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Director of People Operations
Position Summary
Under the direction of the Chief Operating Officer, the Director of People Operations is responsible for the overall employee experience. Provides leadership in developing and executing an agency‑wide people strategy that aligns workforce planning, talent development, and organizational culture with CHA’s mission, values, and strategic priorities.
This position will also provide human resources support to all departments within the Agency including but not limited to overseeing personnel records management, supporting performance management and employee development processes, policy and procedure development and revisions, and ensuring compliance with all applicable employment laws and regulations. Serves as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, exercising sound judgment and discretion in complex employee and agency matters and making recommendations that balance compliance, risk, culture, and mission impact.
Essential Functions
Mission & Organizational Development
- Demonstrates a clear understanding of the Covenant House mission, philosophy, history, and values and reflects those principles in interactions with staff, youth, and the broader community.
People Strategy, Organizational Design & Risk Management
- Partners with executive and department leadership on organizational design, role clarity, and change management to support growth, continuous improvement, and effective team structures.
- Oversees the employee experience across the full lifecycle—from recruitment and onboarding through retention and exit—using feedback, data, and trends to improve engagement and reduce turnover.
- Coordinates and/or conducts exit interviews.
- Proactively identifies and mitigates people‑related risks, including employee relations concerns, leadership gaps, burnout, and retention challenges, in partnership with executive leadership.
Performance Management, Leadership Development & Employee Engagement
- Leads the development and ongoing improvement of the Agency’s performance management approach, ensuring clear expectations, ongoing feedback, accountability, and alignment between performance, employee development, and Agency goals.
- Builds and supports consistent management practices by coaching and training supervisors on effective performance management, feedback, documentation, and employee development.
- Champions and supervises staff development and employee engagement initiatives, including employee surveys (promoting participation, analyzing results, and implementing action plans) and supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives.
- Supports management by providing guidance and recommendations related to progressive discipline, investigations, mediation, and coaching to strengthen leadership effectiveness and team performance.
Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning
- Oversees hiring processes, including recruitment strategy, background and reference checks, onboarding, and orientation.
- Supervises recruitment efforts, including building and maintaining strategic community relationships to develop strong and sustainable talent pipelines.
HR Operations, Policies & Compliance
- Leads the administration of human resources plans, policies, and procedures for all Agency personnel.
- Respond to inquiries regarding HR policies and procedures.
- Develops, implements, and maintains personnel policies and procedures; prepares and updates the employee handbook and policies and procedures manual.
- Directs efforts to improve HR workflows, eliminate inefficiencies, and strengthen HR operational effectiveness.
- Ensures compliance and reporting around FMLA, Workers' Compensation, and other local, state and federal reporting requirements.
- Oversees personnel records management, HRIS administration, and training and development data systems.
- Supervises the administration of employee benefit and wellness programs, including health, retirement, life insurance, COBRA, and related offerings.
- Participates in cross-functional leadership teams (including Director-, policy-, safety-level, and Covenant House federation wide HR leadership teams) to ensure HR perspective and compliance considerations inform decision-making.
- Under the direction of the COO maintain oversight of People Operations budget planning.
Data, Reporting & Executive Partnership
- Develops and utilizes people‑related metrics and trend analyses to inform executive decision‑making, identify risks, and evaluate the effectiveness of people initiatives.
- Provides executive & federation leadership with progress reports, recommendations, action plans, timelines, and cost projections related to people operations and workforce initiatives.
- Collaborate with accounting department to maintain affirmative action program; including filing EEO-1 report annually; maintains other records, reports, and logs to conform to EEO regulations.
Educational, Licensure and/or Certification Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in business or related field required. Relevant work experience may be substituted for degree on year-by-year basis.
- Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR or SPHR) or SHRM CP/SCP preferred.
Minimum Experience
- Minimum of 5 years progressive human resource experience with demonstrated professional experience in one or more of the following: organizational management, personnel, or business services, and/or human resources.
- Experience in non-profit human resources preferred.
- Lived homelessness experience considered an asset.
Knowledge Skills and Abilities Required
Interpersonal
- Consistent demonstration of ethics, integrity, fairness and trustworthiness
- Is approachable, builds rapport well and practices attentive and active listening.
- Excellent oral, written and public communication skills
- Effective, supportive and positive interpersonal communication skills and behaviors.
- Effective and adaptive leadership competencies and behaviors
- Ability to build, sustain or repair relationships with a diverse stakeholder group
- Ability to demonstrate empathy and compassion consistent with organization’s guiding principles and values
- Strong degree of self-discipline, self-confidence and self-development
- Maintains consistent communication with executive leadership
Decision-Making
- Sound judgment, critical thinking, and ethical decision-making.
- Working knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Department of Labor (DOL), and applicable state and federal employment laws and compliance requirements.
Other
- Understand and comply with all Agency policies and procedures, including Child Protection Policies.
- Maintain confidentiality while understanding and complying with requirements of mandated reporting, EEOC, Title IX, ADA, HIPAA, DOL, and other limits to confidentiality.
- Proficient with standard computer operating systems. Ability to navigate Microsoft Office Suite, online databases, and other programs and websites as required.
- Pass federal, state, and local background check investigations.
- Ability to adjust schedule to support Agency needs, deadlines, or special circumstances which may include working or being available by phone outside of normal business hours, and Holidays and/or weekends as needed.
- Ability to meet and maintain required background clearances.
- Possession of a valid State of Alaska driver’s license, as required.
Working Conditions
- Position is established in an office setting within the Youth Engagement Center
- Noise level is mild to moderate, consistent with office and residential environments.
- Must have the ability to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
- Must have the ability to observe details within close range.
- Must be able to remain in stationary position for extended periods of time.
- Must be able to move within the office to access files and office equipment.
- Consistently operates a computer and related office machinery.
- Must be able to ascend/descend stairways in case of emergency to exit building safely.
Covenant House is an Equal Opportunity Employer
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