Helen Keller

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Manager, People & Culture
(New York, NY)

Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities that are striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in more than 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we are ensuring every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential.

Helen Keller is seeking a Human Resources generalist to serve as the People & Culture Manager for its US Program. The Manager will partner with the US Program Management Team (PMT) to build and maintain a strong Human Resource foundation that cultivates a positive work environment in support of high-quality program implementation.

The position serves as a consultant, guide and active partner on recruitment, onboarding, HR administration, performance management, learning and development and employee relations matters. The role supports management to understand and comply with relevant internal and external policies, laws and regulations. To be an effective partner, the incumbent must seek to understand and support the program objectives.

The ideal candidate will share our view that how we work with and treat one another, and how we interact with our donors, partners and clients are essential to both a healthy workplace culture and to positive program outcomes.
 

Background

Recognizing a lack of accessible, adequate vision care among low-income adults and children in the US, Helen Keller established the US Vision Program. Since 1994, Helen Keller has provided free vision screenings for more than 2.2 million individuals in the United States and provided more than 375,000 of them with prescription eyeglasses to solve common vision problems. The program currently operates in CA, MN, NJ & NY.
 

Functional Relationships

Reporting to the Director, Talent Management, the Manager will be a member of the People & Culture department and will serve as the department’s primary liaison to the US Program.
They will be co-managed by the US Program Director and work regularly with the US Program Management Team (PMT) and their staff, as well as with colleagues from other departments who support our programs, establishing professional connections across the organization.

Responsibilities

The Manager will be a client-focused resource for the US Program, providing end-to-end HR support to build and cultivate a high-performance, ethical team culture that reflects our organizational values of rigor, integrity, courage and compassion to better fulfill our mission.
As a member of the People & Culture team, the Manager will participate in a Community of Practice. They will provide input on HR systems, talent recruitment and management, policy development, compensation, etc. Like all members of the team, they will cross-train on and back-up the duties of colleagues, providing surge support where and when needed.
 

Required Knowledge and Skills

• Strong knowledge of US HR practices and employment laws and regulations, and their day-to-day application.
• Ability to develop and interpret policies and procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with managers to address HR needs, and to effectively coach and mentor staff. Strong track record in solving complex employee issues.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including active listening skills, the ability to build collaborative relationships with and communicate effectively across diverse groups of colleagues and to negotiate effectively.
• Strong written and oral English language communication skills, including the ability to write and edit sensitive employee relations documents, and job descriptions and routine business correspondence.
• Ability to handle confidential matters with a high level of integrity and discretion.
• Working proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite or equivalent, including Excel and Application Tracking System.
• Familiarity with data analytics and reporting tools for recruitment performance measurement, a plus.
• Pro-active learning, keeping abreast of current and changing HR trends and practices.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team including ability to prioritize workload, assume responsibility for work, and follow through to completion.
• Ability and willingness to maintain balance under stress. Collaborative, flexible and solution oriented.
• Demonstrated commitment to:
  • diversity, equity, and inclusion with a high comfort level working in a diverse environment; and
  • high professional ethical standards.
• Personal commitment to Helen Keller’s mission and the values embodied by our namesake and co-founder: integrity, rigor, courage and compassion.