HR Manager, Employee Experience, & Relations

About Groundswell Fund

Since its inception in 2003, Groundswell Fund has put intersectional grassroots organizing led by women, transgender, and gender-expansive people of color at the center of our giving. It is a channel into which individual donors and foundations pour resources to reach vital work at the grassroots, serving as an irrigation system for growing reproductive, racial, and social justice movements. Our staff are from the very movements we fund, and we deeply understand grassroots impact with long-term investment. 

We do this work with our sibling organization, Groundswell Action Fund, founded in response to the first Trump Administration. Groundswell Action Fund was founded on a simple but revolutionary premise: those most excluded from our democracy should be at the center of transforming it. Both organizations work to revolutionize philanthropy through grantmaking, capacity building, and organizing within philanthropy itself to inspire more giving to the types of organizations we support – whether or not those resources come through our doors. 

While we fund nearly every major social justice movement in the United States, we are a long-term funder of the U.S. Reproductive Justice (RJ) Movement. Since the start of our grantmaking, we have moved more than $180 million (across both our c3 and c4) to the field in grants and capacity-building support, increased the giving of dozens of national and local foundations, and helped bring thousands of new individual donors into the RJ Movement. Our grantees have been instrumental in the passage of hundreds of pro-RJ policies at the state and local level and in blocking many regressive policies, and they have built a growing grassroots base of support for RJ across the U.S. 

Groundswell is a fully remote, highly collaborative, pro-worker, pro-union organization working across the four continental U.S. time zones. We believe that the best ideas emerge when diverse perspectives come together, and are committed to creating an inclusive and flexible work environment where employees can thrive. We’ve embraced remote work as a core aspect of our culture since 2017 and will celebrate our first union contract with Groundswell Workers United this year. 

About the Role - HR Manager, Employee Experience & Relations

Reporting to the Director of People, the HR Manager is pivotal in fostering a positive and inclusive work environment while managing employee relations and people operations. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in employee experience and either experience with and/or an interest in labor relations. You will be responsible for implementing strategies to measure and assess organizational culture, resolving conflicts, and ensuring compliance with labor laws. Additionally, you will be vital in recruiting, developing, and retaining employees and will be expected to collaborate effectively with the Director of People and other team members. The HR Manager joins Groundswell Fund at an exciting moment as we implement our first CBA, update core processes, and strengthen critical operations. 

Your responsibilities will include:

 

Employee Experience

 

• Partner with the Director of People to keep the employee handbook up-to-date and in line with social justice and values-centered language, policies, and best practices, and is communicated and complied with across staff and leadership.

• With support from the Director of People, develop strategies to measure and assess organizational culture, including employee engagement surveys, focus groups, and other feedback mechanisms.

• Implement initiatives to foster a positive work environment, enhance employee morale, and promote a sense of belonging and commitment to the organization's culture.

• Responsible for conflict resolution and investigations, ensuring fair and timely outcomes while fostering a positive workplace; escalate complex issues to safeguard the organization.

• Provide timely responses to employee requests and concerns with care and respect, demonstrating strong discernment and integrity to address sensitive matters in an appropriate and confidential way.

 

Labor Relations

 

• In collaboration with the Director of People, implement staff and leadership education around the union relationship, CBA, handbook and legal compliance.

• Handle routine labor relations and human resource inquiries related to policies, procedures, and bargaining agreements; refer complex matters to the Director of People, appropriate management, and legal counsel.

• Act as the primary liaison with union stewards.

• Collaborate with the Director of People and union leadership in implementing processes, benefits, and requirements of the CBA.

 

Talent Management

 

• Manage annual performance and 360 review cycle, partnering with the Director to review, evaluate, and track trends across the organization.

• Coach people managers and develop tools and resources to support building a robust management culture.

• Support people management and recruitment efforts, focused on attracting, selecting, developing, and retaining employees.

• Collaborate with hiring managers to identify staffing needs and create job descriptions that reflect both the role requirements and cultural fit.

• Design, organize, and deliver training programs and workshops that reinforce the organization's culture, values, and desired behaviors; including serving as a key lead in planning and development of all staff meetings and retreats.

 

What You'll Need:

 

• 5+ years of relevant People/Talent/HR experience.

• Demonstrated experience in managing complex workplace investigations.

• Demonstrated ability to communicate to a diverse population leveraging multiple methods and strategies to deliver vital information.

• Knowledge of and experience with employment-related laws and regulations and ability to successfully apply them as needed.

• The ability to shift seamlessly between strategic, big-picture thinking and operational, nuts-and-bolts systems building.

• A proven record of embedding equity throughout HR practices, transforming organizations to be inclusive and just, and supporting teams with a rich mix of partners across race, gender, sexual orientation, and other group identities.

• Experience designing and delivering training programs and development initiatives that reinforce organizational culture and values.

• Experience working in a remote environment is strongly preferred.

 

Who You Are:

 

• An Effective Collaborator. You've successfully worked across cultural lines on a dispersed team, and you have the ability to operate in complex situations. You can easily gain trust from team members and are known for supporting them to ensure they are set up for success. You're not afraid to ask questions.

• Flexible. You can manage a diverse set of team needs and aren't afraid to step outside your job description or comfort zone to help the team reach its goals. You're comfortable with shifting schedules and don't expect every day to go "as planned."

• A Humble Teammate. Nothing is beneath or above you. You are quick to always lend a hand or two! You are able to earn influence without authority and naturally seek to support both small projects and large strategic goals.

• Highly Ethical. You will be asked to make sensitive and critical judgment calls, and as such, you are known for your integrity; you take that reputation seriously. You always choose to make the right decision versus the easy decision. You know what information is sensitive, and you will protect it accordingly.

• Equity-Driven. You have experience centering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in organizational practices. You bring sensitivity to issues of privilege, class, and race and are dedicated to incorporating principles of social justice into decision-making and strategic initiatives.

• Creative & Self-teaching. You offer creative solutions and take the initiative to research solutions to challenges as they arise. Learning new tools and approaches is important to you, and you enjoy using new technology or platforms.

 

Compensation & Location

 

• The salary range for this position is $99,000 - 107,800. Please note that it is for a flexible 4-day, 32-hour work schedule.

• Very generous benefits include fully paid-for employee and family health, dental, vision, and a matching 401K plan, as well as additional employer-provided reimbursements for fertility expenses, gender-affirming health care costs, and midwifery/doula expenses that are not covered by insurance.

• Three weeks of vacation upon hire and a generous holiday schedule, including a week during the summer and the last two weeks of December off.

• This is a full-time, fully-remote, exempt position.

 

The Application Process

Groundswell Fund has engaged Equitable Hiring Group to support this hiring process. To apply, please complete the short form to the right. 

Individuals who apply by Friday, November 1st, will be given priority; therefore, we encourage you to submit yours soon!

When you apply, we kindly ask you to remove your schools from your resume. There is no need to reformat your resume and leave your degree as is; simplify it to "B.A. Economics," for example. Just remember to remove any references to undergraduate and graduate school names where possible. This "bias-reduced" process is aimed at opening this opportunity to more candidates, reviewing applicants on performance assessments instead of resume proxies (e.g., where you went to school).

This evaluation process will follow practices shown to reduce bias in decision-making and may be different from other application processes you have experienced.

 

• Early November: Selected candidates asked to complete short answer questions

• Mid-November: Phone interview with Groundswell staff

• Late November: Finalist candidates will be asked to complete a paid, timed, trial assignment

• Early December: Finalists will participate in a multi-team member panel interviewCandidate references will also be checked at this step

• Mid-December: Offer extended

 

If you have any questions about the opportunity, please email abe@equitablehiringgroup.com.

Virtual Organization: Groundswell is a completely virtual organization and has been for many years before the COVID-19 pandemic. We are committed to building a strong identity and thriving culture that is exemplary in the nonprofit world and in the greater landscape of fully remote organizations.  Our work is virtual but we will also have the opportunity to travel and see each other in person for retreats, conferences, and events. To succeed as remote workers, applicants should have a dedicated workspace, a commitment to clear and frequent communication, and comfort utilizing technology to increase collaboration and connection. Those with previous remote work experience are preferred, but we also welcome those who are new to remote work and understand the requirements of working in a thriving virtual organizational culture. 

Work Schedule: Groundswell currently operates in a 4 day, 32 hour work week. We are a completely virtual organization, allowing for flexibility in work schedules for our staff across differing U.S. time zones. While work can usually be completed during standard business hours of the applicant's time zone, there may be times where early morning, evening, and weekend work may be needed to ensure organization-wide collaboration, to staff or attend events, and/or to meet organization workload needs during busy times of the year. Staff whose jobs require travel can expect longer hours, as travel may happen outside of business hours and on weekends.   

Equal Employment Opportunity: The Groundswell Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. We are committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and that enables each of us to realize our potential. Our work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of races, ethnicities, national origins, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities, beliefs, religions, faiths and ideologies, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and levels of physical ability.