Senior Manager Of Human Resources

The Opportunity

Essie Justice Group (Essie) is building grassroots power to dismantle the US incarceration system, the most egregious creator of racial and gender injustice of our time. We are a loving and powerful community of women with incarcerated loved ones. Our community includes cisgender women, transgender women, formerly incarcerated women, gender nonconforming (GNC) people, elders, and young people. 

After eight years of building an active membership across California and beyond, Essie is deepening its base-building and leadership development strategies with the 1 in 4 women with incarcerated loved ones to propel bold decarceration agendas across the nation. We seek to transform the criminal legal system and create a Black feminist future rooted in care, equity, community safety, and liberation. Amid organizational growth, we seek a discerning, values-driven, and forward-thinking Senior Manager of Human Resources to join our team. 

The Senior Manager of Human Resources is a highly collaborative, seasoned, and confident leader who brings operational acumen and experience and relishes the opportunity to build and lead in implementing internal solutions across the organization. 

With rigor and precision in approaching their organizational responsibilities and a solid connection to our politic and movement purpose, the Senior Manager of Human Resources is forthright and transparent, operates from an unwavering commitment to effective communications and efficiency, and is committed to improving their leadership and, thereby, the organization's success.

Core Responsibilities

Human Resources - Manage personnel processes, including hiring, onboarding, off-boarding, benefits, and compensation.

• Administer Essie’s policies, including staffing, employment processing, compensation, health and wellness benefits, training and development, records management, safety and health, succession planning, employee relations, and retention. 
• Coordinate an organized, developmentally-focused, and timely performance evaluation process. 
• Manage the staff retention strategy. 
• Lead the efforts in onboarding and off-boarding employees and support in stewarding hiring and recruiting.
• Administer Essie’s benefits package including annual open enrollment and retirement plan; manage relationships with vendors; recommend opportunities to enhance or adjust benefits provided; ensure staff are equipped to make sound decisions about benefits through training and one-on-one meetings. 
• Conduct transactional Human Resources activities and manage up to staff member(s) or an external firm to support these efforts as needed, including running on-time, accurate semi-monthly payroll and ensuring appropriate withholdings, pre-tax benefit deductions, reimbursements, bonuses, compensation adjustments, and garnishments; processing and administering all leave-of-absence requests and disability paperwork: medical, disability, and FMLA; coordinating employee payments with the Employment Development Department or other state agencies.

Personnel Growth Infrastructure - In partnership with the Deputy Director, lead the development and maintenance of Human Resources infrastructure, policies, and procedures to keep Essie functioning smoothly and aligned with our race and gender justice values.

• Researching Human Resources issues trends and proposing creative solutions. 
• Guide management and employee actions by researching, developing, drafting, proposing, and updating policies, procedures, methods, and guidelines; communicating and modeling organization values.
• Serve as a team resource on personnel issues, policies, and strategies. 

Personnel Risk Management - Oversee compliance, policies, and personnel risk management issues. Assess and mitigate potential harms to the organization.

• Field personnel complaints or grievances; escalate to the Deputy Director, Executive Director, or Board of Directors when necessary. Conduct personnel investigations when necessary.
• Comply with federal, state, and local legal and safety requirements, employment law, and policies by studying existing and new legislation, anticipating legislation, enforcing adherence to requirements, and advising management on needed actions. 
• Manage off-boarding processes for transitioning staff, including compliance.

Who We’re Looking For 

Ideal Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in Human Resources recruitment, hiring, benefits, compensation, retention, compliance, employee policies, and personnel growth infrastructure 
•  2+ years of experience in a managerial role within the non-profit sector, with a demonstrated ability to supervise and mentor individuals in a manner that acknowledges differentials in privilege and power, recognizes their unique strengths, encourages their self-confidence, supports their growth, and holds them accountable to communally established standards.
• Superior knowledge of employee policies, personnel issues, and personnel risks, as well as state and federal employment law.
• Successful track record as a collaborative leader who excels in managing multiple projects and is comfortable working in a fast-paced, non-traditional work environment.
• Proficiency with HR management software like BambooHR or similar tools. 
• Demonstrated ability to consistently make accurate and clear assessments about a constantly changing organizational landscape and with the foresight to make determinations, produce insightful ideas, and set impactful next steps.
• Impeccable attention to detail.
• Effective writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
• Adept with Mac operating systems, Google Suite, and MS Office Suite (especially Excel, PowerPoint, and Word)
• Commitment to the beliefs and values of Essie with a demonstrated passion for progressive politics, specifically in gender justice, race justice, and ending mass incarceration.

Qualities

• Values-driven and deeply in tune with personal motivation. You care deeply about people and the impact that organizational culture, processes, and policies have on them, which informs your strategies and daily work. You move with a sense of and can maintain a high standard of respect for others, whatever the situation. You are a leader in modeling solutions-oriented approaches to problems and bringing out the best parts of the team to achieve success.

• Communicates from connection to purpose and people. You believe that policies should be accessible and information empowering. By delivering clear and thoughtful information, you know you can help Essie be more impactful and individual team members more confident in the process and more courageous in their work. You are here for the people.

• Ethical discernment and honesty we can trust. You are a trusted ethical compass for the people with whom you work. You don't just do what's standard or required by law — you do what's right for your people, even if a higher cost or greater time investment is attached. You are a thoughtful team member who acts in alignment with your integrity and are unfailingly trustworthy. 
• Uplifting and additive. You see mistakes as opportunities for growth, problems as catalysts for solutions, and inspire others along the journey. You carry a positive approach, a can-do attitude, a sense of humor, and authentic kindness wherever you go.
  

The Position

The Senior HR manager is a full-time salaried, exempt position. This position is supervised by the Deputy Director. The salary for this position is between $85,000 - $105,000 depending on experience, with full medical, dental, and vision benefits, optional 401(k), a substantial vacation package, and a monthly personal wellness stipend. The position is in one of Essie’s offices in Oakland or Los Angeles, California. All Essie staff must be vaccinated against Covid-19, with limited exceptions for medical or religious reasons.

To Apply

Please prepare (1) a personal, specific, and thoughtful cover letter to the “Essie Hiring Committee” addressing why you would like to work for Essie and (2) a resume. Submit both items through our hiring portal (https://essiejusticegroup.bamboohr.com/jobs). 

Essie Justice Group provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all staff members. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and skills. Essie does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, immigration status, socioeconomic status, ancestry, age, size, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, familial status, veteran status, disability, AIDS/HIV status, medical condition, prior conviction, arrest history, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Essie values and specifically seeks applicants who are people with incarcerated loved ones, formerly incarcerated people, people of color, women, queer, transgender, gender nonconforming (GNC) people, and gender fluid people.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, performance assessment, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

About Essie Justice Group

Essie Justice Group is a non-profit organization of women with incarcerated loved ones taking on the rampant injustices created by mass incarceration. Our award-winning Healing to Advocacy Model brings women together to heal, build collective power, and drive social change. Essie is Great Place to Work-Certified™ by Great Place to Work. 

Learn more at www.essie justice group.org.