Employment Opportunity: Director of Human Resources

 

The Pulitzer Center
Director of Human Resources
Washington, DC (Preferred)
 
ABOUT THE PULITZER CENTER

In 2006, the Pulitzer Center opened its doors with a donated desk, modest seed funding, and high ambitions: to fill in the gaps in under-funded global reporting and inspire a new generation of journalists to cover the big global issues that affect us all. Since then, the Pulitzer Center has built a fantastic staff and expanded its funding and mission to support more than 170 reporting projects a year on pressing global issues, sparking high-impact stories in more than 600 news outlets annually. The Pulitzer Center is behind some of the best reporting of the last decade: on conflict and peace-building, environment and climate change, migration and human trafficking, emerging science and health issues, criminal justice, and much more. The organization’s projects have won the Pulitzer Prize, George Polk Awards, Peabodys, Emmys, National Magazine Awards and more. 
 
The Pulitzer Center has built a network of more than 1,300 professional journalists and college students and has forged strong partnerships with leading national and international media: The New York Times Magazine, Le Monde, PBS NewsHour, and The New Yorker, as well as local, regional, and specialty media outlets in all continents. The Pulitzer Center staff is global: a majority of the team is based in the Washington, D.C., area, with other staff members based in five countries outside the U.S.
 
The Pulitzer Center’s unique education and outreach program brings the organization’s projects and journalists into hundreds of school and university classrooms as well as a wide range of public forums. The Pulitzer Center works closely with a network of 35-plus universities, community colleges and HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities), bringing journalists onto campus in person and online and providing mentored reporting fellowships for students attending universities that are part of the Pulitzer Center Campus Consortium. The Pulitzer Center is also currently engaged in a major expansion of the organization’s educational work in the United States, as lead education partner for The New York Times on The 1619 Project; the Pulitzer Center is developing a similarly ambitious education program globally under the auspices of its Rainforest Journalism Fund and Rainforest Investigations Network.
 
For more information about the Pulitzer Center, visit pulitzercenter.org.
 
THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the new Chief Finance and Operating Officer (CFOO), the Director of Human Resources (Director) serves as an integral member of the Pulitzer Center’s senior team and works collaboratively across the organization to ensure the Pulitzer Center attracts, develops, and retains the world-class talent needed to achieve its mission and uphold the team’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
 
The Director will serve as a key partner to the staff-led DEI Task Force and will be responsible for identifying, developing, and implementing progressive organizational policies, practices, and systems that integrate DEI into all aspects of the HR function and into the culture of the Pulitzer Center.
 
This is an exciting time for an HR generalist to join the Pulitzer Center in a new role that is critical to ensure that the Pulitzer Center has the HR systems, talent practices, and procedures to support high-performing staff across the organization.
 
The ideal candidate is a values-driven, flexible, and collaborative leader with a demonstrated track record of designing and executing progressive best-in-class human resource solutions across a growing organization of 30+ staff. They are a hands-on problem-solver who can excel in a broad role that requires both strategic thinking and attention to detail.
 
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Talent Recruiting, Onboarding, and Retention

  • Design, implement, and fully integrate all aspects of the Pulitzer Center’s people functions, ensuring the organization has the human capital needed to meet its mission
  • Manage employee recruitment and retention activities and processes, including creating and maintaining current job descriptions and all aspects of the recruitment of a diverse workforce to support the Pulitzer Center’s growth
  • Conduct compensation benchmarking to ensure pay equity and equitable compensation across programs
  • Recommend and implement compensation, promotion, and retention strategies to ensure that the Pulitzer Center stays competitive in the market and provides fair and equitable compensation for all employees
  • Develop and implement an effective and transparent performance evaluation system that enables clear measurement and accountability of desired outcomes
  • Develop role-specific standards for success at all levels, from entry-level staff to senior leaders, that align with the Pulitzer Center’s values and mission-impact goals; assess the skills and talents of existing staff and leaders; and develop training, guidance, and professional development strategies to help them aspire to these standards
  • Assist programs and staff in developing their professional capacity by identifying and providing resources, training, and learning opportunities

Culture, and DEI

  • Promote a collaborative, inclusive, and high performing culture that positions the Pulitzer Center to increase its reach and impact by harnessing the collective power of diversity, talent, and expertise across the organization      
  • Foster and model a culture of personal, professional, and team development, creative problem solving, innovation, and openness to change.
  • Ensure that policies and practices at the organizational level, internal and external, reflect the Pulitzer Center’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion with transparent systems for accountability and feedback
  • Cultivate and maintain a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment by identifying appropriate training and professional development opportunities for staff
  • Design and embed DEI across the organization, working with the DEI Task Force, the leadership team, and all staff
  • Promote collaboration, communication, and commitment to one another’s success across programs and geography

Human Resources Systems

  • Manage and oversee the day-to-day administrative functions, implementing appropriate HR systems, and leveraging technology to support efficient and effective management of HR information and data
  • Optimize an effective and seamless onboarding process for new hires, working in collaboration with hiring managers across the organization
  • Manage, in concert with the finance director and Pulitzer Center’s outsourced accounting firm, all aspects of payroll administration
  • Ensure that the Pulitzer Center offers a generous and competitive benefits package, provide benefits training for employee, oversee the administration of all health and fringe benefits, and manage relationships with all external vendors, including but not limited to BDG, DC HealthLink, GDI, Vanguard/Newport, WMATA
  • In coordination with the CFOO, oversee enhancements and innovations for the organization’s benefits and compensation programs

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Commitment to the Pulitzer Center’s mission
  • A proven ability to manage the complex and multi-faceted HR and organizational development needs of a growing international organization, with the ability to manage employee recruitment and retention, performance management and development systems, benefits, payroll, and related compliance issues
  • Experience applying creativity and analytical skills to support mission-driven organizations in meeting goals and setting an example for peer institutions
  • Experience implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives
  • Cultural sensitivity and ability to work effectively across cultures, geographies/time zones, and programs using all communication platforms
  • Hands-on experience with a payroll processing system and with benefit administration platforms
  • Strong communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and concisely to a wide range of internal and external audiences
  • Strong planning, organizational, problem solving, and project-management skills with a track record of getting results using collaborative and strategic project management and organizational skills
  • Can work independently in a fast-paced environment and can prioritize and multi-task effectively
  • Energetic, self-driven, curious, and relentlessly focused on building inclusive high-performance teams that are continually improving
  • High standards of confidentiality, sound judgment, discretion, and diplomacy, with a high degree of personal integrity, including the ability to manage sensitive or confidential information
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, Google suite, and a willingness to learn new systems
  • Bachelor’s degree required

To Apply

The Pulitzer Center has retained the executive search firm LeaderFit to manage all aspects of this search. Interested candidates should apply online here.

The Pulitzer Center is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to forward diversity through its programs and hiring.