic priorities, performance expectations, accountability measures, and service standards.
• Manage departmental budget, vendor relationships, technology platforms, and resource allocation.
• Identify opportunities to improve systems, processes, and employee experiences through continuous improvement efforts.
• Build strong collaborative relationships across all departments and levels of the organization.
• Represent HSSA professionally and positively with employees, community partners, regulatory agencies, and external stakeholders.
• Perform other duties as assigned.