Head of Human Resources - Health Law Advocates

Health Law Advocates is creating a new position to support our staff of 40. The Head of HR will develop and implement human resource strategies, policies, and procedures that reflect HLA's mission, goals, workplace culture, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Duties and Responsibilities

HR Strategies:

• Building on existing structures, design and implement an effective, comprehensive, and values-driven approach to human resources that reflects HLA's nonprofit status and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
• Provide thought partnership with the Senior Management Team (SMT) to implement organizational change initiatives when applicable, playing a leading role in crafting employee communications.

Staff Relations:

• Help promote a positive work environment that emphasizes frequent staff-wide information-sharing, opportunities for cross-departmental interaction, and staff engagement.
• Serve as staff's point of contact for internal issues, questions, and concerns, interpreting HLA's personnel policies, and coaching staff on how to address concerns with their supervisors.
• Provide guidance and support to supervisors at all levels, helping them successfully address and resolve employee relations issues, coaching them on effective ways to handle sensitive staff matters, and drafting formal memos/letters as necessary.
• Promote effective formal and informal feedback to staff from their supervisors. Manage the staff evaluation process, ensuring that all managers and directors complete the process in a timely and effective manner. Provide individual guidance and support as necessary. Check in with supervisors throughout the year to ensure feedback is not limited to a single staff evaluation event.
• Oversee the corrective action process, ensuring consistency and compliance across departments.
• Process all staff terminations, addressing payroll and benefits continuation matters and conducting exit interviews.

Recruitment:

• Oversee the coordination of the recruitment function for staff and interns.
• Collaborate with hiring managers to develop targeted recruitment strategies designed to draw a diverse pool of applicants.
• Prepare compelling job postings for online recruitment sites and for email distribution.
• Acknowledge receipt of all resumes in a timely fashion; serve as primary liaison to job applicants throughout the screening and interviewing process; and notify candidates of their status as the interview process continues.
• Work with hiring managers to screen applicants and schedule phone screenings, first interviews, and subsequent interviews.
• Collaborate with SMT members on setting starting salaries, ensuring salaries align with existing salary policies while ensuring internal equity.
• Make the formal job offer, negotiating terms of employment in coordination with the hiring manager and SMT members, and draft job offer letters.
• Develop, carry out, and update as necessary a comprehensive and thoughtful onboarding process.

Professional Development:

• Maintain a database of professional development opportunities appropriate for all levels of staff, sharing the information with the relevant staff/supervisors.
• Identify professional development opportunities for individual staff members.
• Track staff participation in all in-house and external professional development opportunities.
• Work with individual managers/directors to ensure they are following up on professional development actions identified in the annual performance evaluation.

Benefits Administration:

• Manage the open enrollment process for health insurance renewal.
• Handle any workers' compensation and unemployment claims.
• Research new benefit options where appropriate.
• Track paid-time-off (PTO) for all staff.

Salary Administration:

• Ensure salaries for new hires and current staff reflect HLA's salary administration policies and salary ranges, addressing any disparities with the SMT.
• Conduct or obtain formal/informal salary surveys to ensure up-to-date information about salaries paid by peer organizations.
• Ensure all salary changes are documented.
• Process biweekly payroll. 

Compliance & HR Information Systems:

• Ensure day-to-day compliance with employment laws and regulations and keep abreast of major trends and best practices in human resources functions.
• Monitor changes in local, state, and federal labor laws, ensuring HLA updates its personnel policies accordingly.
• Draft revisions of existing personnel policies for review by the SMT and ultimately approval by the HLA Board of Directors.
• Use current or new HRIS databases and/or files to ensure the collection of staff and recruitment information necessary for analysis and internal/external reporting purposes.
• Respond to all employment verification inquiries.

Qualifications

All HLA employees are expected to have the skills to:

• Work both independently and as an effective team member.
• Collaborate with and support staff at all levels of our organization.
• Communicate clearly and professionally.
• Maintain confidentiality and, for attorneys, strict adherence to all professional responsibility requirements for the practice of law.
• Demonstrate intellectual curiosity, openness, and the desire and ability to listen and learn.
• Understand and believe in the mission of the organization.
• Embody the values of the organization, including a commitment to decreasing inequity in our health care system and society as a whole.

Requirements specific to this position include:

• Minimum 5-8 years' experience as a human resources manager, preferably within a legal aid and/or mission-drive nonprofit organization. Experience as an HR specialist spanning recruitment and employee relations will be considered.
• Experience working with members of the legal community (attorneys, paralegals, advocates, etc.) helpful.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively with diverse staff at all levels of the organization.
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to craft clear, concise, and error-free emails, memos, letters, and other written documents.
• Proven ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality, discretion, and discerning judgment.
• Excellent organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail, and demonstrated success at managing time and meeting deadlines.
• Familiarity with HRIS systems preferred.
• Relevant bachelor's degree and/or master's degree strongly preferred.
• SHRM Certified Professional or SHRM Senior Certified Professional certification strongly preferred.