Jobs

Reports To: Executive Director
FLSA Status: Exempt, 40 hrs/wk 
Date Last Approved: January 2020
Application Deadline: Friday, February 28, 2020

SUMMARY
ECHO’s mission is to inspire and engage families in the joy of scientific discovery, wonder of nature, and care of Lake Champlain. ECHO is an innovative science and nature museum committed to engaging diverse public audiences and providing experiential, relevant and lifelong educational experiences for all our guests. ECHO employees are expected to contribute to a productive, respectful, inclusive workplace by modeling humor, communication, collaboration and accountability to our colleagues, animals and guests.

The Director of Human Resources will advance the recruitment, retainment, and development of ECHO’s team, which includes full, part time and seasonal employees as well as interns and volunteers. This senior leadership position will recruit, hire and retain a team of well trained, motivated employees and volunteers, develop and implement strategies to support professional development, create a positive, engaging workplace culture that embraces lifelong learning and establishes fair and equitable organizational policies that clearly communicate and integrate our mission, vision, and core values into our daily practice.  

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Director of Human Resources does not have direct reports but works closely with all employees, individually and collectively to support collaboration and communication across departments, advise senior management to provide support and guidance to create a professional, welcoming and engaging workplace.

JOB DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Talent Recruitment & Retainment: Design, coordinate, facilitate and implement culturally competent recruiting and hiring practices. Facilitate volunteer and intern placement across departments. Attend recruiting events. Build & maintain strategic relationships with community partners. 
• Leadership: Member of the senior management team. Primary role on the senior management team is to represent staff needs and contribute to overall organizational strategy, create leadership development goals, and participate in Strategic Planning.
• Employee, Intern and Volunteer Engagement: Plan and implement appreciation events and ways to celebrate individual and collective efforts and accomplishments. Design and implement activities to enhance staff engagement with ECHO’s mission and goals, including annual Staff Advance. Facilitate All Staff meeting. Manage and communicate Staff reciprocal benefits program, including local discounts and deals (VAA), NEMA institutional memberships, and ASTC membership benefits.
• Professional Development & Training: Design and continuously improve onboarding processes and organizational systems for professional development. Provide on-ramping training for new employees, volunteers and interns. Lead organizational trainings integral to all employee positions, provide professional development opportunities for employees to successfully carry out their position at ECHO as well as build on their desire for continuous learning.
• Employee Relations: Support staff and managers in navigating complex employee relations issues, including conflict management, communication issues, performance management, and working relationships.
• Employee Systems Management:  Produce staff handbooks, lead the effort to produce of staff and organizational policy/procedures. Provide support to staff to receive the benefits and rewards appropriate for their role at ECHO. 
• Compensation and Performance Development: Manage and continuously improve ECHO’s data driven compensation system and performance development system.
• Organizational Development: As directed by the Executive Director, lead efforts to assess organizational strengths and areas of growth. Support open communication across leadership and between employees and supervisors. Identify and implement resources, training, policies and initiatives that support and promote a more diverse and inclusive workplace and community organization. Create systems to promote workplace values and improve collaboration and communication that will focus the strategic direction and create pathways for success for all employees. Work with individual managers and staff on professional development plans. 
• Volunteer and Intern Program Management: Lead and advise on the implementation of best practices in volunteer and intern recruitment, onboarding, training, engagement and appreciation. Recruit volunteers and interns, and build and maintain community partnerships that support continued recruitment efforts.
• Human Resources Budget: Create and manage ECHO’s human resource’s budget.

QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Minimum Education and Experience 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources or related field 
• Five years senior leadership experience in the areas of human resources, talent management, organizational development and compensation planning
• Diversity,Equity & Inclusion  training and/or experience
• Experience using a strengths-based approach to organizational development.
• Familiarity with best practices in volunteer recruitment and coordination

Essential Job Skills

• Ability to handle and resolve complex employee relations issues 
• Ability to apply concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion to workplace policies and practices
• Skilled at talent recruitment and retainment
• Fully capable of implementing/managing a market-driven, merit based compensation planning system
• Ability to facilitate highly effective new employee orientation and training
• Ability to plan and execute volunteer and intern onboarding programs
• Implement performance management processes, including corrective discipline
• Use technology to manage volunteer, intern and employee recruiting database
• Skilled in providing support and  guidance for supervisors regarding management of their staff
• Ability to identify and provide information to staff on professional development opportunities
• Planning and implementing employee and volunteer appreciation events
• Coordinate organizational development needs
• Create and update employee handbooks and training manuals
• Lead employee performance evaluation process
• Fully knowledgeable of federal and state employee laws and regulations

WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

The duties of the Director of Human Resources are performed both in, and not in, a regular office setting. The position should expect to attend off-site meetings, work some weekends, holidays, and weekday after-hours. 

HOW TO APPLY
ECHO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes resumes from individuals who will contribute to our diversity. Send resume and cover letter to jobs@echovermont.org titled Director of Human Resources.