Senior Director of Human Resources

About Home/Life Services, Inc.

Home/Life Services, Inc. (HLS) is a social services nonprofit and one of the largest providers of emergency shelter for families in New York City. Established in 1995, our mission is to provide housing, social services, and a wide variety of targeted programming to families with children and adult families. We use a results-oriented approach to eliminate the barriers to independent living and enable our clients to move into and thrive in permanent housing. We currently operate 17 shelter facilities across three New York City boroughs and have approximately 600 employees.

The Opportunity

HLS is entering a new phase of organizational maturity. Following a period of significant growth, we are seeking a seasoned Senior Director of Human Resources to lead our HR function and support a multifaceted workforce of approximately 600 employees. Our staff represents a wide variety of backgrounds and job types, ranging from executive leadership and administrative professionals to dedicated front-line teams across 17 different family shelter facilities and our central head office. This includes social service providers, maintenance staff, security personnel, and drivers.

This role is designed for a strategic leader who excels at scaling "back-office" operations and engagement strategies that resonate across a distributed, multi-site environment. Our current HR team consists of four highly professional individuals who have successfully steered the department through our growth. We are looking for a mentor-leader who has been trained within sophisticated, established HR departments to provide these high-performing staff members with advanced professional development, technical mentorship, and the operational frameworks necessary to transition HLS to the next level of operational excellence. The goal is to enhance our existing department and preserve our strong culture while building the sophisticated expertise required for an organization of our size and impact.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Execution & Operational Direction

• Partner closely with the General Counsel and executive leadership to align HR strategy with the organization’s long-term mission and operational goals.
• Translate complex business needs into high-level HR programs, including policy development, administration, investigations and compliance.
• Lead the structural refinement of HR systems, ensuring that our infrastructure (including HRIS, compensation models, and records maintenance) is robust and scalable.

2. Mentorship & Professional Development

• Act as a dedicated mentor and coach to a talented, home-grown HR team, promoting industry best practices and advanced HR methodologies.
• Create clear professional development pathways for the HR staff, fostering an environment of technical excellence and continuous learning.
• Establish agency-wide training and professional development initiatives, including leadership and management training to equip supervisors, directors, and managers across all 17 facilities with the tools to lead effectively.

3. Talent, Compliance & Benefits

• Oversee the full spectrum of the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, and retention strategies tailored to the social services sector.
• Lead the administration of employee benefit programs.
• Manage employee relations and communications, ensuring that HLS remains a workplace of choice through transparent and fair practices.
• Implement best practices for compliance with Federal, New York State and New York City labor laws including organization-wide training and testing protocols.
• Oversee and support internal workplace investigations, ensuring all employee relations matters are handled with objectivity, confidentiality, and legal compliance, while partnering closely with the General Counsel to mitigate organizational risk.

4. Culture & Inclusion

• Preserve and enhance HLS’s strong existing culture by providing the professional support systems that allow employees to thrive.
• Foster an inclusive workplace environment that values diverse perspectives and ensures equitable treatment for all staff members.
• Develop engagement initiatives that support the well-being of our frontline shelter staff.
• Promote a culture of compliance throughout the organization.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Experience: 10 years of HR experience with a proven track record of leadership, including 5 years mentoring and managing direct reports or administrative department. Significant experience within a sophisticated, established corporate or large nonprofit HR department is strongly preferred.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree required; HR certification or an advanced degree is preferred.
• Expertise: Deep knowledge of New York City and State labor laws, HRIS optimization, and compensation/benefits strategy. Experience with NYC-funded programs a plus.
• Attributes: A collaborative leader who respects institutional history while bringing the technical expertise needed to build for the future.

Why Join HLS?

This is an opportunity to join a high-impact organization at a critical inflection point. You will not be tasked with changing our culture, but with empowering it—ensuring our talented team has the sophisticated support they need to continue providing life-changing services to families in New York City.