Director, People & Culture

About CSSP and Our Work

CSSP strives to accomplish its mission by developing and advancing effective public policy; helping to transform public systems to be more preventive, results-oriented, accountable, and caring; and supporting local leaders to create the community opportunities, supports, services, and environments in which all children and families can thrive. CSSP works in partnership with other national organizations, foundations, and governmental and community leaders to test new ideas and approaches, provide technical assistance, generate new evidence, and support networks of innovators. All our work reflects a long-standing organizational commitment to equity and social justice.

Job Description

CSSP seeks a Director, People & Culture based in our DC office (working virtually until the DC office re-opens) to develop and execute CSSP’s human resources and inclusion and equity strategies in support of CSSP’s overall mission and strategic direction.  This is a new position that will report directly to the President and will also work closely with the Executive Vice President/CFO and be a member of the executive leadership team.  The person filling this position will manage and coordinate CSSP’s work in the areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion; employee well-being; continuous workforce improvement; staff training and professional development; and HR policy development and compliance. The Director, People & Culture will work closely with senior management to provide strategic leadership by formulating, communicating, and documenting HR needs and plans to staff; supporting supervisory staff in coaching and performance management; and providing HR support for all staff.   

We are looking for a highly motivated, entrepreneurial, and collaborative individual with a commitment to CSSP’s values and to taking an anti-racist, intersectional approach that better serves Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, and other people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+, and immigrant individuals and families. Our anti-racist approach is both internally focused and part of all our external work.

We seek someone who understands that any organization, team, project, or effort is only as good as the people who work there, the relationships that they establish and sustain, and the organizational culture that fosters innovation, respect, collegiality, and excellence. We seek someone who can help ensure that CSSP is an organization where staff strengths are identified, nurtured, and enhanced; can listen attentively; and can act as a supportive coach to leadership and staff.  The job will require building authentic relationships with staff that facilitate the successful candidate’s ability to challenge, develop, and support them.  The successful candidate will welcome feedback, be open to new ideas, and support personal growth and development and organization-wide improvement. In addition, the successful candidate must understand that discretion in this role is paramount as is the ability to create safe, candid, and confidential spaces for staff to communicate concerns.

CSSP is committed to working towards being an anti-racist organization and to identifying and eliminating aspects of White supremacy in our policies and culture. The ideal candidate will demonstrate their understanding and commitment to this journey and join us in creating a culture that is inclusive, equitable, and facilitative of high-performance, satisfaction, and curious learning.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

• Develop and implement diversity and inclusion strategies and action plans as they relate to recruitment, performance management, leadership development, employee engagement, and retention.
• Assist in shaping organization-wide decisions related to people practices and HR priorities through data, analysis, and recommendations that align with CSSP’s values.
• Manage the process and assist with hiring a consultant to work with CSSP in our efforts to dismantle White supremacy culture and to name, address, and prevent harm to staff and to those with whom we work.

Select, Train, Coach, and Mentor Staff

• Support efforts and processes to select, retain, and develop talent and expertise in staff.
• Work with supervisors/managers to assist with designing a consistent and effective supervisory and coaching practice across the organization.

Learning and Development

• Manage staff development opportunities and processes for the organization and staff.
• Help to create learning and development programs that are person-centered, value-driven, and ensure equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Seek out and vet learning and development partners for management and leadership training.
• Manage the annual employee performance appraisal process to identify strengths and developmental needs that feed into individual and overall organizational learning agendas.

HR Compliance and Administration

• Maintain responsibility for CSSP’s compliance with federal and state legislation pertaining to all personnel matters (ADA, FMLA, Wage and Hour, benefits, etc.).
• Handle all employment law matters such as FMLA, Wage and Hour, ADA.
• Develop, administer, and communicate HR policies, procedures, and directives including oversight of CSSP’s Employee Handbook.
• Develop and coordinate staff onboarding and exit processes.
• Annually review and makes recommendations to executive leadership for improvement of the organization’s policies, procedures, and practices on personnel matters, based on industry trends and innovative practices.
• Work with the executive leadership to establish a competitive and fiscally responsible benefit, compensation, and leave program, including merit increases, bonuses, COLA, etc.

 A successful candidate will have: 

• A minimum of 10 years as a leader in non-profit, philanthropic, or consulting organization.
• Expertise and demonstrated commitment to workplace diversity, inclusion, and equity as well as CSSP’s stated values and culture.
• Knowledge of HR policies, systems, and related laws and a commitment to keeping current with policies, systems, and related laws.
• Ability to analyze and solve problems at all levels.
• Excellent communication skills with diverse audiences and settings.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships, develop rapport, and work with teams.
• Ability to act with confidence and professionalism with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong personal effectiveness, integrity, credibility, discretion, humility, and accountability.

• Personal and professional understanding of intersectionality, anti-racism, inclusion, and power dynamics and how these play out across teams and organizations.
• Comfort operating with a high level of independence and efficiency, coupled with a desire to lead and be part of high-performing teams.

Excellent benefits provided including a generous health, vision, and dental package with 100% of the employee’s individual coverage paid by CSSP; an 11% retirement contribution after one full year of employment; a generous vacation and sick leave policy including one full week for winter break during the last week of the year; and hybrid telework/in office (in the DC office) options.

How to Apply and Other:

Qualified applicants should send cover letter with salary requirements and resume to jobs@cssp.org (subject: Your Name – Director, People & Culture). In your cover letter, please be sure to indicate where you found this position announcement.  The interview process will include phone screening, panel style interviews, and final interviews.  Finalists will also be asked to participate in a short, written exercise. 

Due to the large number of applications, emails and phone calls to CSSP will not be accepted/reviewed.

Applications accepted until November 12th or until position is filled.

CSSP is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender expression, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status or caregiver status.