People and Culture Director

Columbia Legal Services (CLS) is a nonprofit civil legal aid organization that advances social, economic, and racial equity for people living in poverty. We support communities and movements by bringing deep legal expertise that is grounded in – and strongly guided by – an understanding of race equity. 

We seek systemic solutions by bringing class action lawsuits, using cutting edge legal theories, engaging in policy advocacy, and supporting communities in building their own power. We have a special responsibility to serve people whose access to free legal services is restricted, due to institutionalized or immigration status. 

At CLS we seek a team that reflects our organizational values of community, race equity, and justice. This includes hiring staff with connections to the communities we serve whenever possible, and a commitment to strive for justice and equity in our hiring practices and in our staff culture.

Position Summary

CLS seeks a full-time People and Culture People Director to serve as a key member of our Organizational Management Team (OMT). This newly-designed role is responsible for internal operational functions at CLS and supervision of the Program Support Department (PSD): Human Resources (HR), Operations, and Information Technology (I.T.) departments. Major responsibilities include directing all aspects of human resources and employee engagement, overseeing CLS’s operations, and partnering with the Executive Director and OMT to advance strategic organizational initiatives, such as alignment of HR and Operational policies and processes with CLS’s values, equity, and strategic goals. 

The People and Culture Director reports to the Executive Director and supervises the I.T. Manager, Operations Manager, and HR Specialist. CLS embraces core values of community, race equity, and justice into all aspects of its work and seeks candidates who align with these values.  

Examples of recent projects for this role include:  

• Seattle Office Move – Managed and moved our large urban office to new downtown location. 
• Restorative justice and conflict resolution guidelines – Created guidelines for restorative processes at CLS to positively address workplace conflict. 
• Supervision training for directors and managers – Provide professional development opportunities for leadership to engage in equitable supervision, including monthly supervision-focused meetings and check-ins with new supervisors.  
• Onboarding software programs, BambooHR and Asset Panda – Created technical solutions to HR tracking and asset management.  
• Annual staff engagement survey – Administer and manage the annual engagement survey, analyze and report the responses, and implement changes based on the outcomes of the engagement 

All CLS staff can complete some work remotely. This position requires some physical presence at the office and an ability to attend required meetings at the office and in the community. This position may be based in any CLS office location: Kennewick, Olympia, Seattle, Wenatchee, and Yakima. 

Responsibilities

Human Resources Management (40%)

• Advance human resources and employee engagement activities to support CLS’s vision of belongingness and antiracism, by providing guidance and consultation on the legal, technical, and equitable aspects of CLS’s personnel policies and practices 
• Ensure that HR activities comply with applicable state, federal, and local laws, CLS's in-house Collective Bargaining Agreement, and program values.  
• Foster a positive, collaborative work culture that attracts, keeps, and motivates a diverse staff.  
• Maintain a high level of contact with employees, communicate organizational and departmental strategies and activities.  
• Support CLS employees and managers on HR issues that arise (e.g. supervision, employee support, and problem solving).  
• Supervise and lead the development, implementation, and updating of new and existing internal HR policies, processes, and activities.   
• Center equity and consistency across CLS, including recruitment and hiring, onboarding, employee engagement, professional development plans, performance reviews, mentorship, supervision, and offboarding.  
• Confidentially manage all confidential employee leave and reasonable accommodation processes.  
• Co-lead collective bargaining and the Joint Labor-Management Committee to advance agreed-upon joint initiatives and maintain a relationship with labor union officers, proactively addressing and collaboratively resolving issues.   
• Participate in Organizational Management Team to align HR policies with strategic goals.
• Oversee employee benefit programs in collaboration with the Operations Manager and Finance Director.

Strategic Alignment and Operations (30%)

• Advance and implement internal program priorities and large-scale initiatives that drive strategic organizational alignment (e.g. organizational structure, decision making, internal communications). 
• Identify and resolve obstacles to effective operations. 
• Guide organizational operations, in concert with IT, Operations, Equity, and HR staff, serving as supervisor and thought partner on internal administrative and operational projects. 
• Develop and manage budgets for operations, HR, and IT.  
• Lead organizational engagement projects such as the organization-wide staff engagement survey. 
• Collaborate with Development and Communications Director to ensure clear, timely and transparent internal organization-wide communication.  

Equity Collaboration (20%)

• Collaborate with and provide thought partnership for the Equity Director on HR and Operational issues. 
• Coordinate with the Equity Director on advancement of all equity activities across operations, human resources, IT, contracting and vending, and supervision inside and outside the organization (e.g., professional development programs including training and mentorship, internal policy development). 
• Collaborate with the Equity Director and CLS staff on CLS's restorative justice and conflict resolution practices to positively address workplace conflict.
• Ensure compliance with all anti-discrimination laws and internal procedures.  

Leadership Coverage to Ensure Operations Continuity (10%)

• Step in when needed to cover for the Executive Director and Finance Director when they are unavailable due to travel, illness or leave to ensure continuity of operations.  

This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee, and others may be assigned.   

Qualifications 

The ideal candidate will have all or most of the experience below or a combination of comparable experience where they have demonstrated similar skills or responsibilities.  

• At least five years of mid-level experience in management (Human Resources, Accounting, or Operations). 
• At least two years in a manager, supervisory, or leadership role, and experience supervising multiple people at once and a demonstrated understanding of supervisory challenges and/or best practices. 
• Relevant education/training in HR, Project Management, or related subjects. 
• Effective team leadership, prioritization skills and the ability to meet deadlines on time-sensitive projects. 
• Demonstrated experience in big picture thinking, considering multiple perspectives, and aligning strategy to long-term goals. 
• Excellent judgment and the ability to solve problems, multi-task, and project manage different initiatives and ongoing projects simultaneously.  
• Commitment to racial, social, and economic justice, ability to build collaborative relationships with colleagues, and a desire to engage in shared leadership and decision-making. 
• Strong interpersonal skills, excellent written and verbal communications skills, and the ability to handle sensitive issues with integrity and confidentiality. 
• Ability to research and interpret federal, state, and local employment laws.  
• Excellent working knowledge and application of technology, including video conferencing and Microsoft Office 365.   
• Prioritization of self-care and a willingness to take breaks and vacations. 
• Flexibility to travel occasionally around the state to attend meetings, engage with community, and supervise staff, with support from CLS for transportation and overnight accommodation, as needed. 
• CLS requires that all employees adhere to our COVID-19 vaccine mandate through proof of vaccination or by requesting a medical or religious accommodation. 

Preferred, but not required

• Formal HR certification or accounting training. 
• Experience working in the nonprofit sector, in a legal services organization, or in a bargaining unit setting. 
• Proficiency in Spanish is preferred but not required for this position; other language skills relevant to our client communities are a plus. 

CLS brings its core values of community, race equity, and justice into all aspects of its work, and we seek an individual for this role who aligns with these values and is interested in the continued pursuit of community-centric fundraising and communications practices. 

Compensation and Benefits

CLS is updating its salary scales. The annual salary range for People and Culture Director will likely fall between $125,000 for a candidate with 10 years of experience, and $135,000 for a candidate with 20 years of experience. 

Columbia Legal Services is committed to providing an equitable work environment, including a commitment to pay equity. Mid-year adjustments may be applied, based on years of experience, once salary schedules are finalized. An additional COLA increase of around 2% may be applied annually, in addition to a step-level increase for each additional year of service, based on CLS's overall budget.

This full-time, exempt position is a confidential role and is not eligible for representation by Washington Legal Workers, our in-house labor union. 

CLS has a 35-hour workweek, though temporary deviations from the normal work schedule occur from time to time. We also offer a comprehensive compensation package including the following:  

• 14 paid holidays annually 
• Winter Break office closure between Christmas and New Year’s 
• 12 sick days annually 
• 15-21 paid vacation days annually (based on years of experience) 
• 3-5 personal days annually (based on years of experience) 
• Early office closure the first Friday of the month 
• Paid parental and family medical leave benefits 
• Paid sabbatical every 7 years 
• Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program (for employees with less than 10 years’ experience) 

Additionally, we pay 100% of employee premiums for excellent health, vision, and dental benefits plus 50% of the maximum out-of-pocket deductible and offer heavily subsidized family premiums.  

We also offer a 403(b) retirement benefit with employer contribution and a match, disability and life insurance, a subsidized transit pass, and an employee wellness program.  

To Apply 

Please submit an application with a cover letter and resume in PDF format through our application portal in BambooHR. We accept and review applications on a rolling basis, with priority given to applications received before August 4, 2024. We will remove the position from our website once it is filled. 

If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application process, please email the Human Resources Department at careers@columbialegal.org. 

We are committed to an environment of mutual respect, collaboration, and equal opportunity for all employees, and strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, people who have been affected by mass incarceration, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We believe in building and sustaining an organization that is reflective of the communities we serve, and is diverse in work background, experience, education, race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, national origin, or sensory, mental and physical abilities. We believe that the resulting diversity is both a source of program strength and a matter of fundamental human fairness.