Senior Vice President of People & Culture

PURPOSE OF POSITION

For 50 years, Covenant House New York (CHNY) has been a leader in providing a full continuum of shelter, transitional and permanent housing, and wrap-around support services for vulnerable homeless, runaway, and exploited youth. As the largest provider of runaway and homeless youth services in New York City, CHNY serves more than 1,500 youth and young adults ages 16-24 annually with an operating budget of more than $32 million dollars and 300 staff.

Our doors are open to all young people who need help, regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. We provide shelter, housing, education, employment, health, mental health, and other services using trauma-informed principles. We also advocate for systemic change through public policy while promoting awareness of critical issues related to youth homelessness. Covenant House New York’s goal is to help each young person find safety and refuge from the dangers of living on the streets and to empower youth now and into the future. We do this through compassion, unconditional love, and absolute respect.

CHNY’s headquarters and our crisis shelter program are located in Manhattan in a brand new, state-of-the-art, purpose-built 12-story facility that opened in 2021. CHNY also has five site locations in the Bronx as well as scattered site programming.

Job Summary

The SVP, People & Culture will serve as a leader and champion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), ensuring equitable and inclusive operations and programs, and a supportive organizational culture. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the SVP, People & Culture will work collaboratively with the executive leadership team to develop an organizational environment that reflects Covenant House’s mission and principles, creating a culture of care and collaboration, trust, transparency, and mutual accountability.

Taking a people-centered approach, the SVP, People and Culture will play a key role in developing and implementing strategies that enhance employee engagement and wellbeing, including, but not limited to, recruitment, employee well-being, performance management, benefits management, employee relations, labor relations, engagement, compensation & benefits, and payroll.

The SVP, People and Culture ensures that the organization is compliant with federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The SVP, People and Culture will work with key partners across the organization to recruit and retain a diverse workforce and maintain an equitable and inclusive environment at CHNY.

Through excellent relationship-building and communication skills, this individual will serve as a trusted resource to employees and leaders across the organization. This position requires significant in-person presence at CHNY sites in Manhattan and the Bronx. There can be some flexibility for occasional remote work.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 (Responsibilities to include but not limited to the following)

• Serve as a member of CHNY senior leadership team; align the retention, recruitment, and employee-well being strategies with the strategic goals of the organization.
• Lead all day-to-day aspects of the employee-oriented operations of the agency.
• Supervise and lead the People and Culture team.
• Foster an environment across CHNY that supports and advances a culture of care and collaboration, centers employee wellbeing, aligns with core Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) values, and supports professional development and advancement.
• Establish, cultivate, and maintain strong professional working relationships with the employees throughout the CHNY community.
• Work in partnership with Covenant House International (CHI) people and culture team.
• Develop and implement a strong recruitment and retention strategy. Track, manage and report associated metrics to inform strategy and operations.
• Provide counsel and conflict resolution on complex employee relations and labor relations issues for union and non-union employees.
• Participates in collective bargaining negotiations and ensures compliance with collective bargaining agreement.
• Appropriately handle employee complaints, grievances and claims involving a violation of employee’s rights under relevant discrimination, labor or EEOC laws. Investigate claims of misconduct and escalate to the CEO, as required.
• Oversee the performance enablement process and establish processes and systems to support the provision of feedback to support and develop employees.
• Support the ongoing implementation and maintenance of online payroll management system (Paycom) and other related HRIS systems.
• Support in the development and implementation of risk mitigation strategies, assist with monthly and quarterly board reporting.
• Lead in the management of medical insurance renewals.
• Consistently review the effectiveness of our people-oriented operations and improve processes as needed to ensure desired organizational goals are met.
• Partner with the leadership team to evaluate and make recommendations regarding compensation and benefits.
• Lead in the development, implementation, and maintenance of employee policies enduring their continual relevance and alignment with relevant labor laws and the strategic goals of the organization.
• Manage and maintain the people and culture budget in a fiscally responsible manner.
• Partner with the training team in the Program Compliance and Performance Measurement Department on new hire orientation, employee training, and professional development to ensure continuous learning.
• Oversee the credentialing and privileging process of the health center staff; ensure that all credentialing activities comply with laws and regulations; ensure that all credentialing data collected is accurate, complete, and up-to-date.  
• Maintain relationships with professional organizations and associations to keep abreast of current people and culture trends and best practices.
• Always uphold Covenant House New York’s mission, vision and principles, standards of conduct, policies and procedures.
• Perform other duties as needed and assigned.

Qualifications

• Masters preferred. BS/BA degree from an accredited college/university required.
• 10 years of HR experience with at least 5 years of management or executive experience is required.
• Ability to work in-person required.
• Experience with full-cycle recruitment, talent engagement, performance enablement, employee relations & engagement and compensation & benefits.
• Experience working in a union environment required.
• PHR, SPHR, SHRM-SCP or SHRM-CP certification are strongly preferred.
• Experience as an HR / People leader within the non-profit sector is preferred.
• Demonstrated ethical business professional with strong organizational, leadership and management skills.
• Excellent time management skills, conflict resolution, competency with Paycom and other HRIS systems.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills. Comprehensive knowledge of the principles and practice of human resources function.
• Strong ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of employees, representatives of other agencies and the public.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of organizational development and management
• Knowledge of the trends and development in the HR / people-operations field.
• Ability to to be empathetic, kind, responsive and maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to organize and analyze data and prepare comprehensive reports.

Salary range $145k -$150k

Compensation

Covenant House New York offers a rich package of benefits including but not limited to full medical, vision, dental, life and short and long-term disability insurance and other fringe benefits. Eligibility for medical benefits begins on the date of hire. PTO includes 3 weeks of vacation in the first year, 10 holidays, 13 sick days, 5 personal days and birthday days off. Benefits include a 403b with employer contribution after 12 months. There are also multiple additional optional benefits (including additional life, disability, accident and cancer insurance) available at significantly reduced rates.

"CH is a vaccinated employer. As such, prospective new hires will be required to provide proof of vaccination or be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination by the date of hire to be considered." 

Covenant House New York is an Equal Opportunity Employer