HR & Operations Director

Title: HR & OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Salary: $125,000 per year (non negotiable)

Location: This position is remote, candidates must live and be authorized to work in the U.S.

Job Classification: Full time, Permanent, Exempt 

Reports To: President

Supervision Responsibilities: This position does not supervise staff

Travel Requirements: This position requires travel approximately 2-3 times per year

About Funders for LGBTQ Issues

Funders for LGBTQ Issues is a network of more than 100 foundations, corporations, and funding institutions that collectively award more than $1 billion annually, including approximately $200 million specifically devoted to LGBTQ issues. 

We work to educate and organize funders, and support power-building to create an abundance of resources for the justice and liberation of all queer communities through our research, programs and philanthropic organizing. 

Funders for LGBTQ Issues is unique in that the organization not only raises funds to support its own work, but also works to increase resources for the LGBTQ movement, particularly the most under-served communities within the LGBTQ movement including LGBTQ people of color, transgender communities, and women. Please visit www.lgbtfunders.org for more information on our work.

Mission and Vision

Funders for LGBTQ Issues educates and organizes funders, and supports power-building to create an abundance of resources for the justice and liberation of all queer communities.

We envision a world where all queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people are liberated, loved, valued, respected, and thriving.

The Position

Funders for LGBTQ Issues is seeking a detail-oriented, creative, compassionate HR & Operations Director who prioritizes organizational well-being and stability, who is unafraid of having challenging conversations to support this goal, and who is passionate about taking care of a social justice organization and its staff–especially in our current hostile political environment.

The successful candidate will be the organizational leader in Human Resources and Operations. They will be passionate about ongoing learning and development, and excited about culture work and best practices for fully-remote, multicultural, and gender diverse teams expecting a high level of accountability. Additionally, they will thrive in a highly collaborative, dynamic environment, at a time in our history where justice and equality for our communities demands the best from our social justice organizations. 

The HR & Operations Director will lead and perform all aspects of Human Resources Management, Operations, and systems development, playing a pivotal role in enabling the growth and effectiveness of the organization. Reporting to the President and collaborating closely with other department heads (the Management Team), the HR & Operations Director will oversee the development and execution of HR policies, staffing, talent development, and workplace culture. Additionally, the HR & Operations Director will drive operational efficiency by enhancing processes, systems, and resources, by creating internal SOP’s, documentation, and trainings.

The HR & Operations Director will play a critical role in partnering with executive leadership in strategic decision making and Operations, as Funders for LGBTQ Issues continues to enhance its programming and build internal capacity. This is a tremendous opportunity for a Human Resources and Operations leader to maximize and strengthen the internal capacity of a well-respected, high-impact organization.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Human Resources Management (Approximately 50% of the role)

• Develop and manage HR & Operations strategy and goals, with feedback from executive leadership. 
• Use data to effectively lead, develop, and implement plans for HR matters, including compensation, benefits, employee satisfaction and retention, health and safety, and more. 
• Oversee and liaise with Funders' legal counsel on all matters related to human resources compliance with state and federal policies,  other legal standards, and industry best practices. 
• Cultivate a collaborative and positive work environment that promotes learning and innovation. Establish and implement practices to support Funders' movement towards a culture of continuous feedback. 
• Manage internal grievance process, interpersonal conflicts, and disciplinary action when required; anticipate and resolve litigation risks with the support of the executive team. 
• Lead the development and implementation of all HR policies, including salary structures and benefits, oversee the running of weekly payroll for all employees, oversee the processing of all Leaves of Absence, and ensure compliance with all relevant federal, state, and local laws and policies.
• Oversee Learning and Talent Development to ensure Funders staff receive meaningful professional development support, implementing regular talent development processes (or finding external support to do so); proactively identify areas of need for additional staff development, learning, and support.
• Oversee the refinement of Funders' performance management system, including the use of new job descriptions and work plans and training of staff and managers. 
• Manage HR consultants on specific projects, as needed.

Organizational Culture, Strategy & Leadership (Approximately 25% of the role) 

• As part of the Management Team, collaborate to set organizational goals, work plans, meetings, retreats, strategy, and calendaring for your department and the organization.
• Drive organizational culture – be the primary champion for organizational values and infuse them into every aspect of Funders' HR and Operations infrastructure. 
• Assess state of working relationships and environment, design initiatives that address challenges and build on strengths, and oversee a culture-building working group to implement team-building activities, including trainings, staff retreats, and team celebrations. 
• Provide thought partnership and offer recommendations on the HR and Operations aspects of Funders' strategic planning process.
• Collaborate with the finance team to provide operational insights for budgeting and strategic decision-making.
• Share and collaborate with Funders' members, partners, and stakeholders, on best practices for HR & operational leadership.

Operational Efficiency and Systems Development (Approximately 25% of the role)

• Lead and drive the development and implementation of efficient operational processes and systems to support the organization's growth.
• Lead and drive development and implementation of digital and physical safety and security plans and procedures. Oversee IT consultants and digital and physical asset management. 
• Oversee and execute all Operations related tasks, including mail, storage space, and other daily operational tasks.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate systems and improve operational efficiency.
• Lead staff planning committees to oversee planning and execution of Funders’ quarterly staff retreats (3 virtual, 1 in-person annually) with staff planning committees, including managing consultants and onsite logistics.
• Provide critical operational support to other departments for the planning and execution of external Funder events, including, but not limited to organization-sponsored conference (Funding Forward), organizational awards gala, annual Resource Data Tracking Report Launch, and other donor receptions. 
• Ensure Funders’ maintains all necessary insurance protections.

QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

Required 

• Genuine enthusiasm for Human Resources and “people care” work for diverse social justice organizations.
• Prior experience in a leadership role within HR and Operations at similarly-sized, POC-majority and progressive social justice organization with trans staff.
• Experience prioritizing an organization’s well-being and stability, unafraid to have challenging conversations and understand their charge is to take care of the organization.
• Experience leading development and implementing digital security policies and practices in a remote, social justice organization.
• Strong project management skills: organized and able to work on multiple projects across departments with teammates, on overlapping timelines.
• Effective communicator and listener. Must be effective at communicating hard-to-hear or complex and nuanced messages to staff, as well as able to give and receive direct feedback to and from teammates.
• Strong ability to track details through long timelines and phases of uncertainty. 
• Strong ability to take initiative, proactively identify future challenges and identify potential solutions. 
• Effectively builds genuine relationships and trust with others.
• Effective at advocating for themselves and drawing boundaries as needed.
• Good independent judgement: able to know when to escalate matters as appropriate, etc.
• A skilled people manager and leader who models integrity, accountability, trustworthiness, and empathy with deep self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and dedication to the mission of Funders
• A skilled conflict-manager with demonstrated experience helping organizations, leadership, and staff navigate periods of transition and change and manage conflict.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills: able to analyze and understand root causes of conflict or friction in emotionally-complex situations, how to proactively create equitable and pragmatic solutions, and build group buy-in to move forward. 
• Drive organizational culture – Be the primary champion for organizational values and infuse them into every aspect of Funders’ HR and Operations infrastructure. 
• Assess state of working relationships and environment, design initiatives that address challenges and build on strengths, and oversee organizational development working group to implement culture-building activities, including trainings, staff retreats, and staff celebrations. Manage internal organizational development committees.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to set organizational goals, work plans, meetings, retreats, strategy, and calendaring for your department and the organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in the philanthropic sector.
• Prior experience with grant management, or a similar administrative function.
• Prior experience working in a field challenged by hostile government agencies and third party actors.
• Prior experience planning events.
• Prior experience with our various HR and ops platforms: EveryAction, BambooHR, ADP, CultureAmp, Slack, Asana, Google Workplace tools, among others.
• Prior experience implementing knowledge management practices and systems.

Organization-Wide Requirements

• Takes initiative and works to continuously improve systems and processes; suggests innovations to use resources strategically and to maximize positive impact.
• A problem solver who has the ability to handle emotional complexity while also navigating uncertainty and changing conditions in a quickly growing organization.
• Able to manage conflict constructively, including the ability to self-reflect and to give and receive feedback up, down, and sideways in a remote working environment.
• Must be able to work both independently and as a collaborative member of various teams. 
• Seeks to uplift all voices and perspectives in our work and communities.
• Works with integrity, accountability, clear communication, and follow-through.
• Flexible, adaptive, and able to respond to challenges and changes; values iteration and productively integrates new information

Work Expectations

• Ability to travel domestically as required up to 3 times per year.
• This job is primarily done from a computer and requires heavy use of screens, computers, and tech tools.
• Candidates must live in and work from the U.S.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This is a full time, Exempt position with an annual salary of $125,000 per year, which is non negotiable for equity reasons.

Our benefits include full employee medical/dental/vision/life (75% employer contribution for families) flexible spending accounts, employer retirement plan contributions of up to 6%, four weeks of PTO, holidays, company office closure the week before Labor Day and two weeks in December, 2 weeks of sick leave, and 1 week of wellness/self-care time. All staff are given the opportunity for an office rental $350 monthly stipend. All staff receive a monthly stipend of $100 for internet and cell phone. 

Funders staff work a 32-hour work week, Monday through Thursday. All staff are expected to collaborate with teammates and colleagues across U.S. time zones.

Funders for LGBTQ Issues values mentorship and leadership development and will work with the hired candidate to identify opportunities to support their professional growth in philanthropy and beyond. 

VACCINATION AND BOOSTER REQUIRED

Funders mandates full vaccinations for all employees, except for employees with valid medical waivers from a licensed physician. As such, verifying an employee’s vaccination status may be considered a condition precedent of employment. Funders shall make reasonable accommodations and document such reasonable accommodations, including a record of documentation relied upon, in the event that an exemption is granted with respect to Funders’ vaccination policy.

TO APPLY

Please submit your application here via the BambooHR Platform. Applications will be accepted until 4/14/25 at 9am ET, we will be holding interviews in May and June, and our target candidate start date is July.

FUNDERS FOR LGBTQ ISSUES EEO STATEMENT

Funders for LGBTQ Issues is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building the leadership of people of color, women, transgender, and gender non-conforming individuals. Funders for LGBTQ Issues does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, ethnicity, immigration status, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, HIV serostatus, disability, or marital status.