Human Resources Director-The Walters Art Museum - Jumpstart HR

ABOUT THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM

The Walters Art Museum is among America's most distinctive museums, forging connections between people and art from cultures around the world and spanning seven millennia. Located in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, the Walters is free for all. The museum’s campus includes five historic buildings and 36,000 art objects.

Today, the Walters serves Baltimore and Maryland by embracing its role as educator and storyteller, using the collection as a vehicle of knowledge and cultural expression to support learning, dialogue, and community engagement. The museum is committed to public education, offering essential programs that help people to connect art to their lives. The Walters Visitor Promise aligns staff and volunteers across the museum to preserve and share the works in our care for future generations, partner with communities, and create welcoming, accessible experiences for visitors. The museum offers challenging and creative work opportunities by promoting collaboration, teamwork, and a culture that celebrates the diversity and inclusion of all. In December 2020, the museum finalized a set of multiyear diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) goals in alignment with the museum’s Strategic Plan and grounded in the following commitments: expand the histories the museum examines and share; partner with our communities; and center equity, inclusion, and accountability in our culture and decision- making.

OVERVIEW OF ROLE

The Walters Art Museum seeks a Director of Human Resources to provide strategic leadership and management in Human Resources. As a member of the museum's Leadership Team, the Director of HR is responsible for building and leading high-impact, people-focused strategic initiatives that strengthen the Walters internal community and culture, and help drive alignment with the organization's values, strategic vision, and commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI). The Director is responsible for the museum’s HR strategy and planning, workforce and organizational development, human resources policy development and regulatory compliance, talent recruitment, performance management, and development, employee relations, total rewards and compensation, contract negotiations and administration, workforce safety, and other functions and processes that impact the employee experience at the Walters.

A core pillar of the Walters DEAI goals is to center equity, inclusion, and accountability in the museums' culture and decision-making. The museum’s commitment to DEAI must begin with our own teams and workplace culture. This includes pay equity and an updated compensation strategy, platforms for staff input and accountability for responsiveness, and clarity in processes and decision-making.

The Director of Human Resources will craft an ongoing strategy to incorporate DEAI initiatives by collaborating across the museum with all staff to assess programs and necessary improvements, and to proactively champion the continued evolution of an inclusive culture in which everyone can thrive. The museum has approximately 150 full- and part-time employees and 100 volunteers.

Reporting directly to the Office of the Director and working closely with all museum departments, they will build, manage, and mentor a human resources team, empowering them to be highly effective and to invest in a people-centered Human Resources department and environment at the museum.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Build an outstanding people-centered Human Resources department at the museum. Develop and deploy resources intended to help employees be successful in their roles.
• In partnership with the Office of the Director, provide coaching, training and development opportunities to the museum’s Leadership Team.
• In partnership with the museum’s Office of the Director and Leadership Team, shape an environment for staff to feel understood and valued, and knowledgeable about benefits and resources. Support a culture based on clarity, inclusivity, and accountability.
• Provide oversight of the Human Resources department and direct the museum’s HR strategy and planning, workforce and organizational development, human resources policy development and regulatory compliance, talent recruitment, performance management, and development, employee relations, total rewards and compensation, contract negotiations and administration and other functions and processes that impact the employee experience the Walters.
• Provide advice and counsel to the Leadership Team, supervisors, staff, and Board regarding HR practices, policies, and employment law.
• Strengthen and ensure clear employee communication regarding all facets of human resources.

Strategy, workforce, and organizational development

• Develop HR plans and strategies to support the achievement of the museum’s Strategic Plan, DEAI Goals, and Visitor Promise.
• Develop and manage a process for workforce and organizational planning that evaluates organizational structure, job design, and personnel planning throughout the museum for the long-term future of the organization.
• Attend Board Leadership and Cabinet meetings and provide feedback and updates regarding the museum’s HR strategy.

Employee Relations/Labor Relations

• Maintain satisfactory labor-management relations through effective and appropriate communication.
• Participate in collective bargaining negotiations and ensure compliance with collective bargaining agreements.
• Manage employee relations matters and ensure that immediate and effective resolutions are implemented in partnership with the union.
• Oversee the museum’s discipline process. Conduct investigations when employee complaints or concerns are brought forth. Monitor and advise staff in the discipline system in the museum.
• Monitor the implementation of a performance improvement process. Review and guide employment terminations.

Policy development and regulatory compliance

• Create, implement, manage, and monitor human resources policies and procedures.
• Ensure effective communication of policies and procedures.
• Apply a DEAI analysis to all HR procedures, functions, and policies to achieve organizational goals.
• Understand industry trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and new technologies in human resources, talent management, and reflect changes in policies and practices.
• Lead organization-wide compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, and recommended best practices; review policies and practices to maintain compliance. Be a key partner in the implementation of the museum’s Safety Plan. Monitor the tracking of OSHA required data.
• Serve as the primary contact for the museum’s employment law attorney and outside government agencies.
• Collaborate with the Leadership Team to ensure appropriate policies are communicated and applied to museums volunteer groups.

Talent Acquisition and Management

• Develop and implement talent acquisition processes with diversity and inclusive recruitment and hiring procedures; ensure that the museum hires, retains, and develops the best talent to achieve its long-range plans and institutional vision.
• Develop new professional development opportunities including a robust training program for employees at all levels.
• Develop, implement, and monitor a performance management program. Support supervisors and staff to ensure consistent quality and execution of processes throughout the entire life cycle.
• In alignment with the museum field, partner with the museum’s Leadership Team, Visitor Experience, and Learning & Community Engagement departments to evaluate the museum’s internship, fellowship, and volunteer models in order to develop a long-term sustainable and equitable staffing model and build community partnerships.

Total compensation and rewards

• Oversee and manage the museum’s compensation strategy and policies. Monitor best practices in compensation and benefits through research of up-to-date approaches.
• Work collaboratively with the Finance Department in preparing the personnel/payroll budget for the annual operating budget, and to ensure payroll and benefits activity is in sync.
• Liaise with the Baltimore City Human Resources division on benefits programs.
• Evaluate and recommend improvements to the current benefit program (beyond the Baltimore City provided benefits).
• Play a leadership role in overseeing the museum’s retirement plan.

Department management

• Establish Key Performance Indicators to influence data driven decisions across the museum.
• Underpin all HR functions with metrics and data collection and review.
• Supervise, mentor, and ensure ongoing development for human resources staff.
• Prepare, administer, and monitor the annual operating budget for the department.
• Lead the development of department goals and objectives.

Requirements

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of seven years of progressive leadership experience in Human Resources positions.
• Experience in a unionized environment is preferred.
• SHRM or HRCI certification is required.
• BS degree in Business, HR Management or related field strongly recommended; Master's Degree preferred.
• Thorough knowledge of all federal and state employment laws, policies, and regulations.
• Experience working with unionizing initiatives and labor negotiations preferred.
• Thorough knowledge of all aspects of a highly functioning Human Resources department.
• Demonstrated experience and commitment to DEAI work within HR.
• Ability to build relationships at all levels of the organization. 
• Ability to interact effectively and work collaboratively with people from diverse cultural and identity groups, with varying world views, perspectives, and from diverse job positions.
• Demonstrated effective written and verbal communication skills, including comfort with public speaking and report writing, ability to lead and moderate meetings, make presentations, simply and clearly convey complex matters, and clearly articulate expectations and action steps.
• Demonstrated highly effective interpersonal skills to work professionally and productively with the museum's diverse communities, stakeholders, and personnel; ability to interact diplomatically and effectively.
• Demonstrated skills in coaching and managing staff, including organization of priorities, clear communication of expectations, training, development, performance management, and retention.
• High-level perspective and exceptional judgment in identifying, researching, and analyzing complex issues; negotiating with colleagues and other parties; anticipating impacts and consequences; and developing, recommending, and implementing effective solutions.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality of information, including information related to legal proceedings, business negotiations, Board matters, compensation, personnel matters, and other non-public and/or sensitive information.
• Physical abilities to perform all core functions and duties including but not limited to the ability to talk; hear; see; manual dexterity to operate a computer for extended periods; visual acuity to view a computer monitor for long periods.

Benefits

ANNUAL STARTING SALARY

$115,000-$125,000

The Walters Art Museum provides an excellent comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, prescription, vision, subsidized transportation and parking, museum membership, short term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, FSA (flexible spending account), 457b retirement, and free professional financial management counseling. 

All employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. The museum does not sponsor work visas.