Head of People

Here’s where you come in: Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Head of People will provide leadership to evaluate, innovate and oversee the operation and execution of Playworks’ people strategies, programs, initiatives, policies and practices. Playworks is seeking a values-based, inclusive and experienced results-driven leader that ensures we are investing deeply in our talent, creating an engaging employee experience and strengthening our culture while centered in equity and rooted in continuous learning, collaboration within communities and the cultivation of play.

The Head of People will lead and manage our growing People Team staff of five professionals and serve as a key member of the leadership team providing executives and senior management with critical and relevant strategies, recommendations, solutions, thought partnership and advice.

With employees dispersed throughout the U.S., this position can be remote within the continental U.S. If you are located in the San Francisco Bay Area, this is a hybrid position with occasional office visits to our headquarters office in Oakland, CA.

Specifically you will:

People Team & HR Operations

• Lead, manage and mentor the People Team staff
• Provide proactive and supportive leadership and professional expertise in all areas of talent and HR
• Evaluate existing policies and practices and in collaboration with People Team, identify, develop and implement policies and practices, ensuring alignment with organizational culture and strategic objectives and compliance with applicable laws and regulations
• Develop and manage the annual People Team department budget as well as contribute to the organization’s annual budget for people based initiatives and programs
• Provide oversight to ensure HR technology and systems are optimized, utilized and fully developed to maximize reporting and analysis, accuracy, efficiency, and timeliness
• Lead risk management projects and efforts related to personnel issues
• Serve as Human Resources Business Partner for executives and HQ senior leaders
• Partner with HQ operations and regional teams to effectively and efficiently operationalize HR functions
• Foster and ensure clear and consistent communication and workflows between the People Team and individuals, departments and teams across the organization

People Strategy and Culture

• Define and foster a People Team strategy with outcomes that align with the needs of the organization and its strategic plans, provide quality service and offer valued consulting to Playworkers
• Develop, lead and implement people-related projects and change efforts
• Be a champion and advocate for the organization’s core values and commitment to DEI
• Provide leadership for org-wide DEI efforts through strategic vision and the execution of specific initiatives and by proactively advancing a culture of equity and inclusion in partnership with internal stakeholders
• Develop, analyze, utilize and present metrics to assess impact and effectiveness and to advance, propose, celebrate and report on people and talent strategies and programs
• Initiate and champion efforts which cultivate and support Playworks’ culture
• Ensure Playworks core values are communicated and understood at all levels
• Provide recommendations on ways to continuously improve the Playworks people experience and to enhance employee engagement and satisfaction
• Articulate and present people strategies, plans, experiences and needs to executives, management, the board and employees to garner support, celebrate successes and propose solutions

Employee Experience & Performance

• Innovate, monitor and drive the execution of onboarding, orientation, transition and engagement practices that are high impact, inclusive and aligned with the organization’s strategic plans
• Oversee the Learning & Development strategy and collaborate with the Sr. Manager of L&D to develop goals and to initiate and support programs that advance Playworks core competencies and create opportunities for employee professional development and continuous learning
• Coach, advise and collaborate with leaders and executives on team performance, talent development and performance management
• Provide consistent counsel, coaching and high level expertise to leadership on people and talent management including job design, succession, assessment, pipelines, selection, development needs, gap analyses, employee relations, employee engagement, culture building and equitable and inclusive practices
• Identify best practices, make recommendations, design and oversee administration of compensation and benefits programs, practices and policies

If you're a good fit for this position, you already know most of what this job entails. However, to be sure we're providing a complete picture, here are some details:

• Success in this position will require expertise on current labor laws and conditions of employment across multiple states, high-risk situations and a workforce engaging with young children
• Experience developing and managing a budget is important for contributing to the financial health of the organization
• You will be successful if you possess excellent organizational and analytical skills and the ability to multitask and meet aggressive deadlines
• By consistently practicing active listening skills, diplomacy, integrity, and professionalism you are able to effectively engage with a wide range of colleagues at all levels
• The strongest candidate will lead with authenticity by embodying the core values of inclusion, equity, respect, healthy play and collaboration within communities and the capacity to lead talent recruitment, management, engagement and retention strategies that focus on these values

Required Skills & Experience

• Passion for the mission of Playworks and commitment to the power of play to bring out the best in every kid
• Proven experience defining strategies and developing values-driven and inclusive culture and talent programs aligned with organizational strategy, mission and culture and with high employee engagement and retention outcomes
• A minimum of 10 years experience with at least five years in senior HR/talent leadership position(s) that includes managing a team and operating in a multi-state organization.
• Excellent project management skills with a proven ability to design and implement people strategies to successful completion and outcomes
• Solid experience handling complex employee relations issues, managing difficult conversations and incidents, and mediating and diffusing conflict with professionalism and confidence
• Broad knowledge and expertise in employee relations, employment law, compensation, organizational development, talent acquisitions, and learning & development
• Master's degree and/or senior professional HR certification is highly desirable
• Experience implementing HR and talent systems and tools and knowledge and comfort with HRIS systems and current technical tools for HR
• Ability to solve complex problems and track record of gleaning meaning from data
• Demonstrated coaching and consulting skills with a solid track record of collaborating with executives, senior management and employees at all levels of the organization in a geographically dispersed organization
• Strategic thinker with proactive leadership skills
• Excellent emotional intelligence; ability to “read” people and connect with various audiences
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to be clear, diplomatic and persuasive as required
• Superior presentation skills

Playworks offers the full package - great benefits, a fun place to work and an opportunity to grow professionally.

• At Playworks, our compensation takes into consideration internal pay equity, geographic pay differential and robust external market data. We highly value transparency and equity within compensation and therefore are committed to adhering to established compensation pay points. The salary for this position is: $144,000 (SF Bay Area and New York City) or $136,900 (all other locations)
• A comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, 401(k) with 3% employer match, employee funded pre-tax health and child care spending accounts
• Generous Flex PTO policy with paid sick and holiday leave

If working hard while making room for play sounds like your ideal place to work, then apply online to join our team:

• A cover letter describing your interest in Playworks and how your experience has prepared you for this role
• Resume
• References will be requested

ABOUT PLAYWORKS, at Playworks we believe in the power of play to bring out the best in every kid. We are changing the school climate by leveraging the power of safe, fun, and healthy play at school every day. We create a place for every kid on the playground to feel included, be active, and build valuable social and emotional skills by partnering with schools, districts, and after-school programs through services including digital engagement, on-site coaches, professional training for school staff who support play, and consultative partnerships.

About 400 employees and AmeriCorps members working in over 20 states, as well as hundreds of volunteers and funders bring strength to our programs and our mission. To learn more about our organization, visit www.playworks.org.

We are committed to racial equity, and we make a particular effort to recruit people of color, indigenous people, gender non-binary people, and people with historically more marginalized identities to apply for open positions. Our core values of cultivate play, center equity, continue learning and collaborate within communities are the foundation of our organization and are infused in all aspects of our work.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. If that is you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself!

As an equal opportunity program, Playworks encourages applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender, gender identity/expression, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, faith, marital status, physical ability, or any other legally protected basis. Playworks evaluates all candidates for employment, volunteering opportunities or board service on a merit basis.