Senior Director, Culture and Talent (AA)

Arabella Advisors; Washington, Chicago, Durham (District of Columbia, IL, NC); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Arabella Advisors is seeking a mission-driven Senior Director to lead the Culture and Talent team, guiding strategy, operations, and people initiatives as the firm scales. The role partners with executives to deliver compliant, high-impact HR programs and transformational change across a 400+ employee organization.

The ideal candidate brings strong emotional intelligence, relationship-building with diverse stakeholders, and a passion for social impact aligned with Arabella’s mission.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in HR, OD, or related field
• 5+ years of leadership and management experience
• Experience in all aspects of HR as outlined above
• Experience managing HR in an organization with 400+ employees and budgets over $1M
• Ability to communicate effectively with non-HR professionals about HR
• Demonstrated growth mindset
• Demonstrated cultural awareness and inclusive leadership

Responsibilities

• Vision & Strategy: develop and implement a clearly defined vision and strategy for the CAT team
• Culture: oversee and promote activities that boost the firm’s culture and employer value proposition
• Team Leadership: manage, mentor, and develop CAT team
• Thought Partnership: serve as a thought partner to executive and senior leadership on talent strategy and operations
• DEI: work with leaders to promote a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace
• Legal Compliance: develop systems to ensure compliance with laws
• Recruiting and Onboarding: improve recruiting and onboarding systems
• Compensation and Benefits: design and oversee compensation/benefits programs
• HR Systems: ensure HR information systems meet needs
• Vendor Management: oversee CAT-related vendor relationships
• Organizational Growth: support transformational change and oversee performance management

Skills

Leadership

Communication

HR expertise

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

HR certification

Job description

Senior Director, Culture and Talent (AA)

Posted on April 13, 2020

Arabella Advisors was founded in 2005 as a mission-driven professional services firm that provides strategic guidance for effective philanthropy. Since then, we’ve evolved into a Certified B Corporation that has helped hundreds of clients representing more than $100 billion in assets move from ideas to impact. Arabella is a team of passionate problem solvers dedicated to helping clients make a difference on the issues that matter most to them, from climate to women and girls, education, good food, and more. Our people are thinkers and builders—people who combine issue expertise, business acumen, operational prowess, policy wonkishness, and a passion for mission that can move mountains. Our clients increasingly recognize that promising ideas with the power to effect deep social change often require up‑front capital, rapid prototyping, and a higher tolerance for risk than governments or the market can provide. So they seek out actors and ideas that have the potential to change systems for the better, whether those systems are related to K‑12 education, adolescent mental health, conservation, human rights, or something else. And they invest in programs—or, in some cases, help to incubate new initiatives or organizations—that are designed to lead to big, long-term improvements. At Arabella, we’re inspired by the remarkable growth in the social‑impact sector over the last decade, and we think the sector is going to grow even further and faster in the next 10 years. We’re motivated daily by the roles we get to play in that growth.

Position Summary

Arabella Advisors is seeking a mission-driven senior leader to lead the strategy, operations, and people of our Culture and Talent (CAT) team. This is an exciting opportunity to join our firm as we are poised to double in size across the next few years. A successful Senior Director must effectively deliver the foundational elements of HR – compliance, compensation and benefits, recruiting, employee relations – and also set and implement a vision, innovate, and successfully oversee firmwide transformational changes. This role will serve as a strategic partner to the executive and senior leadership teams while managing the day‑to‑day operations of the CAT team, ensuring exceptional client service in every interaction. The ideal candidate will bring a strong emotional intelligence and be adept at building trusted relationships with diverse stakeholders. In addition, the Senior Director will bring a proven passion for social impact aligned with Arabella’s mission.

Specific Ares of Responsibility

• Vision & Strategy: develop and implement a clearly defined vision and strategy for the CAT team, ensuring alignment with the firm’s strategy and growth objectives; oversee implementation of the team's annual objectives and priorities; provide accurate personnel metrics and reporting to executives and the firm
• Culture: Oversee and promote activities that boost the firm’s culture, values, and employer value proposition
• Team Leadership: manage, mentor, and provide professional development opportunities for CAT team; cultivate a culture of collaboration, responsiveness, and exceptional service
• Thought Partnership: serve as a thought partner to executive and senior leadership teams and CAT team members on all aspects of talent strategy and operations
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): work collaboratively with leaders across the firm and as a member of the DEI working group to develop and support implementation of a strategy that promotes a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace
• Legal Compliance: develop systems and procedures to ensure proper compliance with all federal, state, and local laws
• Recruiting and Onboarding: identify and implement opportunities to improve the recruiting and onboarding systems to attract top talent; ensure every employee receives a thorough orientation
• Compensation and Benefits: design and oversee the implementation and communication of the firm's compensation and benefits programs in partnership with and through participation on the firm's Compensation Committee
• Best-in-Class HR Systems: ensure critical HR information systems are in place and evolving to meet the firm’s HR business needs
• Vendor Management: oversee CAT-related vendor relationships (e.g., attorneys, benefit brokers), and recommend necessary changes to properly support the firm as it scales
• Organizational Growth: support the firm and team in implementing transformational change; oversee the firm's performance management program and Implement training curriculum for the firm's management corps

To be successful in this role you will need

• Bachelor's degree, Master's preferred
• 10+ years of experience in HR, OD, or related field
• 5+ years of leadership and management experience
• HR certification, preferred
• Experience in all aspects of HR, as outlined above
• Experience managing HR in an organization with 400+ employees and budgets over $1M
• Ability to communicate effectively with non-HR professionals about HR
• Demonstrated growth mindset
• Demonstrated cultural awareness and inclusive leadership