Director, People & Culture (38005)

Description

The Director of People & Culture is a strategic and operational leader who supports the design and execution of CAM’s people strategy in alignment with the agency’s mission, values, and Equity & Well-Being Roadmap. Reporting to the Vice President, People & Culture, this role provides direct oversight of key HR functions; employee relations, training and learning, policy compliance, and P&C operations and contributes to initiatives that foster a high-performing, inclusive, and mission-aligned workforce.

The Director plays a key role in ensuring compliance, strengthening leadership and staff capabilities, and fostering equitable and consistent employee experience. This role serves as a thought partner across departments and builds the systems and infrastructure to enable the P&C team to scale effectively and drive outcomes.

Essential Functions

Leadership & Team Oversight

• Provide direct supervision and strategic guidance to the People & Culture Manager, who oversees benefits administration, leaves of absence, workers' compensation, performance evaluation processing, and HRIS operations. Serve as a thought partner to the VP on high-level benefits strategy, vendor partnerships, and compliance planning, while supporting the Manager’s growth into these areas.
• Provide direct oversight to the Learning & Training Senior Manager, who leads staff development programs for frontline staff, case managers, success coaches, and peer support groups. Ensure alignment between frontline learning and organizational development goals.
• Serve as the P&C leadership liaison for the Staff Council, a cross-site peer body representing employee voice and feedback. Support recruitment, engagement, and sustainability of the Council as a communication bridge between leadership and staff.
• Foster team cohesion, continuous learning, and a culture of accountability within the P&C department, modeling trauma-informed and equity-centered leadership.
• Serve as a backup or support to the VP of People & Culture or P&C Manager as needed during absences, while maintaining boundaries on direct ownership of unrelated areas.
  
  

Employee Relations & Compliance Oversight

• Serve as the lead advisor and investigator on sensitive employee relations matters, including performance, misconduct, retaliation, discrimination, and conflict resolution.
• Conduct timely, thorough investigations and partner with legal counsel, union representatives, and leadership as needed.
• Ensure consistent application of policies and procedures across all levels of the organization.
• Oversee the review, revision, and communication of employee policies and practices to ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and union regulations.
• Monitor legal and regulatory updates and recommend responsive changes to policies, protocols, and practices.
  
  

Training, Learning & Development

• Serve as the primary architect and facilitator of CAM’s monthly People Manager Trainings, ensuring content is practical, equity-centered, and aligned with leadership competencies and agency values.
• Co-design and support delivery of agency-wide leadership training, including content for directors, senior leaders, and emerging managers.
• Lead the buildout of “CAM U” within the Rippling platform, establishing a centralized learning management system for compliance, onboarding, and ongoing development.
• Champion and embed CAM’s 70-20-10 career development model, designing tools and training for managers to support learning through experience, coaching, and formal education.
• Support all leaders in building and implementing individual workplans for their teams, in alignment with CAM’s strategic workforce planning framework.
• Partner with program and department leads to assessing learning needs, track engagement, and evaluate impact.
• Ensure training content meets compliance and funder requirements (e.g., Title 22, Mandated Reporter, DEI, trauma-informed practice, etc.) and is documented appropriately.
  
  

Policy, Process & System Improvement

• Ensure all internal people policies are reviewed annually, legally vetted, and aligned with CAM’s values and CBA requirements.
• Oversee the internal policy matrix and coordinate with program leaders to ensure consistency in practice and compliance across sites.
• Partner with the P&C Coordinator to use data and audits to proactively identify and address risks in compliance, equity, or accountability.
• Help document and standardize key people processes to ensure consistent delivery across the employee lifecycle.
  
  

Organizational Culture & Equity

• Act as a key implementer of CAM’s Equity & Well-Being Roadmap by ensuring people policies, leadership practices, and staff training reflect equity-centered design.
• Co-lead employee engagement and recognition initiatives (e.g., Employee Recognition Program, Opinion Surveys).
• Serve as a cultural steward and role model for inclusive and trauma-informed leadership.
  
  

Qualifications

Education:

• As a CAM Requirement, all applicants must possess a High School Diploma or equivalent (GED), Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources/Organizational Development/Business Administration or related field.
• Certification such as SHRM-SCP, SPHR preferred
  
  

Experience

• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in HR experience, with at least 2–3 years in a managerial or director-level role in a complex organization.
• Experience supervising and developing HR team members and leading cross-departmental initiatives.
• Experience working with union contracts (preferred), investigations, and policy compliance required.
  
  

Skills And Abilities

• Strong understanding of California employment law, labor standards, and HR compliance practices.
• Expertise in employee relations, training design, and policy development.
• Demonstrated ability to manage confidential, complex, and high-stakes personnel matters with professionalism and discretion.
• Experience working in unionized, nonprofit, or multi-site environments strongly preferred.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish)
• Proactive communicator with strong coaching, facilitation, and influencing skills across diverse audiences.
• Experience leading HR investigations and resolving conflict in a thoughtful and trauma-informed manner.
• Ability to translate policy and compliance requirements into clear, staff-friendly procedures.
• Skilled in cross-functional project management and system improvement work.
• High attention to detail, follow-through, and documentation standards.
• A strong commitment to social justice, equity and the agency’s mission to provide high-quality programs to serve low-income individuals and families.
• Deep understanding – and ability to articulate – the role equity, inclusion, and diversity plays in our work.
  
  

Software

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications: Outlook, Word, Excel, and Internet Explorer
• Experience with HRIS platforms (Rippling strongly preferred), Power BI, Asana, and budget systems (Sage preferred).
  
  

Confidential And Sensitive Information

• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and maintain confidentiality.
  
  

Physical Demands

Employees in this role may be required to perform the following physical activities, with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Bend: Flexion of the upper trunk forward while standing and knees extended, or knees flexed when sitting
• Lift: Exertion of physical strength to move objects 10-25lbs from one level to another
• Carry: Hold or rest weighted objects 10-25lbs directly on hands, arms, shoulders, or back while moving from one location to another
• Climb: Ascend/descend with gradual or continuous progress, using both hands and feet
• Push: Exertion of force on or against an object (weight/size) to move it from one location to another
• Feel: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin
• Travel: Travel to sites using a personal vehicle may be required based on job duties