Senior Director of People and Culture

Committee for The Protection of Journalists; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Senior Director of People & Culture to lead its HR function. This pivotal role involves enhancing organizational culture, managing labor relations, and implementing equitable hiring practices. The ideal candidate will bring strategic vision and execution skills to strengthen the HR framework and foster a diverse workplace. Join a mission-driven organization dedicated to defending press freedom while shaping a responsive, inclusive, and high-performing culture. If you are passionate about people and culture, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

100% employer-sponsored health care plans

401(k) retirement plan with employer contribution

Flexible work schedules

Paid time off

Employee assistance program

Short and long-term disability coverage

Qualifications

• 10+ years of HR leadership experience, with 5+ years at a senior level.
• Experience managing HR policies across international contexts.

Responsibilities

• Lead the People & Culture function, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Oversee labor relations and manage grievance processes.

Skills

HR Leadership

Conflict Resolution

Communication Skills

Analytical Skills

Change Management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources or related field

SHRM-CP/SCP or other senior HR certification

Tools

Google Suite

Job description

Job Title: Senior Director, People & Culture

Department: People & Culture

Job Band: Leadership

Salary:$170K-$185K

Office Location: New York (Hybrid)

Reports to Title: Chief Operating Officer

FLSA Status: Exempt

Union Status: Non-represented

Application Deadline: May 19, 2025

Application and Recruitment Process:

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references. In your application, please confirm whether you are legally authorized to work in the United States. If applicable, include details about your current visa status.

CPJ will screen candidates for interview on a rolling basis. All candidates selected for an interview will be informed by May 23rd at the latest. Please note carefully the following interview schedule:

• First-round interviews will take place online the week of May 26, 2025.
• Second-round interviews will take place in person at our New York office on the week of June 2, 2025.
• If needed, final round interviews will be held the week of June 9, 2025.

Details of the structure of the interviews will be sent at least a week in advance.

Organization Overview:

Founded in 1981, the Committee to Protect Journalists (“CPJ”) is an independent, non-profit organization defending journalists worldwide without regard to their political ideology. Through its work to safeguard journalists, CPJ protects the rights of all people to have access to diverse and independent sources of information. For nearly four decades, CPJ has helped win the early release of imprisoned journalists, secure convictions in journalist murders, and enable positive legal reform in countries where the climate for free expression has deteriorated. Learn more about CPJ’s fight to defend freedom of the press here:http://cpj.org/

At CPJ, we are dedicated to upholding values of equity and free expression in both our internal operations and external endeavors. As an organization headquartered in the United States, we aspire to build a diverse workplace and foster an inclusive and welcoming environment. As an international organization, we strive for our people to be representative of the global community on which we report and to equip them with the opportunities and resources they need to learn and succeed.

CPJ is headquartered in New York City, but our team is truly global, with staff members and contributors based worldwide. This structure allows us to monitor and respond to press freedom threats in real time, ensuring that journalists everywhere have the support they need.

Job Summary:

CPJ is seeking a mission-aligned Senior Director of People & Culture to lead the continued development of its human resources function. This is a high-impact opportunity for someone who brings both strategic vision and execution skills. The person in this role will strengthen the foundations already in place and build a highly responsive, consistent, and globally effective People & Culture function.

Since CPJ established its first dedicated HR role in 2021, key systems, processes, policies, and roles have been put in place to support staff. The next leader will be someone who can help bring further structure, clarity, transparency and direction to a small team, ensuring strong alignment with organizational goals, clear leadership, and accountability. This is an opportunity to shape and lead an evolving department at a critical time for press freedom and as the organization continues to grow its international presence.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Senior Director will play a central role in supporting CPJ’s globally distributed, hybrid workforce. They will be responsible for improving day-to-day operations, strengthening management practices, bolstering organizational efforts around equity and inclusion, and aligning people strategies with CPJ’s mission and organizational structure.

This leader will also serve as CPJ’s internal point person on labor relations. They will own engagement with union representatives, lead on grievance resolution, and help foster a culture of transparency, fairness, and accountability across union and non-union staff. They will also be responsible for implementing CPJ’s newly negotiated collective bargaining agreement, ensuring that its terms are applied consistently and understood across the organization.

The work requires someone who can make thoughtful decisions, act with both agility and integrity, and respond to challenges with both clarity and care. The Senior Director will have direct access to leadership and will contribute to key organizational decisions, particularly in matters related to people, culture, and structure. This role is backed by committed leadership and an organization-wide desire to strengthen People & Culture as a true partner across CPJ.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic People Leadership

• Partner with the Chief Operating Officer and senior leadership team to align people strategy with CPJ’s evolving structure, goals, and values.
• Lead and manage the People & Culture function, ensuring it operates with consistency, credibility, and responsiveness across the organization.
• Design and implement systems and practices that support a high-performing, equitable, and sustainable workplace.
• Develop and implement internal communication strategies that strengthen transparency and accountability, promote timely two-way feedback, and improve alignment between leadership and staff.
• Support change management efforts by ensuring people strategies adapt with CPJ’s organizational evolution, structure, and scale.

Global Workforce Strategy

• Oversee people operations for a globally distributed workforce, ensuring that policies, benefits, and people practices are legally sound, culturally responsive, and consistent with CPJ’s values.
• Manage diverse employment arrangements across countries, including direct employees, contractors, and staff employed through third-party Employers of Record (EORs).
• Collaborate with finance and operations teams, and engage pro bono legal support as needed, to ensure compliance with local labor laws and contractual obligations.
• Provide strategic guidance on global employment issues such as hiring, compensation benchmarking, employment classifications, and supporting teams in working effectively across time zones.
• Develop systems and internal communications that promote transparency, fairness, and consistency. This includes onboarding, policy guidance, performance management, and processes that support a connected and equitable experience for staff across locations and employment types.
• Support the organization-wide implementation of CPJ’s newly revised employee handbook, ensuring that its policies are clearly understood, consistently applied, and integrated into day-to-day practices across locations and employment types.
• Adapt policies and people practices to align with local legal requirements and cultural context, while maintaining organizational standards for equity, professionalism, and accountability.

People Engagement and Conflict Resolution

• Act as CPJ's primary liaison with union representatives, managing all aspects of labor relations to foster a collaborative and productive work environment grounded in mutual respect and organizational trust.
• Lead implementation of CPJ’s collective bargaining agreement, ensuring alignment with policies and a clear understanding across departments.
• Oversee grievance processes, ensuring timely and equitable resolution. Conduct or coordinate timely investigations where appropriate and ensure outcomes are well documented and legally sound.
• Represent management on CPJ’s labor-management committee. Contribute to agenda development, facilitate open dialogue, and ensure follow-through on agreements.
• Offer facilitation, coaching, and tools for respectful communication to support staff and managers in navigating interpersonal or team-based challenges.
• Foster a workplace culture where difficult conversations can happen constructively, with psychological safety and shared accountability as the foundation.

Talent Acquisition and Development

• Lead an inclusive, equitable hiring strategy that reflects CPJ’s commitment to building a diverse and mission-aligned workforce.
• Ensure outreach and recruitment efforts reach a broad and representative pool of candidates, especially from underrepresented communities.
• Partner with hiring managers to implement consistent, bias-aware hiring processes that support fairness, transparency, and clarity.
• Strengthen recruitment operations and candidate experience by standardizing hiring timelines, improving internal coordination, and ensuring consistent communication with applicants throughout the process.
• Collaborate with the Diversity Committee and Labor Management Committee to strengthen inclusive hiring practices, including implementing required annual training.
• Support the use of data, feedback, and regular review to inform improvements in recruitment, onboarding, and staff development.

Performance, Culture, and Learning

• Oversee performance management systems that are consistent, transparent, and aligned with CPJ’s values. Ensure expectations and evaluation criteria are clearly defined, applied fairly, and communicated across all teams.
• Promote shared accountability and leadership at all levels by defining core organizational competencies, providing coaching, and creating feedback channels that support a culture of continuous improvement.
• Design and implement employee recognition programs that celebrate achievements, reinforce CPJ’s values, and promote morale across the organization.
• Promote a culture where feedback is timely, constructive, and part of everyday work Support managers and staff in building habits of open communication and accountability.
• Develop clear advancement pathways, including promotion criteria, to support transparent conversations about growth and opportunity. Ensure staff understand what is expected to advance, and that promotion decisions are based on defined standards, not ambiguity or discretion alone.
• Identify learning and development opportunities that are accessible and relevant across teams and roles. Ensure staff have the support they need to grow in their positions and contribute to the organization’s success.
• Build organizational capacity through learning and development programs that strengthen communication, feedback, and collaboration skills across all roles and teams.
• Partner with the COO and leadership team to translate engagement survey insights into actionable improvements. Develop systems for ongoing listening, tracking, and feedback that support a culture of continuous learning and accountability.
• Champion workplace wellbeing initiatives that support mental health, resilience, and sustainable work practices across teams.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead and support the People & Culture team, ensuring clarity of direction, regular feedback, and alignment with CPJ’s goals and values.
• Foster a team culture grounded in trust, collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning. Is a clear, deliberate, and thoughtful communicator.
• Set clear individual goals within the team and hold team members accountable through consistent feedback and fair performance expectations.
• As the People & Culture function matures, the Senior Director will help assess and shape future staffing and resource needs.
• Ensure the People & Culture team models the management and communication practices CPJ expects across the organization.

Human Resources

• Manage all HR systems and vendors, ensuring that CPJ’s HR operations effectively support all appropriate employee needs and organizational priorities.
• Evaluate and improve HR systems and tools to ensure they support a scalable, data-informed, and employee-centered approach.
• Examine and update talent strategies and policies, ensuring that any collective bargaining agreements are adhered to strictly and that CPJ's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is reflected in all of its talent practices.

Other Responsibilities

• Take on additional responsibilities that are consistent with the scope and purpose of the role, as needed, in alignment with organizational priorities. This includes during times of transition or change and in support of CPJ’s mission, and values.

Education/Qualifications & Work Experience:

Required:

• At least 10 years of progressive HR leadership experience, with at least 5 years at a senior strategic level
• Experience managing HR policies and practices across international contexts, including working with globally distributed teams and varied employment arrangements (e.g., EORs, contractors, and staff in multiple countries).
• Experience working with US unionized workforces.
• Proven success leading organization-wide culture change, staff engagement initiatives, and building systems that promote shared accountability across all levels of staff
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Impeccable organizational skills and keen attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Thorough knowledge of employment-related laws and regulations.
• Proficient with Google Suite.
• Ability to adapt to the needs of the organization and employees.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate them when appropriate.
• Strong supervisory and leadership skills.

Preferred:

• SHRM-CP/SCP or other senior HR certification
• Experience in a nonprofit or mission-driven organization
• Fluency in additional languages.

Additional Qualifications, Characteristics, and Competencies:

• Leadership: Demonstrates clear leadership within the organization, representing the organization as a whole both externally and internally, and able to set and deliver strategy for the benefit of the entire organization and the organization’s mission.
• Collaborative: Shows cooperation and teamwork while participating in a group; demonstrates respect for the opinions of others; identifies and pushes for solutions in which all parties can benefit; helps and supports fellow employees in their work to contribute to overall CPJ success; keeps people informed and up-to-date; shares information and own expertise with others to enable them to accomplish group goals.
• Composed: Poised in the face of setbacks or crises. A thoughtful communicator. Offers constructive solutions to organizational challenges.
• Competent decision maker: Ability and confidence to vary between being flexible and holding firm on a decision, depending on what the situation requires.
• Strategic Thinker: Formulates objectives and priorities, and implements plans consistent with the long-term interests of the organization locally and in a global environment; capitalizes on opportunities and manages risks.
• Interpersonal Skills: Ability to work effectively with different people and teams of people by putting others at ease; treats others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect; considers and appropriately responds to the needs and feelings of different people in different situations.
• Problem-Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of situations.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this classification and are reflective of work in a typical office setting. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of the job, absent undue hardship.

• Remain in a stationary position for prolonged periods.
• Occasionally move about in the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc. (applicable to employees who work in the NYC office).
• Operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as copy machine, and printer.
• Communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
• Observe details at close range.
• Carry objects weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Work in an office setting where the noise level in the work environment is usually moderate (applicable to employees who work in the NYC office).

Vaccination Requirement:

Employees who work in the NYC office must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they qualify for reasonable accommodation for medical or religious reasons. Accordingly, new employees must submit proof of vaccination before the commencement of employment, unless a reasonable accommodation is granted.

Location:

This position requires working at least two days a week from our New York office, located in midtown Manhattan.

We promote a flexible working environment with hybrid and flexible work schedule opportunities. Our NYC office, located in midtown Manhattan, was designed to be a place where we can work effectively and collaboratively, bringing energy, inspiration, commitment, and deep learning to our mission. The NYC office is currently working on a schedule of two days in-office (Wednesday and one other day of the employee’s/ manager’s agreement), with the option of working up to three days remotely, subject to adjustment based on business needs.

Benefits:

• Health Care Plans (100% employer-sponsored medical, dental, and vision plans for employee coverage)
• Health Reimbursement Account (employer-funded HRA of $5,000 annually)
• 401(k) Retirement Plan (employer contribution of 4%. Additional employer dollar-for-dollar match of elective employee contribution up to 3%)
• Life Insurance and AD&D Plans (100% employer-sponsored with the option to elect additional voluntary plans)
• Paid Time Off (vacation, sick, and paid holidays)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability (employer-sponsored with the option to elect additional voluntary plans)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Pre-Tax Flexible Spending Accounts (medical, dependent care, and commuter expenses)
• Voluntary benefits plans (accident, hospitalization, critical Illness, pet, and legal insurance)
• Flexible Work Schedules, including hybrid options with two required in-office days per week and remote work flexibility. Longer remote working periods are also offered, allowing up to sixty days per year.

Equal Employment Opportunity
CPJ provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, or other non-merit-based factors. to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.