Preferred application deadline: January 22, 2023
Location: Remote, Louisiana, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Los Angeles preferred
About Us
Our country's education and workforce systems are inequitable, failing to meet the needs of our most marginalized citizens. Historically, workforce education has led to low-wage jobs disconnected from ongoing higher education, which has created significant barriers for career advancement. At the same time, traditional higher education has increasingly become unaffordable for Americans from lower-income backgrounds while also lacking direct connection to the labor market. The consequences of these systemic failures are dire.
At Propel America, we believe a better system should and can exist. We believe high school graduates shouldn't have to choose between forestalling income and accruing significant debt while pursuing a traditional college degree or forestalling education and mobility for low-wage, entry-level work with few opportunities for advancement. Propel is building that better system - a Jobs-First Higher Education - that allows young adults from low-income backgrounds to access an affordable and efficient pathway to a good job that serves as a springboard to a choice-filled life.
By working backward from the needs of established employer partners, Propel America:
To learn more about Propel America, please visit https://www.propelamerica.org.
The Opportunity:
We are seeking an equity-focused VP of Talent Management who is responsible for leading and directing Propel America's talent management and development strategy. The VP will play a significant role in enhancing our organizational capability and work towards creating a high-performing, sustainable organization that meets its strategic and operational goals. Tactically, the VP will lead the following:
Talent Acquisition: Manage end-to-end talent processes including facilitating talent discussions, succession planning, development of talent pools, and hiring process execution.
Talent Systems: In partnership with the executive leadership team, establish and manage the strategies, initiatives, and tools and processes that guide our talent performance management and organizational effectiveness efforts
Talent Development, DEIB, and Culture: In partnership with the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and people managers, deploy effective engagement and development strategies to build equipped and ready team members and an empowered, values-driven workplace culture with a focus on retention of high performers, high potentials, and key contributors.
The VP will report to the Chief Operating Officer and will be part of a broader operations department who is tasked with providing the essential capabilities and support for the organization to excel. They will be a key member of the management team and will partner with people managers as a trusted advisor for all talent-related matters. The ideal candidate is a talent strategist and executor – possessing impeccable judgment, professional maturity, high comfort in ambiguous situations, and will be energized by partnering with others in building a best-in-class team at an entrepreneurial organization.
The VP of Talent Management responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:
Lead the talent acquisition function to build a best-in-class team.
Lead Propel's recruitment and hiring processes, building high quality and diverse talent pipelines and ensuring all roles are filled in a timely manner
Lead networking with external partners and organizations to build strategic talent pipelines
Collaborate with hiring managers to ensure compelling and accurate role descriptions, hiring tasks, leading interview debriefs, leading interview and anti-bias trainings
Design and manage employee onboarding processes in partnerships with hiring managers to ensure new hires have the experiences/tools they need to contribute as quickly as possible, and drive impact in their roles
Design and lead the talent strategy, systems and processes necessary to support the evolution and growth of the Propel organization.
Engage Propel's leadership team to revise and implement a talent philosophy and strategy to serve as the foundation for aligned talent systems that support the development of Propel team members
Audit current talent management practices and identify ways to evolve our practices by staying current with the latest trends and providing recommendations and insights based on industry best practices. Specific areas of focus include:
Codifying performance expectations and competencies across the organization by job level
Designing and launching our performance evaluation system to better align to our core values and expectations
Ensuring staff have access to opportunities for meaningful professional growth and development
Reviewing our internal and external hiring processes to ensure equitable practices across the organization
Recommending and leading improvements to the overall talent cycle to improve the employee experience
Develop and maintain human resources policies and procedures that are necessary to operate as a best-in-class organization and ensuring Propel is in compliance with federal/local labor regulations
Manage PEO relationship and benefits processes including annual benefits selection, requests related to worker's comp, health insurance, and employee leave
Drive fidelity to Propel equity-focused compensation strategy, including managing regular updates to compensation band and grades
Advise senior leaders on any HR challenges that may arise including performance improvement, employee off-boardings, etc.
Manage functional budget for talent and assess hiring needs for budgeting process
Lead the evolution and strengthening of our Diversity Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, and culture efforts.
Advance the organization's work to develop and drive a comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy that integrates into all systems, structures, professional development, and processes
Increase diversity of organization's talent to reflect the identities of fellows we serve
Through partnerships with the CEO and other team members, identify key priorities, supports, and measures advancing Propel's DEIB work
Guide tracking and reporting on DEIB metrics across the organization, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement; including regular staff engagement and culture surveys and frequent informal pulse checks on team performance and morale
Along with Propel senior leaders, champion healthy, high-performance organizational culture and strong staff engagement that centers inclusion and equity
Design and coordinate learning opportunities across the organization on our core values and impact, and develop systems for evaluating the impact of those opportunities, including all staff meetings and organizational retreats
Design and facilitate all-staff activities that foster strong connectivity
Support organizational leaders and people managers in stewarding our culture and core values
Skills/Experience:
Preferred Qualifications:
Compensation
Propel offers a competitive total rewards package. We cover 90% of premiums, unlimited vacation and a flexible work environment. The salary range for this position is $137K-165K. We consider candidate experience and location when determining where a candidate may fall within that range. Location: Remote, Louisiana, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New Jersey preferred.
Interested in Applying?
Please submit your application here. The application deadline to apply for this position is January 22, 2024. After this date we do not guarantee review of submissions.
Propel America is an equal-opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
We encourage candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds to apply.