Website Achieving the Dream, Inc.
About Us:
Achieving the Dream — Conceived as an initiative in 2004 by Lumina Foundation and seven founding partner organizations, Achieving the Dream now leads the most comprehensive non-governmental reform movement for student success in higher education history. Together with our Network of over 300 institutions of higher education, 75 coaches and advisors, and numerous investors and partners working throughout 45 states and the District of Columbia we are helping more than 4 million community college students have a better chance of realizing greater economic opportunity and achieving their dreams.
Achieving the Dream (ATD) believes that equity — our core founding principle — is the driving force to achieve the educational, economic, and social benefits of higher education for the students we serve. We believe that when colleges intentionally design and implement antiracist and just structures, policies, and practices that combat oppression, students and their communities thrive. Higher education must interrogate the disconnect between institutionalized practices that impact student success and the systemic structures and processes that continue to oppress and exclude students based on the intersection of race, ethnicity, gender identity, language, (dis)ability, sexual orientation, economic status, and/or religion.
Achieving the Dream remains steadfast in our commitment to delivering student-centered strategies to guide and support colleges to disrupt and dismantle historical systemic discriminatory legacies, structures, and barriers that prevent community members from prospering. We expect ATD Network colleges to honor their institutional responsibilities to create and invest in thriving local communities by leveraging their leadership positions to actualize social, economic, and racial justice. Through bold actions, colleges must transform their practices to target and eliminate specific barriers to student success and address their students’ needs by centering equity within their local context.
To learn more about ATD’s commitment to equity, review our Equity Statement: ATD’s Equity Statement
To learn more about our organization and mission, visit our homepage: www.achievingthedream.org
About This Role:
Job Overview
Reporting to the President/CEO and serving as a member of the organization’s executive leadership team, the Chief Talent and Equity Officer is responsible for developing and executing the human resource strategy in support of the overall strategic direction of the organization, specifically in the areas of centering internal equity, compensation and performance management, talent management, training, and development, and all essential HR processes and procedures. The Chief Talent and Equity Officer will be responsible for improving outcomes to ensure that the talent management function offers equitable, transparent, and inclusive systems and practices to support an engaged and high-performing team and thus a high performing organization.
The ideal candidate for this role is someone who can both work at the strategic level and be hands-on in managing the day-to-day work of the team, establishes an HR culture of continuous improvement, and is a systems thinker in their approach to meeting ambitious goals. The Chief Talent and Equity Officer supervises the Talent Development Specialist, Senior HIRS/Benefits Analyst, and Administrative Operations Specialist.
Duties and Responsibilities
Talent Management & Retention – 40%
§ Design strategy for organizational culture. Develop and maintain organizational leadership principles and values. Lead organizational communication on strategic human capital topics. Manage practices, policies, and cultural norms to ensure cross-cultural harmony and organizational success.
§ Partner with senior leadership team to identify and address the critical talent needs of the organization and achieve an effective long-range talent strategy.
§ Develop comprehensive strategic recruiting and retention plans to meet the organization’s human capital needs and strategic goals.
§ Regularly conduct gap analysis/skills assessments with department heads to identify gaps in training and ensure that professional development opportunities align with what is needed for organizational success.
§ In partnership with executive leadership, lead change management initiatives to accelerate the sense of belonging for new employees and align talent initiatives with ATD goals and strategic priorities.
§ Develops and systematizes ATD’s talent community across employees, coaches, and consultants providing data insight on talent readiness, expertise, and capacity.
§ Lead the development of, and effectively manage ATD’s internship, fellowship, and mentoring programs as a part of ATD’s talent management priorities.
§ Maintain comprehensive compensation and benefits plans that are competitive and attract top talent.
Leadership, Culture, & Engagement – 30%
§ Works with the CEO, and through the CEO the Board of Directors, as well as other executive leaders to define and communicate ATD’s organizational values and commitment to equity and embed those values into talent management processes including quarterly reports to the Board on the organization’s DEI efforts.
§ Lead the implementation of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging priorities, including the hiring and retention of a diverse workforce to help the organization ensure an equitable, inclusive work environment where all employees feel valued and can thrive.
§ Serve as executive lead and co-chair of the Culture & Equity Committee guiding the work of the Committee to achieve internal organizational goals and priorities around DEI.
§ Maintain awareness of DEI trends and concepts in human resource management, bringing effective best practices and approaches to the organization’s work.
§ Collaborate with the Research team to develop and monitor Key Performance Indicators and analyze internal DEI metrics.
§ Create and manage employee recognition and award programs as well as internship programs.
§ Develop conflict resolution strategies that address support for a safe and inclusive work environment.
Professional Development & Performance Management – 20%
§ Oversee a performance management process that measures employee contribution to organizational goals, function-specific skill sets, and behavioral competencies that facilitates implementation of a fair and equitable process for promotions and adjustments in compensation.
§ Implement learning & development programs for executive, senior, mid-level, and entry-level staff.
§ Designs promotion, and retention strategies for executive, senior, mid-level, and entry-level staff, factoring in key elements such as rewards, recognition, engagement, and satisfaction.
§ Manages the annual talent review and development planning process for staff.
§ Establishes a cohesive process for career pathing, succession, and workforce planning aligned with organizational talent management priorities.
§ Ensure that on-boarding and off-boarding processes are comprehensive and consistent for all staff.
HR Compliance, Systems, and Processes – 10%
§ Partner with the senior leadership team to identify and address the critical HR needs of the organization and achieve an effective long-range HR strategy.
§ Develop and improve HR policies, practices, and communications, including reviewing, providing guidance on, and contributing to drafts. Proactively seek out new processes and systems for improving internal communication, project management, and other operations.
§ Manage HR team performance, annual operating budget, and vendor relationships.
§ Collaborate with Finance on payroll, and time management processing, and ensure systems are seamless, accurate, and require a minimal time commitment.
§ Oversee the organization’s compliance with federal, multi-state, and local employment laws and regulations and recommended best practices; review and modify policies and practices to maintain compliance.
Skills/Qualifications/Experience
§ Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred in Business, Human Resources, or Organizational Development or Leadership. SHRM-SCP or SPHR designation is required. A minimum of 7-10 years success leading a strategic, transformative HR function in a non-profit setting or higher education setting.
§ Must be aligned with ATD’S mission and commitment to the educational success of students from underserved communities.
§ Extensive experience in talent management and development, employee relations and engagement, DEI, and performance management.
§ Experience successfully architecting DEI-B strategies and policies that deliver results.
§ Experience in communicating and presenting progressive HR strategies and plans to senior management. § Ability to support ideas and plans with appropriate facts and data.
§ Record of managing a team to aggressive targets and implementing innovative and progressive human resources systems and best practices.
§ Ability to identify, cultivate, and coach leadership potential in individuals, and experience designing systems to support the development of employees at all levels of the organization.
§ Exceptional organizational, project management, meeting facilitation, communication (both
§ Must be capable of interfacing effectively at all levels of the organization.
§ Proficiency with project management tools and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required. Experience with ADP Workforce Now preferred.
Core Competencies
Collaboration: Demonstrates respect, humility, and willingness to collaborate when seeking to understand others and making decisions.
Disciplined Execution: Has the ability to break down big picture work goals into management tasks; has the foresight to anticipate potential roadblocks to ensure timely completion of tasks and projects.
Effective Communication: Ability to actively listen and thoughtfully question to create greater understanding and to offer insights that advance problem-solving.
Learning Orientation: Embraces challenges, new ideas and different perspectives as an opportunity to learn; continually seeks out and applies new learning to activate change or improvements.
Systems Thinking: Defines the system and one’s role in the system. Sees relationships and the dynamic elements of the holistic system and executes work accordingly. Influences the system and maps connections to ATD’s external landscape.
Change Agent: Serves as an agent of change at a personal, team, and organizational level to pursue outcomes for students. Adapts as the environment changes, while managing associated risks. Motivates staff, team, organization, and partners to activate the change needed to advance defined priorities.
Culturally Competent: Models appreciate inquiry to gain understanding and awareness of others’ cultural identity and practices. Creates safe and constructive forums for sharing diverse perspectives and opinions.
Emotional Intelligence: Demonstrates self-awareness and self-regulation and recognizes impact of personal behavior on others.
Position Details
Position Type: Full Time, Exempt
Salary Range: $140,000 – $160,000
Reports To: President & CEO
Work Location: Primarily remote with position headquartered in Silver Spring
Travel Required: Minimal
What We Offer:
We continually strive to be a committed, diverse, values-based organization. We also offer a robust portfolio of benefits, including:
§ Health, dental and vision insurance coverage
§ 401K Retirement plan
§ Optional pre-tax spending account for qualified medical FSA, dependent care FSA and commuter expenses
§ Premiums paid by ATD for short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, life and AD&D insurance with options to elect and pay for additional coverage for spouse and children.
§ Paid sick leave, vacation time, and personal days (Additionally, ATD observes all 10 federal holidays and is closed the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and for Winter Break between December 25 and January 1.
§ Employee Assistance Program
§ Professional Development allowance (for full-time employees on successful completion of 90-day intro period)
§ Mobile First Work Policy: Remote work allows employees to work at home for all or part of their workweek as a viable, flexible work option to support the changing needs of employees. Upon hire, employees are notified of their work location (Silver Spring, Portland, or Remote). Remote may not be appropriate for all positions at ATD. ATD wants to ensure that both employees and ATD will benefit from these arrangements.
ATD strongly encourages applicants from diverse and historically underrepresented backgrounds to apply. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.
Please include a cover letter along with your resume. In the cover letter please discuss the following:
§ Why are you passionate about ATD’s mission?
§ What qualities, experiences, or other considerations do you believe make you an ideal candidate for this position?
Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Achieving the Dream believes that diversity, equity and inclusion is critical to its work and its mission. ATD takes meaningful steps to promote inclusion in its hiring, retention, promotion, and board recruitment, and supports equity work at the community colleges it serves.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Achieving the Dream is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse work environment. Employment policies and decisions are based upon merit, qualifications, performance, and business needs. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), gender identity or expression, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, legally- protected genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.
To apply for this job email your details to eslater@achievingthedream.org