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Senior Director, People and Culture
American Rivers
This job is no longer accepting applications
See open jobs at American Rivers.See open jobs similar to "Senior Director, People and Culture" Schmidt Marine.People & HR, Sales & Business Development
Washington, DC, USA
Posted 6+ months ago
TITLE: Senior Director, People and Culture
CLASSIFICATION: Senior Director
WAGE CATEGORY: Full-time, Exempt
DEPARTMENT: People and Culture
REPORTS TO: Vice President, People, Justice, and Cultural Affairs
LOCATION: Washington, DC (metro area, two core days per week in office, additional days remote/flexible)
About American Rivers
For over 50 years, American Rivers has been a leader in protecting and restoring rivers throughout the
country. With climate change, unnecessary dams, water pollution, floods, outdated policies, and lack of
stakeholder awareness, our rivers are in crisis. American Rivers tackles these challenges head on.
American Rivers takes a practical, inclusive approach, which starts with collaboration and delivers results
that improve people’s lives and nature’s health. The work is based on the following pillars:
● National expertise with local presence
● Solution-oriented innovation
● A comprehensive, integrated approach
● Collaboration and trust
By 2050, American Rivers aims to protect one million miles of river, remove 30,000 harmful dams,
ensure clean water for every community, and champion a powerful river movement. You can find more
about American Rivers’ impact here.
In achieving their mission, American Rivers is guided by four core values. These core values are the
foundation for the work and inform all of interactions and communications both inside and outside of
the organization. The values are:
● Lead with collaboration and trust
● Infuse equity and justice
● Deliver results
● Ensure staff and volunteers thrive
American Rivers envisions a nation of clean, healthy rivers that sustain and connect us.
The Opportunity
As a national 501(c)(3) and an affiliated 501(c)(4) with offices across nine regions, American Rivers is on
a significant growth trajectory. In the last three years, the budget has more than doubled, bringing the
organization to a $50MM+ operating budget and 100 employees. Under the North Star of a new
strategic plan and a $100MM, four-year comprehensive fundraising campaign to meet ambitious goals
therein, American Rivers is actively searching for a strategic, systems- and human-focused Senior
American Rivers Senior Director, People and Culture Search- 2
Director of People and Culture to lead the human resources and organizational development efforts
through this transformative period.
This position presents an extraordinary opportunity to be the human resources leader at a 50+ year,
national nonprofit organization as it enters its next chapter of impact. The Senior Director of People and
Culture will report to the Vice President, People, Justice, and Cultural Affairs, initially manage one direct
report (People and Cultural Affairs Assistant) with an opportunity to grow the team, and collaborate
across field offices and departments to ensure all staff members have the support, systems, and
processes they need to thrive and advance the People and Culture related-goals of America Rivers. This
position will be highly relationship-based, responsible for managing all HR functions such as employee
relations, compensation and benefits, compliance, talent management (including recruitment,
performance management, on-boarding and off-boarding, learning and development). The ideal
candidate is strategic, collaborative, organized, relational, solutions-oriented, and committed to
American Rivers’ mission and core values.
Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
➢ Drive HR strategies that align with American Rivers' mission, values, and organizational goals.
➢ Foster a positive, inclusive, and high-morale environment; work with the Executive team on
recruitment, retention, and workplace culture initiatives.
➢ Maintain relationships across the organization, monitor staff needs and satisfaction, and
integrate staff feedback into HR practices.
➢ Handle sensitive personnel issues, manage recruitment, onboarding, terminations, and ensure
DEIJ principles are embedded in HR practices.
➢ Oversee benefits management (including retirement, healthcare, and other employee benefits),
and coordinate annual benefits renewals and audits.
➢ Draft and enforce HR policies for a growing organization, ensure compliance with legal
standards, and administer insurance and contractual requirements.
➢ Manage bi-annual promotion cycles, including the application, review, notification, and
transition processes with managers and promoted staff.
➢ Develop and oversee performance evaluations, including the annual review process.
➢ Design and deliver staff training programs to support professional development and align with
organizational goals.
➢ Support transparent communication strategies and facilitate events to boost morale and
productivity.
➢ Manage HRIS and ADP Workforce Now, maintain personnel files, and oversee the People &
Culture budget.
➢ Participate in the DEIJ committee, administer demographic surveys, and promote diversity and
inclusion across the organization.
➢ Mentor managers, organize all staff events, and implement best practices to continuously
improve the People & Culture department.
Candidate Profile
While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, strong candidates will bring
many of the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:
Strategic HR Leadership and Planning
American Rivers Senior Director, People and Culture Search- 3
The Senior Director of People and Culture exemplifies strategic leadership and planning by aligning long-
term HR initiatives with organizational goals. They bring deep expertise in HR policies and compliance,
ensuring adherence to federal and state employment laws, particularly as the team grows. With
extensive experience in managing recruitment processes, onboarding, and talent development, they
implement effective performance management and retention strategies. Their proficiency in benefits
and compensation administration includes overseeing annual benefits renewal, open enrollment, and
conducting compensation surveys to implement market-based salary recommendations.
Stakeholder Relationship Building, Communication, and Advocacy
This role demands strong communication skills to advocate for employees, articulate HR strategies, and
maintain accountability among executive leadership. They have an ability to build trust and foster
collaboration across teams.. The Senior Director leads with empathy and emotional intelligence,
ensuring that the needs of staff are understood and addressed in a fast-paced environment.
Change Agent & Process Improvement
By fostering collaboration and building trust across teams, the Senior Director navigates challenges
synonymous with a growing organization, such as leveraging limited resources and adapting to rapid
change. The Senior Director must be able to think strategically about the organization’s long-term HR
needs and develop plans to ensure alignment between business goals and people management.
Additionally, the Senior Director has a proven track record of designing and managing efficient HR
systems and software that support staff growth and compliance, driving continuous process
improvement within the organization.
Values and Culture Leadership
The Senior Director prioritizes staff well-being and cultivates a healthy organizational culture. Their
adaptability and problem-solving skills enable them to creatively address complex people and culture
challenges, while their commitment to integrity ensures that HR practices uphold the organization’s core
values, even when they conflict with senior leadership preferences. They have a commitment to infusing
equity into all HR practices and ensuring that diversity and inclusion, and American Rivers’ values, are at
the core of recruitment, retention, and development. The ideal candidate will have a passion for the
mission and will also have an eye constantly focused on the future, including how to best adapt
American Rivers to a changing environment. Most importantly, the Senior Director will be an individual
of unquestioned integrity and ethics; someone who can be trusted and lives American Rivers’ values
without reservation. You can find more on American Rivers’ core values here.
Education and/or Experience
● A genuine passion for and alignment with the mission and values of American Rivers;
● An advanced degree in human resources management and a minimum eight years of experience
preferred, or an appropriate combination of education and at least ten years of relevant
experience;
● Demonstrated experience in helping to scale a growing organization;
● At least 3 years of direct supervisory experience;
● HR Certification highly preferred (SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR);
● Knowledge of HR and equity and inclusion best practices;
● Knowledge of multistate and federal employment laws and related regulations and practices;
● Exposure to 501(c)(4) structure preferred;
● Decisive and able to work independently; proactive and solution-oriented;
● High level of professionalism, integrity, and discretion;
American Rivers Senior Director, People and Culture Search- 4
● Self-motivated with good attention to detail;
● Proven success at anticipating needs and taking initiative; capable of following through on
assignments with minimal direction;
● Proven ability to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture and work as part of a team;
● Able to work effectively with a range of personalities and working styles, and with people at all
levels of the organization who are geographically dispersed;
● Ability to work well with people of diverse backgrounds and interact with others in a culturally
and emotionally sensitive manner;
● Able to multitask and meet deadlines;
● Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including by phone, telework, and email;
● Superior knowledge of office and administrative support procedures;
● Able to direct and assist others in organizational compliance;
● Proficiency in all Microsoft Office applications and Adobe software with experience in ADP
Workforce Now and Bamboo HR preferred; and
● Facilitate meetings and trainings for groups of various sizes.
Research overwhelmingly shows that women and people of color are less likely to apply to positions if
they do not have 100% of qualifications listed. Please consider applying even if you do not have all of the
qualifications noted above.
Compensation & Benefits
The annual salary range for the position is between $140,000 - $160,000 commensurate with
experience. American Rivers offers a competitive compensation package with an organizational culture
that supports staff well-being and professional development. Full-time employee benefits include
health, dental, life, and disability insurance; a retirement plan, training budget, sick leave, 11 paid
holidays, 3 floating holidays, four weeks of paid vacation, employee assistance programs, travel
assistance, FSAs/HSAs, paid sabbaticals every seven years, family and medical leave, parental leave, pre-
tax transportation, and a 403(b) 3% retirement match. American Rivers offers TIAA-CREF Social Choice,
including green impact, as an investment option.
Commitment to Thriving
American Rivers has taken the Green 2.0 pay equity pledge and participates in the equity transparency
report. We provide “no meetings” weeks, Summer Fridays, and host People of Color, Accessibility,
LGBTQAI+, Women's Leadership, Parents and Caregivers, and DEIJ affinity groups and committees led by
staff and board members
Location
Washington, DC metro area (two core days per week in office, additional days remote/flexible)
DEIJ StatementFor nearly 50 years, the mission of American Rivers has been to protect wild rivers, restore damaged
rivers and conserve clean water for people and nature. Today, this mission is more vital than ever, and
we envision a future of clean water and healthy rivers for everyone, everywhere. To achieve our mission
and vision, we must cultivate diversity, promote equity and foster inclusion in all aspects of our work.
The DEIJ Staff Committee and the Board DEI Committee are charged with ensuring American Rivers
continues to make progress toward achieving the DEIJ objectives and benchmarks.
The Committees
American Rivers Senior Director, People and Culture monitor the organization’s implementation of DEIJ strategies and ensure that the organization isaccountable to its DEIJ values and commitments.
American Rivers is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, age,
ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information,
sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Reasonable accommodations will be made so
that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the process. Please advise in writing at the time of
application.
This job is no longer accepting applications
See open jobs at American Rivers.See open jobs similar to "Senior Director, People and Culture" Schmidt Marine.