The San Francisco Bay Area’s largest provider of services to those with developmental disabilities and behavioral health conditions seeks a strategic and inspiring HR leader to deliver proactive, high-quality support and services to over 500 employees.
 
Hope Services supports families who navigate developmental and intellectual challenges. Founded more than 70 years ago by parents wishing to ensure their children had opportunities afforded other children, Hope is headquartered in San Jose and:
  • Serves over 3,700 individuals and families annually.
  • Offers a broad array of programs including day services, training and employment. community living, and mental health services to children, adults and seniors living in Santa Clara, San Benito, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Monterey, Marin, San Francisco, Contra Costa and Alameda counties.
  • Has a diversified and stable revenue base, with one-third earned from social enterprises, contributed revenue and other sources, and nearly two-thirds derived from government
    contracts and funding. The FY21 operating budget is $58M, of which about $45M is budgeted for programs.
  • Employs about 426 full-time employees and another 106 part-time, temporary staff. Approximately 40% of the workforce is unionized.

Hope promotes the view that our world is better when people with disabilities are fully integrated into our communities. With this mission at the organization’s heart, the Hope culture focuses on compassion; services that deliver long-term improvements to the lives of clients in ways they define and value; approaches that engage all in the community; and an operating infrastructure that is lean, efficient, secure and highly functional. This is a nimble organization that is responsive, innovative in practical ways, and opportunistic in service to Hope clients and prospective clients.

BASIC FUNCTION

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the VPHR is a key member of the leadership team and ensures the mission, values and culture of Hope Services are upheld and advances staff
cohesion and engagement. The VPHR leads the Human Resources team that is responsible for all HR functions including recruitment, onboarding and retention, compensation and benefits, training and development, performance management, employee relations, risk management, conflict resolution, compliance and regulatory matters and union relations. The VPHR is a coach to the HR team, program leaders and agency managers. The VPHR will lead the effort to improve HR service delivery through improved use of technology and training.
The VPHR will collaborate with and be a thought partner to the CEO and an experienced, professional, motivated leadership team. This position requires a hands-on individual with strong business acumen who will take action to address issues in real time, ensuring that Hope’s human capital assets are protected. The VPHR should have a growth and innovation mindset but be grounded in pragmatism. They will serve as advisor and implementer to the CEO and the organization for HR policies, procedures and practices and for agency-wide matters and new initiatives. The selected candidate will demonstrate a commitment to learning and improvement, can motivate others and hold themselves and others accountable.
The VPHR will establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with the CEO, management team, HR staff, chairs of Board committees and other constituencies, and will
foster and sustain a culture of transparency, cooperation, trust, communication, mutual support, teamwork and integrity.
The VPHR has three direct reports and an overall staff of seven and works closely with the chairs of Board committees, Human Resources and Investment/Finance.
 
ON-GOING RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Collaborate with executive leadership to develop and meet organizational goals while supplying expertise and guidance on all human resources matters and voicing HR implications of pending decisions and projects.
  • Using best practices, guide and strengthen strategies to improve recruiting, hiring, onboarding, retention, employee engagement, compensation, recognition, performance evaluation and career advancement paths, development and opportunities.
  • Guide the development and updating of HR programs, policies, processes, compliance, standards and security measures to ensure effective and consistent support and execution. Align with and reflect the mission, vision, values and goals of Hope Services. Build and use in-depth familiarity with the people, programs, culture, constituents, services and systems to provide thoughtful guidance.
  • Leverage technology as it relates to HR functions, utilizing data to inform business decisions; maintain knowledge of emerging technologies and trends in HR management.
  • Identify training needs and ensure proper training is provided to staff, including managers and directors so that they can better lead and manage their teams; develop outcomes to validate the effectiveness of training.
  • Identify training needs and ensure proper training is provided to staff, including to managers and directors in order to better lead and manage their teams; develop outcomes to validate the effectiveness of training.
  • Implement professional development programs and a path for career progression;
    proactively plan for succession.
  • Provide guidance, tools, training and coaching to staff leadership so they can manage employee relations with skill, compassion and fairness to support the business objectives of Hope Services as well as maintaining compliance standards.
  • Research, develop, implement and maintain equitable and compliant compensation structure. Collaborate with finance regarding planning, execution and oversight of staffing budget.
  • Serve as executive representative on union contract negotiations, administration, grievance processing and investigations. Provide interpretation and administration of the collective bargaining agreement and related policies and procedures.
  • Develop, implement and oversee the administration of equitable and inclusive employment policies and procedures.
  • Develop, strengthen and implement conflict resolution processes and facilitate team building; employee engagement and related action planning; and problem resolution and decision-making based on a shared belief in the mission, vision and goals of the organization.
  • In collaboration with the HR staff, set individual and team goals for what needs to be accomplished to strengthen the HR function and provide ongoing support to ensure goals are being met.
  • Oversee and participate in annual benefits review to ensure employees’ needs, including well-being, are considered; work with insurance broker in securing favorable annual renewal rates, understanding that changes to compensation and benefits are subject to union negotiations; provide oversight of the benefits enrollment process to ensure its timeliness and accuracy.
  • Staff the Compensation Committee and any ad hoc HR Taskforces.

EXPERIENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS

The ideal candidate should have the following experience and qualifications:

  • A commitment to Hope Services’ mission and goals.
  • Fifteen+ years of increasingly responsible HR experience which must include at least three years of HR experience with a unionized workforce and five+ years of HR management in a non-profit environment. Must have senior leadership experience in charge of human resources oversight and management in the nonprofit, public or business sector and with a budget of over $20M.
  • Experience with labor union negotiations and the implications of a unionized workforce.
  • Knowledge of local, state and federal employment laws and regulations.
  • Knowledge of human resources trends, developments, technologies and best practices.
  • A comprehensive understanding of benefits and retirement plans; comfort with technology and working with various computer and payroll programs and platforms. Competency with ADP Workforce Now is a plus.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to interact with a diverse community and multi-disciplinary staff.
  • Excellent communication skills, both verbally and in writing; ability to convey complex knowledge in a concise, engaging way.
  • A team player with business acumen and a data orientation who can communicate plans and service strategies and is able to creatively design and explore systems and procedures that fit current and long-term needs.
  • The maturity to focus on effective and practical action; a person with integrity who can deliver both good and bad news and is able to solve problems; organized, reliable,
    consistent and extremely ethical.
  • A bachelor’s degree in business management, human resources management, industrial relations or other similar, or equivalent work experience. Master’s degree and HR certification is preferred.

For more information, to apply, or to nominate another, please contact:

Lisa Grossman
m/Oppenheim Executive Search
(650) 323-3565 or lisag@moppenheim.com
m/Oppenheim Executive Search
558 Presidio Boulevard, Box 29625,
San Francisco, CA 94129-0625
The compensation range for the Vice President Human Resources is $160,000 - $200,000.
At Hope Services, we strive to create an environment that is diverse, equitable and inclusive. We embrace diversity within our team, and we recognize that a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative environment that delivers better results. We are committed to creating a culture of equity, inclusion and respect that promotes individual
growth and a sense of value and acceptance for everyone. Hope Services seeks candidates who share our inspirations and aspirations. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at all levels.