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About the Role

The Director of Human Resources is a key leadership role responsible for ensuring that Lambda Legal's employment practices, policies, benefits programs, and labor relations are effective, compliant, equitable, and aligned with the organization's mission and values. This role serves as a strategic advisor and functional leader within the People & Culture department, with primary responsibility for employee and labor relations, employment compliance, benefits administration, and related HR operations.

Responsibilities

Serve as a management co-chair of the labor-management committee to lead day-to-day labor relations affairs and bargaining efforts for successor contracts of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Partner with the CPC and COO on the collective bargaining strategy, negotiations, contract administration, and ongoing labor-management collaboration.
Interpret and administer the collective bargaining agreement and ensure compliance with its provisions.
Manage unit grievances from submission through resolution, including coordinating with organizational leaders, managers, union representatives, and legal counsel as appropriate.
Coordinate labor-management committee meetings, including preparation, follow-up, and implementation of agreed-upon actions.
Partner with the Director of Talent in administering the performance management process.
Partner with the CPC and organizational leadership on employee relations matters, including workplace concerns, investigations, conflict resolution, mediation, and personnel decision-making.
Provide guidance to supervisors and leadership on employee relations matters, including performance concerns, disciplinary actions, accommodations, leaves, workplace conduct, and other employment issues.
Identify emerging employee and labor relations trends and recommend appropriate interventions to the CPC and organizational leadership.
Ensure bargaining-unit job description reviews and related classification processes in partnership with the Talent team and organizational leaders.
Monitor compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations and advise the CPC and organizational leaders regarding changes and potential areas of risk.
Serve as an internal advisor to staff, supervisors, and managers regarding the interpretation and application of HR policies, procedures, rules, employment laws, and collective bargaining agreement provisions.
Lead the ongoing review, maintenance, and education of the employee handbook and HR policies, ensuring policies are legally compliant, clear, equitable, and aligned with organizational values.
Partner with the CPC and legal counsel, as appropriate, on employment-related compliance matters, investigations, policy interpretation, and emerging legal or regulatory requirements.
Conduct or oversee workplace investigations and recommend appropriate corrective or preventive actions.
Maintain appropriate HR documentation and records and ensure practices comply with applicable recordkeeping requirements.
Identify and assess employment-related risks and recommend improvements to policies, practices, and processes to mitigate organizational exposure.
Support organizational compliance with applicable requirements related to leave, accommodations, workplace conduct, wage and hour practices, and other employment matters.
Oversee the organization's employee benefits function, ensuring effective, equitable, and compliant administration of health and wellbeing, retirement, leave, and other employee benefit programs.
Supervise and provide strategic direction to the Sr Payroll & Benefits Specialist, including establishing priorities and supporting professional development.
Partner with the Sr Payroll & Benefits Specialist and vendors on annual benefits planning, open enrollment, vendor management, plan administration, and employee communications.
Monitor benefits programs and vendor relationships and recommend changes that improve employee experience, cost effectiveness, compliance, and organizational needs.
Ensure accurate and timely administration of employee benefits, including eligibility, enrollment, qualifying life events, leaves, COBRA, and related processes.
Partner with the CPC and Finance team on payroll-related policies, processes, audits, and issue resolution.
Evaluate HR operational processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, service delivery, and employee experience.
Ensure appropriate HR data, records, and systems are maintained and used effectively to support compliance and operational decision-making.
Partner with the Director of Talent, CPC, and organizational leaders on workforce planning, including assessing organizational staffing needs, workforce trends, position structures, and future talent requirements.
Provide HR and employment-related guidance on organizational changes, restructurings, position classifications, and other workforce initiatives.
Partner with the Director of Talent on retention and employee engagement initiatives, contributing an HR perspective informed by employee relations, benefits, workplace practices, and workforce data.
Contribute to broader People & Culture initiatives that require cross-functional partnership between HR operations and talent development.
Evaluate and recommend improvements to HR systems, technology, workflows, and processes within the Director's portfolio.
Partner with the CPC and relevant internal stakeholders to implement and optimize HR technology and systems.
Use HR data and trends to identify compliance, employee relations, benefits, labor, and operational issues and inform recommendations.
Develop and maintain appropriate reporting and metrics related to labor relations, employee relations, benefits, compliance, and HR operations.
Identify opportunities to improve the consistency, efficiency, and effectiveness of People & Culture practices across a geographically distributed workforce.
Partner with the CPC and other leaders to ensure coordinated delivery of HR programs and services across the organization.
Serve as a trusted subject-matter expert and advisor to organizational leaders on matters within the Director's portfolio.
Contribute to broader People & Culture strategy and organizational initiatives where the Director's functional expertise is relevant.
Promote fair, equitable, inclusive, and consistent employment practices across the organization.
Participate in organizational leadership meetings and committees as appropriate to the scope of the role.

Requirements

8+ years of progressively responsible experience in HR, with a strong balance of strategic planning and hands-on execution.
Demonstrated experience working in a unionized environment, including experience administering a collective bargaining agreement and managing labor-management relationships.
Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and HR compliance requirements.
Demonstrated experience advising managers and organizational leaders on complex employee relations and employment matters.
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain trusted, collaborative relationships with employees, managers, senior leaders, and unit representatives.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to navigate sensitive, complex, and sometimes conflicting perspectives with professionalism, empathy, and sound judgment.
Experience partnering with counsel on complex employee relations, compliance, or labor matters.
Experience overseeing complex employee benefits and/or payroll-related operations within a unionized environment.
Strong judgment and discretion, with the ability to appropriately manage sensitive and confidential employee matters.
Demonstrated ability to interpret policies, collective bargaining agreements, and employment requirements and translate them into practical guidance for managers and employees.
Strong project management, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Experience supervising, coaching, and developing staff through a values-aligned approach.
Embrace and champion organizational values and DEIB philosophy.
Thrive in a diverse environment, actively contributing to a culture that respects and uplifts the full spectrum of communities Lambda Legal serves.

Skills

Strategic planning
Hands-on execution
Unionized environment experience
Collective bargaining agreement administration
Labor-management relationship management
Federal, state, and local employment laws
HR compliance
Employee relations
Interpersonal communication
Conflict resolution
Mediation
Performance management
Workplace investigations
Policy interpretation
Benefits administration
Payroll operations
Workforce planning
Project management
Organizational skills
Analytical skills
Problem-solving skills
Staff supervision
Coaching
Staff development
DEIB advancement

Location

New York, NY
Atlanta, GA
Dallas, TX
Chicago, IL
Los Angeles, CA
Washington, D.C.

Work Type

Hybrid
Full-time

Experience Level

Director
8+ years of experience

Education Level

SHRM-CP, PHR, or equivalent HR certification (preferred)

Salary/Compensations

$130,000-$150,000

Benefits

Medical benefits that begin on your start date
Dental, Vision, and Life insurance (effective 30 days from your start date)
Short & Long-Term Disability plans (effective 30 days from your start date)
403(b) Retirement Plan (employer contribution and matching program begins after 90 days of employment)
Paid Vacation (15 Days)
Sick Leave (12 Days)
Personal Leave (3 Days)
Religious Observance Leave (3 Days)
Bereavement and Bereavement Anniversary Leave
Floating Holiday (1 Day)
12 paid holidays and 5 early office closures
Flexible Spending Account (FSA/DC FSA) and Commuter Benefits
Health Reimbursement Account
Annual professional development funds
$50 monthly mobile phone reimbursement
Summer Fridays from Memorial Day to Labor Day
Premium subscription to the Calm App
Paid sabbatical after 7 years of service (4 weeks for non-exempt positions and 8 weeks for exempt positions)

About the Company

Lambda Legal is a national advocacy organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights for the LGBTQ+ community and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work.
Since 1973, Lambda Legal has used impact litigation and other advocacy tools to decriminalize same-sex relationships; challenge discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV in the workplace, in the home, in schools, in health care, and in the military; and protect LGBTQ+ families, including by winning and defending marriage equality.
Clients are not charged for legal representation or advocacy and Lambda Legal receives no government funding.
Headquartered in New York City, Lambda Legal also has regional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and Washington, DC.
We believe that serving the full breadth of the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities requires cultural competency and enthusiasm for diversity of all kinds.
We recognize the intersectional nature of discrimination, specifically including biases based on race, religion, national origin, gender, disability, education, and class.
We prioritize a proactive commitment to counteracting these biases and their compounding effects in the work we do, but also in how we work together as an organization.

Equal Opportunity

Lambda Legal is committed to further building and maintaining a staff that reflects the full range of LGBTQ+, HIV-affected and allied communities, and is an equal opportunity employer.
We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture.
Lambda Legal encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship or immigration status, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender and gender-diverse people, women, people with abilities in multiple languages, immigrants, people living with disabilities, protected veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals and individuals living with HIV are all encouraged to apply.