Human Resources Director

Pure Earth seeks a dynamic, experienced and entrepreneurial professional to serve as its Human Resources Director and lead the organization’s efforts to recruit, assess, grow, and retain high performing, diverse talent and foster an equitable and positive organizational culture.

ABOUT PURE EARTH

Pure Earth is a leading international not-for-profit organization dedicated to solving pollution problems that affect public health (www.pureearth.org)). The organization focuses on reducing exposures to toxic chemical pollutants resulting from industrial, commercial, or informal/artisanal activities. Pure Earth identifies and cleans up severely polluted places, advises governments and development agencies on related issues, and conducts groundbreaking research on pollution and its devastating impacts on public health and economic development. Since 1999, Pure Earth has completed 110 environmental remediation/risk-reduction projects in 27 countries, impacting 5 million lives. In addition to our field work, Pure Earth recently spearheaded two landmark reports that have advanced the global dialogue around pollution: a joint report with UNICEF on children’s exposures to lead titled The Toxic Truth: Children’s Exposure to Lead Pollution Undermines a Generation of Future Potential; and the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health – one of the most cited works from the world-renowned medical journal, The Lancet.

POSITION SCOPE

The ideal candidate will bring several years of experience leading human resources-related functions serving domestic and international staff, including in talent management, recruitment, compensation and benefits, and organizational development improvement practices. An understanding of the opportunities and challenges inherent to an ambitious and growing organization is critical. The selected candidate will demonstrate both a commitment to building and maintaining an inclusive organizational culture in a dynamic environment and the ability to coach, mentor and advise colleagues on best in class talent management and employment engagement practices. This role is both strategic and tactical and supports all Pure Earth’s employees.

The Human Resource Director leads and guides HR operations and strategy for hiring, training, and retaining talent that will support Pure Earth’s mission, values and strategy. The Director is responsible for building the employee experience; performance management and professional development; and evaluating, setting, and enforcing HR policies, procedures and best practices. With the support of the executive team, the HR Director will foster a workplace environment and culture of diversity, equity and inclusivity.

The Human Resources Director will report directly to the Chief Operating Officer and can expect to engage in the following responsibilities, all of which require balanced consideration of headquarters and international field office relations.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Employee Relations

The Human Resources Director will act as the main point of contact for staff on HR-related issues. S/he will provide counseling and coaching to managers and employees regarding day-to-day interactions and interpretation of HR-related policies, processes and practices. Additionally, s/he will partner with Pure Earth’s retained professional employer organization (PEO) to administer benefits and other programs, and legal counsel to remediate problems that arise. Pure Earth’s goal is to make each employee’s interactions with Human Resources as smooth, seamless and caring as possible.

Talent Management

The Human Resources Director will lead the assessment and continued development of practices, processes, policies, and systems to support best practices in management, recruitment, employee well-being, etc. Work in partnership with senior colleagues to strengthen a culture of feedback and learning and collaborate with other departments to coordinate staff development agendas and training. Coordinate and design professional development opportunities, management training, and other skill building and education activities. Facilitate a best-in-class performance management and review process for the organization. Oversee the design, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive staff learning and development curriculum for every level within the organization.

Recruitment

The Human Resources Director will oversee an effective recruitment and onboarding process with a focus on diversity and inclusion that consistently identifies and secures talented individuals committed to the organization’s mission and core values and successfully integrates new employees. Evaluate and introduce improvements to processes and procedures along the employee life cycle from recruitment to onboarding, and train and support hiring managers and hiring teams throughout the recruiting and interview process to ensure a diverse candidate pool, equitable hiring practices, and consistency across the organization. Review and enhance Pure Earth’s performance management process, ensuring fair and timely performance assessments for all staff as well as the integration of the performance management process with unit work plans, the Pure Earth strategic plan, and its compensation structure.

Organizational Culture

In collaboration with the Chief Operating Officer, the Human Resources Director will keep an ongoing focus on an organizational culture that ensures a safe, diverse, inclusive and professionally rewarding environment. Partner with senior staff to establish and cultivate policies, practices, and norms supporting that orientation.

Compensation and Benefits

The Human Resources Director will oversee the execution of a competitive and equitable compensation and benefits program. Oversee compensation and promotion practices and philosophy to ensure salary benchmarking, transparency, and equity. Oversee employee benefits administration,including management of external vendor (payroll, PEO) relationships and performance. Track benefits trends and new developments, conduct and/or facilitate cost analysis, and ensure compliance with government regulations.

HR Administration

The Human Resources Director will

• Maintain HR documentation and records, including processing onboarding and offboarding paperwork, recording changes in job classifications, salary increases, etc.

• Own and manage internal HR policies and processes, such as paid time off, leave programs and compliance policies, etc.

• Oversee legal compliance with employment laws at a federal, state, and local level, from interpreting legislation and making internal recommendations to driving their implementation.

• Periodically review HR policies, manuals and handbooks and revise/update the Policies as appropriate.

• Oversee the consistent and compliant execution of contracts and payments for consultants, etc.

• Identify and handle employee relations issues quickly and decisively while exercising strong judgment and discretion and partnering with other stakeholders as appropriate.

• Manage all employee leaves, worker’s compensation claims, and unemployment claims.

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will be committed to Pure Earth’s mission and will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

• Bachelor’s degree; 8-10 years of progressively responsive HR experience in a similarly complex organization, including a minimum of 3 years of experience at director level; PHR/SHRM-CP preferred.

• Experience supporting teams that span US and international offices.

• Demonstrated success in fostering an inclusive, equitable working environment and creating diverse, high-performing teams.

• Knowledge of all aspects of HR including talent acquisition and retention, HR risk and compliance, performance management, compensation and benefits, employee relations, organizational development, workforce planning, employee learning and development, conflict resolution, coaching and facilitation.

• A high level of emotional intelligence and ability to thoughtfully and accurately assess and resolve employee relations matters.

• An understanding of, sensitivity to and respect for diverse racial, socio-economic, ethnic, academic, religious and cultural backgrounds as well as identities.

• A collaborative, collegial style and a proven track record and commitment to mentoring and

coaching staff and building internal leadership. A management style that fosters respect, teamwork

and innovative approaches.

• Highly organized and flexible; able to multi-task and manage a high-volume workload; excellent time management skills.

• Strong interpersonal and communications skills and the ability to understand and handle sensitive

and confidential information.

• Excellent writing, analytical, and oral communication skills.

• Fluency in oral and written English required; additional languages are a plus.

  Candidates must possess authorization to work in the U.S.

Salary commensurate with experience.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT

It is the policy of Pure Earth to provide equal opportunity for all qualified persons and not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, gender or gender identity, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This is a full-time position, based in New York City. Work is performed at a desk in an office environment, with the exception of travel. Pure Earth’s office is located at 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 860, New York City. Applicants must live in, or within commuting distance of, the New York City office, or be willing to relocate at her or his own expense.