Director, Talent
About StriveTogether
StriveTogether is a national movement with a clear purpose: helping every child succeed in school and in life from cradle to career, regardless of race, ethnicity, zip code or circumstance. Our Cradle to Career Network is made up of 70 communities across the country, together reaching 14 million youth. StriveTogether provides coaching, resources and rigorous approaches to transform the systems of opportunity in these communities. Our current strategic plan has a bold vision: to put 4 million more young people on a path to economic mobility by 2030.
The StriveTogether team is passionate, talented and dedicated to achieving our mission. We seek and value all kinds of diversity and work hard to eliminate inequities in ourselves, our organization and our communities. We support each other to try new things, have tough conversations and push for change. As we work, we share learning and progress, use data to make decisions and celebrate our wins.
About you
You are a champion of equity in opportunity and are committed to ensuring all children succeed, regardless of race, ethnicity, zip code or circumstance. You are a Talent professional looking to make an impact by developing and executing strategic talent processes and policies for a growing, high-impact national non-profit. You thrive in changing environments and have deep experience building clarity in ambiguity. You excel by building strong and trusting relationships via understanding organizational needs and owning tactical processes to enable your colleagues to do their best work. You are an exceptional communicator and move forward quickly in a thoughtful, detail-oriented manner. You are a tech-savvy, critical thinker who consistently achieves results.
About the position
Reporting to the Vice President, People Experience, the Director, Talent leads the design, ongoing improvement, and execution of StriveTogether’s talent practices in a critical moment of organizational growth and departmental change. The employee talent cycle components include, but are not limited to, talent acquisition, promotion and upward mobility, onboarding, performance management, and learning and development processes and policies. Through their work, the role will maximize staff impact, engagement, and retention in support of StriveTogether’s strategic plan and people strategy. Additionally, the Director, Talent will serve as a strategic people partner or “business partner” to managers in the organization and a frontline point-of-contact for all staff on talent-related matters.
The Director, Talent will be the lead on all things talent related within the PX team and a trusted key collaborator and go-to-person for the Vice President, People Experience who holds all accountabilities related to people work (talent, culture, HR compliance). Therefore, the role requires a high degree of independence, an ability to contribute meaningfully through both strategy and execution, and a strong desire to build relationships and network with all staff across the organization so that they are able to use qualitative and quantitative data to inform the talent strategy and achieve their targets.
Responsibilities and duties
1. Talent Strategy & Management (55%):
- Develop an overarching strategy for talent management including defining key metrics and performance targets, prioritizing change and improvement projects, and collaborating with organizational leadership to ensure alignment with strategic plan.
- Define StriveTogether's talent acquisition approach, including managing the standard components and selecting service provider partners when relevant.
- Work directly with hiring managers to provide the training, coaching and support needed to define their roles and recruit diverse and talented professionals in an efficient, consistent and rigorous hiring process.
- Develop and implement effective onboarding strategy and approach to ensure seamless integration of new hires. Work closely with hiring managers to define clear responsibilities for onboarding and ensure accountability and satisfaction for new staff.
- Support assigned staff to manage communication and logistics with staff, candidates, and new hires, overseeing the process to ensure the approach is timely, brand-aligned and effective.
- Communicate updates and expectations for talent processes and related matters regularly and in an employee-centered manner. When changes occur, expertly manage communicating changes with employees and leadership.
- Provide support for staff engaging in talent processes via resources, training, coaching and direct engagement.
- Ensure employee policies related to talent practices support organizational strategy and are up-to-date. Where missing, create thoughtful policies using staff input and centering equity; where existing, review policies for strategic alignment.
2. Learning and Development (20%):
- Lead the process development, communications and implementation of annual performance management processes, including goal setting, performance reviews, and development plan components. Seek feedback and input, and then use that data to analyze routinely to iterate and improve.
- Develop and implement a learning and development strategy and approach to enhance employee skills and career growth.
- Oversee and set approach for the learning and development budget and resource distribution, and support managers to implement effectively and equitably.
- Identify common employee training and development needs and create relevant experiences or identify relevant external partners.
- Promote a culture of continuous learning and professional development.
3. Strategic People Business Partnership & Employee Relations (10%):
- Oversee talent-related employee relations programs and initiatives to promote a positive and inclusive work environment.
- Manage complex employee relations issues with a particular focus on junior managers and/or employees who are individual contributors; work with our PEO partner and/or legal counsel to ensure compliance.
- Ensure compliance with labor laws, regulations, and company policies.
4. Talent Systems and Analytics (10%):
- Oversee the implementation and management of talent technology solutions that improve organizational efficiency, employee experience, and/or data accuracy.
- Utilize quantitative and qualitative data to provide insights and recommendations for improvements as part of strategic support decision-making.
- Ensure the integrity and confidentiality of talent data and records.
5. Organizational Responsibilities (5%)
- Attend organizational meetings and retreats
- Special projects as assigned
Required Qualifications
- 7+ years of experience in Human Resources, People Operations and/or Talent Management
- Strong knowledge and deep experience designing and executing a talent process for an organization
- Proven ability to implement new initiatives and effectively steward employees through change
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills
- Familiarity with that talent management technology market and potential solutions
Preferred Qualifications
- Relevant certifications (e.g., CPLP, SHRM-CP, or equivalent)
- Experience in an HR or Talent functional leadership or management role
- Experience working with/supporting organizations that have a hybrid or virtual workforce
- Google Suite and Asana proficiency
Qualifications Considered a “Plus”
- Strong knowledge of HR best practices, labor laws, and regulations
- ADP Workforce Now proficiency
Location and Work Requirements
- Ability to effectively use remote work technology, including Slack, Zoom and others.
- This role is based out of StriveTogether’s downtown Cincinnati headquarters.
- Cincinnati candidates have a hybrid work schedule, which requires coming into the office 3x per week. The dog-friendly office features paid parking, a rooftop deck and snacks and beverages.
- Up to 25%travel required including quarterly travel for all staff meetings and other travel related to department or organizational needs
Compensation and Benefits
The anticipated salary range for this role is $94,000 - $110,000.The salary range accounts for Cincinnati-similar geographic regions and may be adjusted based on geographic market.
StriveTogether also provides competitive benefits and professional development opportunities including:
- Fifteen days paid time off with four personal days, eleven holidays and a five-day break at the end of the year. PTO increases to twenty days after five years and staff members are able to apply for sabbatical in their seventh year of employment
- Competitive health and dental with up to $2,500 contribution from company for an HSA for HDHP participants
- Automatic 3% employer contribution to retirement plan and up to another 1% based on a total of 5% employee contribution
- Options for professional development internally and externally including webinars, conferences and trainings
- Paid parental leave
- 100% paid vision, short-term and long-term disability, basic life insurance and access to Employee Assistance Program
- Cell phone, internet and $250 yearly home office stipend
Application and Interview Process
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with a target start date in April 2025. The process below is reflective of the typical process but may adjust slightly based on need and timing.
- Phone Screen
- Hiring Manager Interview
- Performance Task
- Panel Interview
- Reference Checks
If you need reasonable accommodations during the application process, please contact us at px@strivetogether.org.
Commitment to Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
StriveTogether seeks to disrupt inequitable practices that impact historically marginalized individuals and communities. We recognize that you may not have an exact match with every qualification for this role, and that's okay — we encourage you to apply. Research indicates that individuals from marginalized groups, particularly women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community, often hesitate to apply unless they meet all criteria. We value diverse experiences and perspectives, and we welcome your application.
Equal Opportunity Employer
StriveTogether provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, domestic partnership status, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. StriveTogether participates in the E-Verify program to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Learn more about your rights and responsibilities under E-Verify athttps://www.e-verify.gov
