ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY:

Pillar Search is honored to partner with Year Up on their search for the Senior Director, Talent Administration. This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced, mission-driven human resources leader who brings expertise in employee relations, compensation, and benefits. This position may work out of the Year Up corporate office in Boston, MA or their office in New York, NY.

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:

Year Up is an award-winning national 501(c)3 organization with a mission to close the Opportunity Divide by providing young adults ages 18-24 with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Through a one-year intensive program, Year Up utilizes a high support, high expectations model that combines hands-on technical and professional skills, educational stipends, college-level coursework, and corporate internships at more than 250 top companies. Its holistic approach focuses on students’ professional and personal development to place talented and motivated young adults on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency.

Year Up has served more than 19,500 young adults since its founding in 2000 and will serve more than 4,000 young adults in 2018 nationwide. Year Up currently serves 21 U.S. cities across 16 markets, including Arizona, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Greater Atlanta, Greater Boston, Greater Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, the National Capital Region, New York City, Providence, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay Area, South Florida, and Wilmington.

Voted one of the Best Nonprofits to Work For in the country by The NonProfit Times for eight consecutive years, Year Up is a rewarding place to work. The Year Up staff is passionate, supportive, mission-driven, and committed to positive change and continuous learning. They set high standards for both themselves and their students, and live by a set of core values that reflect an unshakable belief in the talent and full potential of our young people. The work they do is life-changing, and they know that their team is the greatest asset in achieving our mission.

Year Up participates in E-Verify.

Please visit http://www.yearup.org/careers to learn more about working at Year Up.

OVERVIEW:

The Senior Director Talent Administration will report to the National Director of Human Resources. In partnership with other HR leadership, this person will be responsible for designing and implementing Year Up human resources strategies, and has primary responsibility for key areas, such as: HR policy development/implementation/interpretation; employment processing; compensation; health and welfare benefits; records management; safety and health; employee relations and conflict resolution; and employment related compliance to support the organization’s rapid growth and expansion across the country. From defining systems and processes to strategizing, this person will communicate with key stakeholders about Year Up’s total compensation and employee relations strategies, goals, and overall vision. The incumbent will be the primary HR partner for the HRIS team in regard to ADP HRIS-related matters and manage our HR Help function (knowledge management and HR Help team capabilities). The Senior Director Talent Administration will also manage a growing team of HR Generalists and HR Business Partners.

As an ideal candidate for this role, you are someone who brings a wealth of compensation, benefits, finance, and employee relations experience to the table. You’ll be a seasoned leader with an understanding of how to build and scale teams, supporting the growth of a national organization. You are someone who understands not only compensation and benefits, but how to design, communicate and execute on strategies and goals that support organizational values. Finally, strong applicants for this position will possess a genuine passion for Year Up’s mission, and a strong belief in the potential of our young adults. Translating this passion and commitment to the work we do is critical to effectively attracting the top talent that will ultimately support Year Up’s growth, our students, and our alumni.

The Senior Director Talent Administration will also interact with students as a coach, group facilitator, and advocate, participating in building a positive educational environment.

We understand that people gain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. We encourage candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications below. If you believe you have the transferable skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of this role, we encourage you to apply.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Personnel Policies and Risk Management

• Accountable for standardization, development, communication, and management of personnel policies and procedures
• Collaborate with senior leadership to ensure personnel policies and procedures advance the organization’s mission, integrate Year Up’s core values, increase organizational effectiveness, and sustain an equitable and inclusive workplace
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the laws and policies that affect HR processes, programs and/or strategies; and stay on top of industry trends and employment legislation, including applicable local, state, and federal laws
• Provide guidance to others to ensure that all policies, laws, and regulations are followed appropriately

Compensation and Benefits

• Effectively partner with organizational leaders to manage, consult and resolve compensation issues through the use of creative and strategic guidance
• Research best practices and trends, and perform deep analysis on effectiveness and competiveness of existing compensation and benefits programs –presenting findings and alternative solutions that are cost effective and consistent with Year Up’s core values, mission and compensation philosophy
• Stay abreast of and ensure compliance with evolving Federal and state compensation-related legislation
• Work closely with benefits brokers to design market-competitive benefits programs, manage annual benefit renewal process, and evaluate effectiveness of programs
• Ensure effective management of Leave of Absences, including tracking time, coordination of benefits, communication with the employee, managers, and HR Information Systems team
• Oversee communication strategy for specific benefits (open enrollment, retirement, professional development, paid time off) and develop employee education programs to ensure employees understand benefits, their value, and available resources

Employee Relations

• Oversee the HR Business Partner team, collaborating with HRBPs to establish scalable tools and practices that empower their organizational training, performance, engagement, and development programs
• Lead and develop a team of high-performing individuals, as the HRBP arm is grown
• Act as an employee advocate and protects the interest of employees in accordance with the Year Up’s Human Resources policies and appropriate governmental laws and regulations
• Use data and apply analytics skills to formulate people insights and recommendations; diagnose trends and root causes influencing employee relations to drive the development and execution of quality solutions
• Serve as the chief architect and implementer of YU policies, practices and approaches for resolving employee conflicts/disputes/etc.
• Partner with HR Leads to establish and track HR metrics that reflect a fact-based, comprehensive method for valuing the contributions

Systems and Processes

• Responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of all HR personnel administrative matters, guided by the implementation of HR procedures and policies as directed by the Chief Operating Officer
• Ensure that HR database accurately reflects the staff records, and conforms to organizational policies regarding confidentiality, access, and document retention
• Partner with the HRIS team and other National Human Resource sub-teams to ensure HRIS improvements are regularly occurring, and HR analytics are readily available, as needed by the business

Provide Strategic HR Partnership

• Actively participate on the HR leadership team to develop the strategic HR business plan and talent priorities, and to assist with increasing HR’s overall effectiveness
• Participate in the annual budget process through developing and managing the budget for benefits
• Oversees and is responsible for projects and priorities within sub-team purview
• Serve as a valued advisor and partner by providing influential counsel and guidance to business leaders across the organization

Team Management & Support

• Lead, mentor, and develop National Talent Administration, including: support the professional development of team members; manage the hiring of new team members; and identify future talent acquisition needs
• Lead team to ensure right level of partnership with sites across the country around Talent Administration matters
• Create and communicate Talent Administration goals to the organization, while holding staff accountable to meeting measurable targets and goals
• Manage National Talent Administration budget, including negotiating fees with partners, reviewing contracts and identifying cost saving opportunities

Site Team/Learning Community Member

• Serve as a coach /mentor for a small number of current students
• Join and sometimes facilitate weekly group sessions with students
• Participate in staff meetings and trainings

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 6+ years’ experience in HR and employee relations or compensation & benefits fields strongly preferred
• Experience and commitment to diversity and inclusion with the skillsets needed to build, manage, and engage others in policies and procedures that ensure equitable business practices, and which foster a diverse, inclusive, and culturally-competent environment
• Demonstrated success in creating strategic direction/plans and proven ability to drive and sustain business improvement and results; strong business acumen required
• Experience in coaching/consulting senior leaders within organizations
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with an ability to inspire others, garner buy in, and build relationships with both internal and external stakeholders
• A passion for working with urban young adults, and unshakable belief in their potential and a strong commitment to the mission of Year Up
• Understanding of the Opportunity Divide and its drivers
• Solid, working knowledge of HR policies, procedures, and federal legislation related to employment practices and general HR administration
• Demonstrated business acumen, organization savvy, judgment and decision making
• Strong analytic and diagnostic skills
• Active listener, able to see all sides of an issue and create solutions

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

• Salary: Competitive and commensurate with education and experience
• Benefits: Competitive package including 100% healthcare coverage, dental, and 401(k) match
• Vacation: Three weeks paid vacation in first year of employment; four weeks after initial year
• Professional development: Funds available to support staff in achieving career objectives

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY:

Year Up actively engages individuals from all backgrounds. They are committed to embracing diversity within the organization because they firmly believe that diverse employee teams help them to achieve their best organizational outcomes and provide the most effective support to young adults as they work to close the Opportunity Divide. They are deeply dedicated to creating and maintaining an inclusive and supportive work environment. Learn more about Year Up’s commitment to diversity at http://www.yearup.org/about-us/careers/commitment-to-diversity/

As an equal opportunity employer, Year Up is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

TO APPLY:

Year Up is thrilled to be partnering with Pillar Search to find their next great leader. To be considered, please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume to Cindy Joyce at Pillar Search via cindy@pillarsearch.com.

Note that applications without a cover letter will not be considered.