NLADA is America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. We provide advocacy, guidance, information, training, and technical assistance for members of the equal justice community, especially those working in public defense and civil legal aid. For more than a century, we have connected and supported people across the country committed to justice. 

Because the quality of justice in America should not depend on how much money a person has, NLADA leads a broad network of advocates on the frontlines to advance justice and expand opportunity for all by promoting excellence in the delivery of legal services for people who cannot afford counsel.

Over the last 6 months, we have welcomed new leadership and launched our Racial Equity Initiative. Our membership includes people who have been clients of public or civil defender services, and our overall membership drives our mission and strategic priorities. We are embarking on an organizational transformation and modernization, to include internal efforts at dismantling white supremacy culture. We are growing and evolving and seek others with a strong desire to join in the journey.

National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) is seeking a full-time, Director of People and Culture (“Director of P&C”) that is responsible for leading the Human Resources team, nurture our culture, and inspire our people.  The Director of P&C will strengthen the agility of the Human Resources function, promote a stronger orientation to our purpose and develop HR systems to attract and manage talent - nurturing an inclusive environment that responds to support our mission, people’s aspirations, and takes care of their well-being.  You will be joining NLADA at a time when the post-pandemic “new normal” is shaping our work and key choices on how we design a workspace that is alignment with supporting our members and the broader community in advancing racial equity and access to counsel. NLADA is on a journey to become an anti-racist organization that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.

PRIMARY POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Culture and Employee Engagement

• Foster an inclusive organizational culture that promotes unity and cohesion to stimulate the enthusiasm and innovation of employees around our strategy and vision
• Act as a catalyst for change within the organization, taking into account emerging trends and new technologies
• Manage budgets for talent acquisition, learning and development, and benefits programs
• In partnership with the President & CEO and Executive Team, lead efforts to gather and review staff input to create actionable steps to enhance and improve NLADA culture, creating an environment that fosters continual learning and staff engagement.
• Manage all other HR areas of responsibility including recruitment, learning and development, job classification and evaluation, compensation and benefits, performance management, HR budgeting, employee relations, and employee engagement.
• Organize organization-wide staff engagement and volunteer events.
• Monitors and ensures the organization’s compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations; recommends best practices to executive leadership and modify policies and practices to maintain minimum compliance.
• Develop equitable and effective performance review process and procedures and provides training and coaching to managers to support a collaborative and team-oriented work environment.

 Talent Acquisition, Onboarding, Offboarding, Succession Planning

• Develop strategies to identify talent in alignment with NLADA’s strategy related to staffing, recruiting, retention, and workforce planning.
• Establish and conduct full-cycle recruitment and hiring process utilizing the SmartRecruiters platform for all employees, from collaborating with managers on crafting job descriptions to extending job offers.
• Implement an inclusive and equitable recruitment and selection process and evaluation system that drives growth and effectiveness for the NLADA staff.
• Manage and conduct general organizational onboarding and orientation; develop and standardize onboarding procedures for both NLADA and NLADA Service Corporation (NSC).
• Manage and conduct offboarding of staff, including performing exit interviews; analyze separation and turnover data and make recommendations to executive leadership and or the Board for corrective action and continuous improvement.
• Manage the NLADA internship program in coordination with The Washington Center (TWC).

Qualifications:

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field required, or the equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) or Society for Human Resources Management-Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) is highly desired.
• A minimum of five years of Human Resource management experience is preferred.
• Previous experience working with a 501 (c)(3) is preferred.
• Experience consulting and educating executive leadership and/or a Board of Directors on HR-related topics.
• Experience using web-based platforms, such as MS Office 365, DocuSign, and Zoom.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Cross-functional team leadership: experience in leading and motivating teams of highly qualified members with diverse, preferably multicultural backgrounds to high levels of performance and engagement as well as a track record in creating environments in which teams are willing and able to innovate.
• In-depth knowledge of the latest trends in the domain of people and culture combined with the experience of embedding them into the organizational culture.
• A track record of driving innovation for people and culture while maintaining transformation in an organization through change management.
• A passion for working in diverse and multicultural social justice environments.
• Several years of experience in the field of organizational development and/or change management.
• Familiarity with strategic planning, including compensation practices, data analysis, organizational diagnosis, and development; understanding of current HR trends in compensation, benefits, and performance evaluation programs.
• Ability to mitigate conflict effectively with a demonstrated ability to coach and counsel employees at all levels of an organization with a high level of emotional intelligence.
• Thorough knowledge of employment-related laws and regulations for a Washington-DC-based, and multi-state organization.
• An understanding of and commitment to NLADA’s mission and guiding principles.

Work Schedule

• Local candidates to the DMV and immediate surrounding areas highly preferred;
• Temporarily remote eligible role with the intention to become hybrid sometime in 2023;
• Must be available between 9:00 am – 5:30 pm ET work schedule via Zoom, Teams, and other similar platforms. 

How We Support Staff

• Free individual Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance for employee coverage, reduced rates for family coverage, and a health care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Employer-provided life insurance policy and Short-Term and Long-term disability benefits
• Wellness support, to include paid sick leave, Family Medical Leave Act, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 403(b) Retirement Plan
• Paid time off, to include recognition of all federal holidays, a paid day off on months without a federal holiday, and is closed the week between December 24th and January 1st

Salary Information

The salary range for this position is $80,000 - $90,000 annually, depending on experience.

Additional Information

NLADA is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, creed, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, political affiliation, disability, pregnancy, personal appearance, marital or family status, or any other status protected by District of Columbia and Federal laws. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including selection, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.