People & Culture Business Partner, Scholars Programs

Title: People & Culture Business Partner for Scholars Programs

Department: People & Culture

Report to: Director, Talent Management

Compensation: $85,400 - $100,500

FLSA: Exempt

Location: Hybrid – 3 days/week in office

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

ABOUT SEO

Founded in 1963 during the Civil Rights Movement, SEO closes educational and career opportunity gaps for 7,000 ambitious young people annually.  

POSITION OVERVIEW

The People & Culture Business Partner (PCBP) will support the Scholars Program teams to create an optimal employee experience that attracts, develops, and retains talent in service of SEO’s mission, vision, and values. The Scholars Program teams support the eight-year, academic program that transforms public high school students in New York City, San Francisco, North Carolina, and Miami into college graduates. By cultivating strong, trusting internal client relationships and serving as an advisor and expert HR liaison to the Scholars Program team leaders and employees, the PCBP will provide guidance on end-to-end talent management components, such as HR policies, organizational development, performance management, employee relations, workforce planning, onboarding & offboarding, talent acquisition.

The PBCP will partner with other operations teams and people leaders to develop, implement, communicate, and evaluate People & Culture initiatives based on critical needs.

Employee Relations & HR Policies

• Serve as primary point of contact for responding to Employee Relations (ER) concerns in a timely manner, and facilitate and mediate difficult conversations.
• Conduct ER investigations and make recommendations based on findings as needed.
• Escalate ER issues to Director of Talent Management to collaborate and problem solve accordingly with legal counsel.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the SEO Employee Handbook and SEO policies to coach, guide, and support staff while holding all team members accountable for conduct and compliance.
• Manage ADA workplace accommodations requests.    

Performance & Development

• Partner closely with leaders and managers to facilitate the performance management review cycle and milestones throughout the year.
• Work closely with managers to coach them through performance management issues and ways in which to develop their teams.
• Liaise between the people managers and People and Culture team to develop and deliver content for learning in support of organizational priorities, Scholar program participant needs, and individual/team development.

Recruitment, Onboarding & Retention

• Support the Talent Acquisition team to ensure a conscious, deliberate approach to attracting and retaining top talent.
• Partner with the Talent Acquisition team to ensure that the selection processes (e.g., conducting interviews, supporting new hiring managers, etc.) and onboarding processes (timely submission of new hire paperwork, supporting New Hire Orientation, etc.) are smooth and create the best new hire experience.
• Work closely with the Director of Talent Acquisition to develop retention strategies to minimize attrition, particularly in the Scholar program’s critical roles and specialty skillsets.

Employee Engagement

• Communicate with staff regarding People & Culture initiatives and assist in the change management.
• Respond to employee engagement indicators in collaboration with People & Culture colleagues and work with the Scholars Program leadership to develop action plans to address areas of concerns for staff.
• Support employee recognition, milestones, and accolades for the Scholar programs.
• Support our Employee Resource Groups as key business partner to group managers to help promote events, programming, communications and increase employee engagement.

Compensation & Benefits

• Collaborate with the Total Rewards team to support compensation reviews, as needed.
• Support the Total Rewards team in driving high participation in annual benefits open enrollment processes and connect staff to key resources.

People Operations

• Support the People Operations team in the execution of periodic data integrity audits and HRIS data clean-up.
• Partner with the People Operations team maintain accurate employee documents and databases for the Scholars programs.
• Lead or participate in special projects, events, or taskforces in support of Scholars program needs and People & Culture team priorities.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent working experience. A master’s in Business, Human Resources, Organizational Psychology, Public Policy, or Education is preferred.
• HR certification is required. Must have formal training and working knowledge of the current and changing labor and employment laws within the United States, and experience conducting ER investigations and overseeing employees in NY, CA, FL. Strong understanding of enforcement guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship under the ADA.
• Minimum 5 years in an HR Generalist role with evidence of progressive responsibility and autonomy.
• Experience within a nonprofit organization, specifically in education, is desired.

COMPETENCIES & SKILLS

• A deep connection to and curiosity for SEO’s mission, vision, and core values.
• An ability to design and facilitate impactful learning and development programs for leaders and individual contributors.
• Strong technical proficiency in MS Office, advanced analytical and reporting skills, including Excel required.
• Proficiency in navigating and managing HR systems (e.g., Paylocity, Greenhouse, Lattice) and other cloud-based applications such as Box, Monday.com. Salesforce, HubSpot, chat platforms, and other employee communications and engagement tools.
• Talent Management: Must have well-developed people management skills with a keen ability to lead across various employee populations (including part-time, full-time, exempt and non-exempt) and apply consultative skills to guide leaders and employees through many components of the employee life cycle
• Change Management: Support leaders and teams through change management by providing facilitation, clear communication, and effective interventions to reach team and organizational objectives; react to and manage change over time with an empathetic and resourceful attitude
• 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.
• Communication: Expert written and extemporaneous communications skills. Must be comfortable addressing and engaging with diverse audiences at all levels through different mediums, including in-person, email, messaging, and phone calls.
• Judgment & Decision Making: Practiced skills in leveraging available information, be resourceful and curious to make effective decisions with limited time while planning for contingencies; ability to balance speed with thoughtfulness. Persists to work towards solutions that best serve SEO’s people and programs.
• Growth Mindset & Accountability: A reputation for soliciting feedback, taking accountability for errors, and internalizing constructive feedback for continuous reflection and improvement.
• 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 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.

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 all 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 founded on the belief that talent is everywhere; but opportunity is not. Our programs are designed to educate, train, mentor, and amplify the voices of our participants to give them a seat at the table – every table. We propel human potential.

SEO is an innovator in education, mentorship, and creating educational career opportunities that maximize the full potential of our participants. Each year SEO serves 7,000+ 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 and SEO creates an ecosystem of excellence. Learn more about SEO's programs here: https://www.seo-usa.org/our-programs/.