Senior Manager, People (NBS)

Next Sreet; New York, Chicago, Portland, Boston (NY, IL, OR, MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Next Street is a mission-driven consulting firm with offices in New York City, Chicago, and Boston, seeking a Senior Manager to advance talent and culture across teams and locations.

You will design and lead recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and development initiatives, partnering with executives to align people strategies with the firm’s growth. Strong collaboration, strategic thinking, and execution are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree or related certification a plus.
• 5+ years in related roles with at least 3+ in people management.
• Experience designing and leading HR initiatives across recruitment, training and DEI.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office; familiarity with HRIS/ATS platforms.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement the firm’s people strategy across recruitment, onboarding, and performance.
• Lead talent development, career pathways, and retention programs.
• Drive engagement and build Next Street’s culture across offices.
• Oversee HR administration, compliance, and vendor partnerships.
• Collaborate with leadership to align people initiatives with business goals.

Skills

People management

HR strategy

Recruitment

Onboarding

Performance management

DEI

Employee engagement

Culture building

Stakeholder management

Microsoft Office

HRIS/ATS platforms

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree or related certification

Tools

HRIS/ATS platforms

Job description

Compensation: Competitive base + incentive

Next Street: Where teamwork and entrepreneurship meet

Next Street was founded in 2005 with the belief that small businesses are the engines of inclusive growth in underserved markets. Serving as trusted advisor to some of the country’s most dynamic organizations, we are a mission-driven consulting firm bringing strategic and financial expertise to grow small business.

We look for professionals who aim to combine their diverse backgrounds and experiences with a passion for mission, offering our team members an unparalleled opportunity to work at the intersection of doing well and doing good. Next Street is a for-profit ‘business for good’ and a certified B Corporation with offices in New York City, Chicago, and Boston.

Position Summary:

The Senior Manager will play a critical role in building Next Street’s talent and culture across teams and offices. Your work will include developing an integrated vision for the firm’s recruitment, training, and performance management functions, leading the execution of those functions, and managing related day‑to‑day activities. The role combines strategic leadership with technical execution and ownership of results. Uniquely positioned within the firm, you should be equally comfortable working independently, partnering with colleagues, and interacting with executive leadership. As a small firm, we offer significant opportunity to stretch and we are seeking candidates with an entrepreneurial drive, a collaborative spirit, and an appetite to contribute in building the firm. The Senior Manager will report to our Director of Strategy & Operations, with significant day‑to‑day collaboration across other members of our broader Management Team.

• Partner with Next Street leadership to design a cohesive vision and plan for the people-related infrastructure in the firm:
  • Outline of key activities, resources, or initiatives relevant to our goals and work
  • Business case for strategic needs and budgeted investments
  • Prioritization and execution plans in line with overall firm strategy
• Lead the execution of people-related initiatives with the goals of:
  • Building the firm’s talent brand to attract diverse, top‑tier candidates across all roles and levels
  • Maximizing employee engagement, development, and retention over time
  • Strengthening Next Street’s culture across multiple teams and physical office locations
  • Ensuring streamlined and compliant back‑office HR administration
• Execute day‑to‑day critical talent initiatives, such as:
  • Developing key recruitment strategies within the market and with key partners
  • Overseeing new hire onboarding processes and tools
  • Solidifying career pathways within the firm from internship programs to promotion tracks
  • Building out our professional development program and retention strategies
  • Refining performance management systems
  • Developing new initiatives for maximizing employee engagement and carrying firm culture across all teams, tenures, and locations
  • Driving efforts to maintain and grow diversity, equity, and inclusion within the firm
  • Analyzing and improving metrics for the firm’s people ‘performance’
• Manage the HR Administrator that supports the firm’s human resources operations, such as:
  • Compliance policies, record‑keeping, and risk management activities
  • Compensation, benefits, and wellness program administration
  • Employee relations and resources management
  • Coordination and utilization of outsourced HR vendors / partners
• Evaluate and upgrade as relevant firm outsourced partnerships, systems, or tools to further streamline and improve the effectiveness of the team
• Build strong, cross‑functional working partnerships
• Support additional strategic or special project initiatives as needed

We are looking for someone with:

• A Bachelor’s degree; Master’s degree and/or related advanced certification a plus
  • Business, Talent Management, Human Resources, Organizational Development, or related fields
• 5+ years of professional experience in related roles and/or industries, at least 3+ of which have been in a directly related people management role
  • Small business and/or professional services experience preferred
• Demonstrated experience designing, building, and leading effective people management initiatives
  • Diverse exposure within the space preferred (e.g., mix of recruitment, training and development, employee engagement, HR administration, or other related fields)
• Proficiency working with Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel)
• Prior experience or familiarity with related systems and technology platforms / solutions (e.g., performance management, training / development, applicant tracking, HR administration)
• Outstanding planning, prioritization, and organizational skills, including the ability to effectively manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• An affinity for continuous improvement and exploration of new approaches, solutions, or technologies
• A passion for Next Street’s mission and creating culture at the intersection of doing well and doing good
• A self‑starter with the desire to build a business and an appetite for entrepreneurial initiative
• A demonstrated capacity for collaboration and teamwork at all levels of tenure
• A willingness to challenge and be challenged, regardless of seniority

Next Street is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, or Vietnam era, or other eligible veteran status, or any other protected factor.