Global People Engagement Director

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

OVERVIEW:

At Heifer International, to deliver on our mission to end hunger and poverty by partnering with entrepreneurs around the world, we must have the right teams in place to support the communities in which we work alongside. To do that, we must bring in people from all backgrounds that align and add to our values and bring in the skills necessary to achieve our ambitious goals.

We are looking for an experienced Global People Engagement Director (GPED) who will oversee several HR and human capital functions, and partner with colleagues across other Heifer International teams and departments to ensure that every staff member thrives and feels well supported in their work and in advancing Heifer International's impactful mission. This role is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned systems thinker and people-first leader to create practices and environments that support individuals and teams in doing their best work in service to Heifer’s mission and purpose. You will be joining Heifer International during an exciting time of change and will play a pivotal role in engaging and influencing stakeholders to support positive cultural change. You will sit on the People department’s Senior Management Team and report to our Chief People Officer.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

As the GPED, you will spearhead the design and development of our employee engagement Center of Expertise that set priorities for improvements to people processes aligned to ongoing strategic imperatives. You will provide both strategic and hands-on frontline leadership in building an organizational practices that center the engagement and experience of Heifer staff. You will work in collaboration with departments across the organization to create and manage successful, people-focused teams; support other leaders to manage with identity and inclusion at the forefront; contribute to workforce planning and strategy; inspire asset-based leadership and coaching; drive engagement to increase impact; cultivate effective leadership teams; initiate and oversee necessary change management efforts; focus on workforce safety and risk management; and address employee-relations challenges – all with diversity, equity, and inclusion as your guiding principles.  With support from senior leadership, you will lead the charge in driving concrete diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across the organization You will also lead our HR systems management and partner with the People department to ensure we have the technology to meet our growing needs.

You will be responsible for managing the team experience, performance, and culture of the geographically-dispersed Employee Engagement team, which provides business-partner support to 230 U.S. based employees and collaborate with different People Department functions (Benefits and Compensation, Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, and internal operations) to optimize the employee life cycle globally. You will also work to integrate clearer priorities and goals into the team’s vision and ethos while simultaneously enhancing and building resources to support the entire Heifer International organization: its culture, people practices, and mindsets around work, service, and management. As GPED, you will ensure high quality support and value-add experiences for all Heifer International stakeholders and as a result elevate the skills, mindsets, and practices of Heifer’s leaders and managers.

You will lead the following areas:

Engagement, Culture Transformation, & DEI

• Design and launch engagement surveys and pulse surveys in partnership with our vendor then work with stakeholders to translate the survey results into positive change.

• Lead action planning based on survey results and partner with senior leaders to create accountability framework that promote voice and respond to areas of development and promote areas of strength

• Highlight and advocate for initiatives and behaviors that promote inclusive and psychologically safe environments for staff at all levels

• Mobilize internal resources, develop processes, and leverage cross-functional leadership to ensure that DEI work is linked to all corners of our global organization

• Partner with an external DEI consultant to assess organizational systems and develop cross-functional DEI roadmap

Employee Relations and Investigations

• Lead team to provide coaching and guidance to management in performance improvement and corrective action decisions, communication, and documentation, while being able to translate complexity into simplicity and articulate findings clearly – all through great care and sensitivity.

• Oversee and conduct complex and sensitive workplace reviews/investigations in collaboration with Risk Management & Assurance Unit to determine findings and recommendations for resolution.

• Develop positive professional relationships with key stakeholders through ensuring employee relations matters are addressed in a comprehensive and collaborative manner.

Policy, Compliance, and Risk Management

• Oversee the integrity, communication, and annual review of Heifer International People policies for staff

• Train and partner with Regional People Directors to implement key HR policies with consistency and integrity, and they will liaise with country HR managers to ensure a strong knowledge base, support, and consistency across the people experience.

• Ensure HR compliance across the organization through proactive training and education and collaborate with global People Team to conduct self-audits and guide corrective actions.

• Ensure that Heifer staff members are treated fairly regarding performance management, performance development, and termination practices, and that Heifer International has quality and accessible resources and tools for managers.

• Act as the People Department representative on Safeguarding and Child Protection matters. (Training will be provided if you do not have Safeguarding experience.)

• Develop and ensure compliance with Data Protection laws and policies globally.

• Partner with Legal Department to address labor issues, proactively manage employment-related labor risks and advice/coach management on achieving the same.

• Co-lead Heifer’s ongoing strategy related to COVID-19 policies and support, including statuses for office access.

HR Technology Systems & Customer Service

• Collaborate with People Department Functional Heads to introduce relevant and user-friendly Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS).
• Ensure our customer service ticketing system is up to date and stakeholder needs are met

As a present and supportive people manager, you’ll create a collaborative, team-based and inclusive environment where your team members are engaged, feel a strong sense of belonging and psychological safety, and are equipped with the tools and resources to do their best work.

WHO YOU ARE:

As someone leading the charge in caring for our people’s experience, you are truly people first and believe that people are an organization’s greatest asset. You are a highly collaborative leader who is experienced in and comfortable navigating difficult or sensitive topics and conversations; skilled in managing through ambiguity, growth, and change; and will lead with transparency, clarity, and compassion. You must demonstrate a deep and personal commitment to this critical work and should bring a proven record of leadership in building equity-focused teams and organizational culture. You will at many times act as a “player-coach,” directly supporting leaders and staff in frontline work, and coaching your team and others to do the same. You empower others through empathy and listening deeply and possess fluency and a deep commitment to diversity, belonging, inclusion, and equity, and a strong willingness to continue your own development and learning in these areas.

In addition, you:

• Have demonstrated success developing and implementing complex, cross functional, and organization-wide strategies for employee engagement and support and strengthening culture.
• Lead with the why and have experience managing successful organizational change or transformational initiatives with empathy, inclusion, and decisiveness
• Love thinking big and can also execute and assess minute details to deliver results
• Have strong consultative skills including a healthy mix of critical thinking and creative problem solving
• Seek out learning and knowledge-gaining opportunities in progressive People/HR spaces
• Lead with empathy, a low ego, and a growth and learning mindset
• Excellent judgment in managing confidential and sensitive information and situations.
• Ability to leverage strong data analysis skills to build capacity and achieve greater efficiencies.
• A deeply collaborative approach and a “possibilities” mindset; able to overcome adversity and persist in the face of ambiguity and an ability to inspire that mindset in others.
• Wisdom, curiosity, empathy, and high emotional intelligence.
• Experience on the leadership team of a diverse, complex organization with a distributed leadership model, networked structure, and multiple stakeholders is a plus.
• Global HR experience is a strong plus.

**WHAT WE OFFER:

**The U.S. salary range for this position is $120,000 - $135,000.

Heifer International offers a variety of benefits for U.S. based employees working 30 or more hours per week.

• Health and wellness benefits including Flexible Spending Account and/or Health Saving Account
• Employee assistance program
• 403(b) retirement plan (match 1% employee to 2% employer up to a maximum of 4% match + 3% employer discretionary contribution regardless of employee contribution)
• 22 vacation days in addition to 12 statutory and discretionary holidays, and 10 sick days per year
• Employer-paid life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D)
• Professional development and annual merit increase opportunities
• Optional critical illness insurance, legal assistance plan and pet protection