Title: Director, Talent Management   

Department: People & Culture  

Report to: VP, People & Culture   

Compensation: $113,700-129,900 

FLSA: Exempt  

LOCATION/HOURS  

 This is a full-time, hybrid position based out of our New York City office. It is expected that some duties will be performed on-site at least 2-days a week, and some remotely, with the understanding that government and public health guidelines will help determine the extent to which it is safe to carry out in-person and onsite activities. 

 All candidates must be within commutable distance of SEO’s offices at 55 Exchange Place, New York, NY 10005, upon hire. 

POSITION OVERVIEW 

The Director of Talent Management will be a key talent leader on a multi-disciplined People & Culture team, overseeing the following functional areas: employee relations, HR policy and people related compliance, performance management, learning and development, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) programs. Working closely with the VP of People & Culture, the Director of Talent Management will be required to build a high level of trust with key stakeholders across SEO. This role will be critical in ensuring People & Culture Business Partners successfully contribute to developing and implementing organization-wide talent management initiatives.  

RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Serve as an HR expert and trusted advisor to the senior leaders in the organization; collaborate with department heads to gain insights into the organization’s current and future talent management needs and address them. 
• Lead and manage two People & Culture Business Partners as part of the Talent Management center of excellence, coaching and developing them in their roles and their respective accountabilities in supporting the Scholar and Professional program teams.  
• Serve as the People & Culture Business Partner to SEO’s central teams (e.g., Development, Marketing and Communications, Finance, IT, Real Estate & Admin, Executive Office).  
• Model SEO's core values and customer service orientation, and identify opportunities to center and enhance employee experience across all function areas. 
• Own the assessment and enhancement of SEO’s Employee Handbook and other policies relevant to the employee experience and lifecycle at SEO, ensuring compliance to all federal, state and local laws.
• Oversee all employee investigations across SEO and ensure the ER case management system (HR Acuity) and its SOPs are accurate and kept up-to-date.  
• Manage key compliance areas that impact employee experience, including but not limited to work authorization, the employee handbook, and ADA accommodations.  
• Provide training and coaching to People & Culture Business Partners in their consultation with key organizational leaders in conflict resolution, mediation facilitation, problem solving and negotiation with/between employees and their managers.
• Research and analyze best practices and trends in employee relations, employment law, performance management, DEIB, adult learning, and career pathways to ensure SEO offers the best employee experience.  
• Manage the performance management and talent development process for all SEO employees, including policy development, communications, training, supporting resources, and compliance.  
• Provide oversight of performance management system (Lattice) implementation and maintenance, including managing vendor relationship, configuring the system, and troubleshooting in collaboration with the People Operations, Analytics and Systems center of excellence.  
• Identify year-over-year opportunities to enhance or redesign talent management processes to better support SEO employees’ career growth as well as to achieve organizational culture and DEIB goals.  
• Partner with Total Rewards colleagues to effectively and equitably manage the employee rewards process to ensure alignment with the annual performance management cycle.  
• Apply expertise in organizational change and large-scale program management to ensure talent management and development initiatives are aligned with business strategies.
• Create training and developmental opportunities that will empower SEO leaders and managers to become highly effective talent champions.
• Advise and influence leaders and managers on leader and manager development/coaching, team effectiveness, and individual contributor development.
• In collaboration with the VP of People & Culture and the People & Culture Business Partners, develop an organization-wide L&D and lead the implementation of the strategy.  
• In partnership with the VP of People & Culture and under the leadership of SEO Executive Leadership, work cross-functionally and laterally to develop org-wide DEIB strategies; engage with internal subject matter subjects and external vendors for input and support; leverage expertise to apply a DIEB lens to organizational policies and people programs.
• Contribute to the People & Culture Leadership Team and provide strategic input. 
• Participate in special assignments and cross-functional committees that require HR subject matter expertise. 
• Provide internal People & Culture team capacity by assisting in other workstreams when needed.  

EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent working experience. A master’s in Business, Human Resources, Organizational Psychology, Public Policy, or Education is preferred.    
• Minimum 10 years in an HR Generalist role with evidence of progressive responsibility and autonomy. Direct experience within a nonprofit organization is desired.  
• 3+ years of direct people management experience required. 
• HR certification is required. Must have formal training and working knowledge of the current and changing labor laws and employment best practices within the United States, and experience conducting ER investigations and overseeing employees in NY and CA.
• Direct experience navigating and managing employee information in HR systems is required (we use Paylocity and Greenhouse!), as well as technical proficiency in MS Office, cloud-based applications like Box, and project management tools like Monday.com. Salesforce, HubSpot, chat platforms, and other employee communications and engagement tools are a plus. 
• Knowledge and experience with designing and executing DEIB practices that support employees of all identities, including but not limited to neurodiversity, disability status, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, culture, and religion.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills, including advanced Excel. 
• Evidence of working within communities that reflect SEO’s participant population, and the combined lived and learned experience to apply an inclusive lens to work and relationships.  

CCOMPETENCIES & SKILLS 

• Talent Management: A proven track record of leading teams to high performance. Must have well-developed people management skills with a keen ability to lead across difference and apply consultative skills to determine professional development needs for team members at every level.
• Change Management: Lead the people side of change by shepherding the change management process through facilitation, clear communication, and effective interventions to reach team and organizational objectives; react to and manage change over time. 
• Passion: A deep connection to and curiosity for SEO’s mission, vision, and core values.
• Empathy & Inclusion: High emotional intelligence that centers inclusive leadership and collaboration, coupled with the combined lived and learned experiences to build authentic relationships effectively, and develop race- and culture-intentional people programs and processes.
• Communication: Expert written and extemporaneous communications skills. Must be comfortable addressing and engaging with diverse audiences through different mediums, including in-person, email, messaging, and phone calls.
• Judgment & Decision Making: Practiced skills in leveraging available information to make effective decisions with limited time while planning for contingencies and persisting towards solutions that best serve SEO’s people and programs. A reputation for soliciting feedback, taking accountability for errors, and internalizing constructive feedback for continuous reflection and improvement. 
• Conflict Resolution: An ability to resolve disagreements that arise from differing perspectives, opinions, intentions, and facilitate difficult conversations to drive towards mutually agreeable and favorable outcomes for all parties. 
• Project Management: An affinity for strategic planning with the ability to break down issues into component pieces, build project work plans, manage timelines, lead cross-functional working teams, evaluate for continuous improvement, and navigate ambiguity all along the way. 

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS   

SEO offers a competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits plan including low-cost health, vision, and dental options, a generous holiday schedule and PTO policies, disability coverage, fully paid time off for new parents, and employer contributions to health reimbursement and retirement accounts. We are constantly working to improve our benefits each year based on the needs of our employees. We value wellness and strive to consistently use a DEIB lens to put people first and foremost.  

The compensation listed in this posting reflects what SEO believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and SEO reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time.  

Vaccination Policy   

In view of governmental vaccination recommendations and/or mandates in areas we work, as well as the guidance of the CDC that vaccination is the most effective means to provide a safe working and teaching environment, subject to applicable law, applicants who obtain a conditional job offer will be required to demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or qualify for a medical or religious accommodation to this vaccination requirement, before beginning employment with SEO.  

EEOC Policy 

At SEO we are committed to cultivating a team that embodies the backgrounds and experiences of the constituencies we serve and the communities we live in, and a workplace that reflects the impact we make in the world. Candidates from historically excluded and underrepresented communities – including people of color, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ Community, veterans, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Equal Employment Opportunity is not just the law, it is our commitment. 

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer – M/F/D/V. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other legally protected status. 

If you need accommodation while applying for a role with SEO, due to a disability, please email SEO Talent. 

THE ORGANIZATION 

Established in 1963 by Michael Osheowitz, SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity), is an educational non-profit focused on improving outcomes for students from underserved and historically underrepresented backgrounds. For over 50 years, SEO has been an innovator in education, mentorship, and creating educational programs and opportunities that maximize the full potential of our students. Each year SEO serves 6,000+ participants nationally and the organization is widely recognized for developing best-in-class programs with exceptional results. 

Not every SEO participant is on the same journey, but all are hungry for opportunity. SEO creates an ecosystem of excellence: empowering individuals to move from high school through college, from underserved communities to middle class (SEO Scholars), from underrepresented interns to prestigious careers (SEO Career and SEO Law), from successful professionals to positions of economic influence (SEO Alternative Investments). We propel human potential. 

• SEO Scholars is a free, eight-year, academic program that gets low-income public high school students to and through college – with a 90% college graduation 100% of SEO Scholars are accepted to four-year colleges, with 85% being first-generation college graduates. More than 75% of current SEO Scholars are attending a top 100 college based on the US News and World Report rankings. 

• SEO Career is the nation’s premier professional development program, providing Black, Hispanic, and Native American undergrads with everything they need to land an internship: industry exposure, career guidance, interview skills, and intensive Approximately 80% of SEO Career interns receive full-time job offers from SEO Career partners before they graduate college. SEO Interns earn an average of $10,000 per summer. SEO Career partners with 150+ corporations and organizations offering summer internships. 

• SEO Alternative Investments provides education, exposure, training, and mentoring opportunities for talented professionals traditionally underrepresented in the Alternative Investments SEO Alternative Investments Programming includes a Fellowship Program and an annual conference. The Fellows program has over 200 partner firms and 90% of Fellows secure roles in the Alternative Investments industry. 

• SEO Law is the only program of its kind, offering talented, incoming, underrepresented law school students the opportunity to secure a paid internship at a top law firm the summer before law The SEO Law Fellowship program has an impressive network of more than 1,600+ SEO Law alumni, who have gone on to work as Chief Legal Officers, U.S. District Attorneys, Deputy/Assistant Attorneys General, U.S. District Court Judges, and U.S. Cabinet/Congress Members. SEO Law partners with more than 41 law firms in 12 cities across the U.S. 

• SEO Leadership Institute provides ongoing development to alumni, customized for each stage of their career. There are three distinct parts to the Institute: making connections, professional and personal development, and civic engagement. SEO has an alumni network of nearly 20,000 professionals, representing 46 U.S. states and 48 countries, SEO’s Leadership Institute supports their ongoing professional and civic engagement via panel discussions, networking events, virtual resources, and volunteer opportunities. Alumni leadership has led SEO expansion to San Francisco and the creation of SEO’s international affiliates: SEO London, SEO China, SEO Vietnam, and SEO