Position Title: VP People and Culture
Status: Full Time
FLSA: Exempt
Location: Washington D.C. preferred, remote available

JOB SUMMARY & KEY PRIORITIES

Active Minds is seeking an experienced, motivated and strategic Vice President of People and Culture to lead its dynamic People and Culture team. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the VP of People and Culture will be a key member of the leadership team charged with strategically leading human resources, talent, and culture and engagement work across the organization. This role is responsible for driving innovation, strategic thinking, and execution of all HR strategic priorities at Active Minds, ensuring that all members of the staff, full-time employees (currently ~60) and seasonal interns, have the resources they need to productively accomplish their roles and thrive.

This is an outstanding opportunity for a human relations executive with strong leadership experience and creative problem-solving skills in a high-growth, mission-driven organization. The VP of People and Culture will directly oversee the Director of People & Culture and Senior Associate of HR Operations, working closely with the VP of Equity and Inclusion and other members of the Executive Team, and across the Operations Team and full staff.

ABOUT ACTIVE MINDS

Active Minds is the largest nonprofit in the United States mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms across society. For more than 20 years, we have equipped the next generation of peer mental health advocates to take action through a variety of programs, including the Active Minds Chapter Network, A.S.K., and Send Silence Packing. Our advocacy, initiatives, and campaigns foster lasting change in how youth view and discuss mental health, encouraging them to use their voices to influence broader conversations and inform mental health supports within their communities. Together, we are building a diverse movement of champions committed to improving mental health for all.

KEY RESULTS

Strategy Development

• Develop and implement a comprehensive and scalable People & Culture strategy and framework that align with the business objectives, strategic plan goals, organizational culture expectations, and growth plans.
• Manage the implementation of the People & Culture strategy across the People & Culture team effectively; ensure there is consistent representation of it across their work and throughout the organization.

Talent Strategy & Acquisition

• Develop and implement a comprehensive talent strategy that aligns with our growth goals and positions the company as an employer of choice.
• Oversee recruitment efforts, working closely with department heads to identify and attract high-caliber talent across all functions, with operational support from the People and Culture team.
• Partner with the Director of People & Culture to design and implement processes for a seamless candidate experience, including employer branding, sourcing, interviewing, onboarding and offboarding.

Employee Experience & Engagement

• Champion a people-first culture that emphasizes engagement and inclusivity and centers our organization’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities.
• Working with the VP of Equity and Inclusion and Director of People and Culture, implement data-driven approaches to measure and improve employee engagement, job satisfaction, organizational culture enhancement strategies and tactics, and overall best-in-class retention practices including an annual staff engagement survey.
• Oversee employee engagement programming (ie biannual staff retreats, virtual gatherings, in-office and virtual employee experiences) that foster a sense of belonging, wellbeing, and continuous learning, with operational support from the People and Culture team and in conjunction with the Director of Operations & Special Projects.

Learning & Development

• Design and oversee learning and professional development initiatives, ensuring all employees have opportunities to grow their skills and career paths; including oversight and maintenance of full staff trainings, professional training programs for people managers and professional development fund.
• Lead efforts to identify leadership potential within the organization and build a robust leadership development pipeline.
• Create and maintain systems to identify skill gaps and accountability resourcing.

Performance Management, Compensation & Rewards

• Oversee and continuously improve the performance management framework, including goal setting, growth development plans, performance reviews, disciplinary action, and feedback mechanisms with clear deliverables and timelines
• Manage compensation and benefit strategies that attract and retain talent while aligning with organizational budgets.
• Regularly benchmark and review compensation practices to remain competitive and aligned with industry standards.
• Support the Director of People and Culture in overseeing the administration of benefits and payroll (overall process and weekly deliverables), including the annual open enrollment process.

Compliance, Risk Management, and HR

• Ensure compliance with labor laws and employment standards across regions, in collaboration with our PEO.
• Oversee labor and employee relations, with support from the Director of People and Culture and Chief Operating Officer.
• Proactively identify people-related risks and implement solutions to mitigate them.
• Maintain knowledge of employment law, human resources, and talent management regulations; in turn, lead annual review and update of Employee Manual and Culture & Operations Handbook.
• Consult and coordinate with the COO and in-house counsel, when necessary, for employment related matters.

Leadership

• Supervise the People and Culture Team, ensuring their roles and responsibilities are clear, executed effectively, and they are given the necessary support and resources to be successful.
• Maintain continuous lines of communication, keeping the Executive Director & COO informed of all critical issues necessary for organizational leadership.
• Provide analytical support to Active Minds’ Executive Team, including development of internal management reporting capabilities.
• Serve as a member of the organization’s Leadership Team, responsible for operationalizing and assessing the organization’s strategic and innovation opportunities, culture-building, and more as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS

About You

• Energetic, flexible, collaborative, and proactive; a team leader who can positively and productively impact both strategic and tactical People & Culture initiatives.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, listening, presentation and written communication skills and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work independently while participating as an effective and collaborative member of interdisciplinary teams.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritize work effectively, adjust to multiple demands and follow tasks through to completion.
• Entrepreneurial team player who can multitask.
• Superior management skills with mentoring and coaching experience for a team with diverse expertise and ability to influence and engage direct and indirect reports and peers.
• Effective tactical, strategic thinker and problem solver; self-reliant and results oriented.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or other certification in human resources preferred
• HR certification (e.g. PHR/SPHR/SHRM-CP) strongly preferred
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience, preferably in a nonprofit environment, with at least 5 years of managerial experience in leading a team and mentoring staff in a high-growth environment.
• Proven experience in a senior HR role(s).
• Deep knowledge of HR functions (talent management, recruitment, employee engagement, performance management, discipline processes etc.).
• Strong interest in and commitment to the mission and goals of Active Minds.
• Experience managing the relationship with a PEO/HRIS partner.
• Experience with Salesforce is a plus

OUR CULTURE

Active Minds is a place where every employee matters. We value diverse perspectives, radical authenticity, and a community-driven approach. We dream big, offering flexibility to staff while we work to achieve our mission. As such, we are proud to offer competitive salaries and benefits and an environment that is friendly to remote working and life/work balance.

Active Minds is an equal opportunity employer that works to advance racial equity and social justice in an increasingly multicultural and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background, intersectional identities, and lived experiences. We make a particular effort to recruit people of color, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, and people with other marginalized identities. Active Minds encourages all to apply for our open positions as we depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.

COMPENSATION

This position offers an initial salary range of $130,200-$151,900. The starting pay for this position is equal to others at the same level throughout the organization. Candidates whose experience meets both the minimum and preferred qualifications may be considered for a starting salary that exceeds the current amount. The role sits within Active Minds Level 7 salary band, and as such, has the potential to grow to $195,300 over time. FLSA Status: Exempt.

Active Minds has an industry-leading and competitive benefits package that includes Health, Vision and Dental Insurance, Paid Vacation and Sick Leave, Paid Holidays, Company Wide Mental Health Days, 401(k) Matching, HSA and FSA Options, Life Insurance, Short Term, and Long Term Disability, Fully Paid Parental Leave, Wellness Reimbursement Program, and Professional Development Stipends.

Active Minds recruits, hires, trains, compensates, and promotes our staff regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.

ACTIVE MINDS RECRUITING PROTOCOLS

• Active Minds will never ask an applicant to send – and Active Minds will never send an applicant - a check or any payment or item of value (such as a gift card) in connection with the interview process or job onboarding process.
• Active Minds will never ask for personal information about an applicant (such as their Social Security number or banking information) until the job onboarding process;
• Active Minds will never extend a job offer without first conducting multiple rounds of video interviews. The Active Minds interview/hiring process will always include at least 3 virtual interviews.
• All legitimate Active Minds job offers are extended verbally by the HR/People & Culture Team.
• If you are expecting an email from Active Minds, please always verify that the sending domain in the email is activeminds.org and NOT any variation of it.

For further information on how to protect yourself from employment scams, please review these “Consumer Advice” guidelines.

ADDITIONAL INFO:

This search is being lead by Naomi Roth-Gaudette and Megan Severson at NRG Consulting Group. Contact jobs@nrgconsultinggroup.org. The preferred application deadline is 5/1.