Position Summary
The Vice President of People + Culture is a pivotal leader, responsible for developing and executing comprehensive People Operations (human resources) and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) strategies that align with the overall business plan and strategic direction of the organization. The Vice President of People + Culture (P+C) articulates People Ops and DEIA needs to the executive management team, staff, and the board of directors. The position requires both a strategic level and hands-on approach with a keen base of knowledge of strategic leadership and partnership, employee relations, DEIA, labor relations, conflict resolution and facilitation, employee benefits, compensation, and performance management. The position will partner with leadership, management, and staff to resolve complex issues that may impact the productivity and effectiveness of the institution with demonstrated success connecting organizational structures and efficacy with a strategic vision.
Essential Job Duties (other duties as assigned)
People, Talent + Strategic Leadership:
- Develop and implement a multi-year human capital plan to align with organizational goals and foster a strong work culture.
- Cultivate a workplace culture of belonging, excellence, inclusivity, and innovation through effective staff engagement and onboarding programs.
- Develop and manage People budgets, forecasting, and reporting, ensuring efficient and effective use of resources. Oversee People programs connected to annual planning, budgeting, and reorganizations.
- Partner with CFO (Chief Finance Officer) and CBSO (Chief Business + Strategy Officer) to develop a compensation strategy that enhances MOPOP’s total compensation program.
- Provide support and visionary leadership to the People Ops team in implementing best practices, policies, and procedures for talent management, employee relations, and other and People Ops functions.
- Ensure legal compliance by monitoring and implementing employment-related requirements at local, state, and federal levels.
- Advise Senior Leaders and People Managers on communicating People policies and their organizational impact.
- In partnership with the Associate Director, People + Culture, coach and advise on employee relations, restorative mediations, staff development, and policies/procedures.
- Maintain up to date documentation by updating job requirements + descriptions, auditing employee relations and interview notes, and conducting quarterly compliance training with MOPOP’s legal counsel.
- Partner with People Ops team on consistent and transparent staff communications, with a keen eye to important benefits updates and changes which impact the full organization.
- Partner with the Associate Director, People + Culture to execute P + C communication initiatives that engage the entire staff, promoting transparency and inclusivity.
- Ensure effective management of HR systems, technology, and data analytics including workforce planning to support the business needs of the organization.
- Lead the development of performance management systems that drive performance, engagement, and career development for staff.
- In partnership with Senior Leaders, develop and lead bi-annual leadership days for teams to connect, learn together, and finalize review performance.
DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility):
- In partnership with the Associate Director, DEIA, create and drive a multi-year strategic plan of DEIA to support the organization striving towards a culture of belonging for staff.
- In partnership with the Associate Director, DEIA and Associate Director, People + Culture promote an effective, equitable, and productive workplace through the planning and implementation of People Operations and DEIA functions – infusing DEIA into everything we do.
- In partnership with the Senior Leadership Team, lead the efforts in developing a culture by design that is on brand, supports our diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts with the purpose of maximizing MOPOP’s ability to serve our mission.
- Establish foundational organizational-wide practices which supplement and amplify staff experiences to promote sustainable multi-tiered collaborations and engagement.
- Provide support and visionary leadership to the DEIA Team to drive implementation, evaluation, and iteration of inclusion practices across MOPOP.
- Co-create and engage in semi-annual staff engagement and climate surveys to gather feedback and iterate processes.
Executive Leadership & MOPOP Community:
- Updates to All-Staff, Leadership, and BOD (Board of Directors) on new exhibitions, content roll outs, etc.
- Drives cross-organization collaboration to identify and execute new, innovative revenue streams alongside the Earned Revenue Team.
- Provide on-site support on high-visibility days and evenings for openings, late night programming, select Spectacular Saturdays, Member exclusive hours, fundraisers, and other events as identified by the CEO.
- Serve as Manager on Duty on assigned weekends to provide senior leadership support for on-site operations team.
- Support our internal culture which inspires and empowers our staff to live our mission to its highest standards.
- Contribute to a consistent customer service standard across all departments.
- Work to ensure customer service is ingrained at the core of the team and is reflected outward to our guests and other staff.
- Commitment to participating in anti-racism work, learning about the ways institutional racism impacts the workplace, and supporting teammates in operationalizing DEIA strategies in the department.
Preferred/Desired Qualifications:
- At least 12 (twelve) years of relevant Human Resources, Equity + Inclusion, and Workforce Development experience including at least 5 (five) years managing and leading a multi-level human resources team.
- Proven hands-on experience in developing and translating People Strategies across all levels of the organization.
- Prior success in driving positive change, healthy organizational culture, staff engagement, and performance by developing scalable people and engagement programs.
- Maintain excellent workplace relationships. Demonstrate the highest levels of ethics and customer service. Establish credibility throughout the organization as an effective listener and problem-solver for diverse people.
- Demonstrated experiences with community engagement with a strong ability to set meaningful expectations and precedents working with institutions.
- Excellent communication, facilitation, mediation, and presentation skills with the ability to engage and collaborate at all levels.
- Experience developing and leading training and development programs with specialization in restorative practices and mediation.
- Demonstrated success in resolving complex issues and aligning structures with a strategic vision.
- Self-directed project management skills. Efficient and detail oriented. Demonstrated skills for multi-tasking.
- Thorough understanding of business management, leadership, change management, and staff dynamics.
- Understanding of how to balance support to the organization and assisting staff through strategic HR business partnerships in concert with the organization’s strategic plan.
- Experience working with and recruiting for organizational diversity, equity, inclusion, and access efforts including engaging in difficult conversations with individuals and groups around race, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Empathetic and collaborative working style and effective interpersonal skills. Ability to develop strong partnerships with staff across all levels and with external partners.
- Compliance knowledge of local, state, and federal employment laws including minimum wage, sick/safe time, background checks, anti-harassment, ACA, ADA, FLSA, FMLA, WA Paid Leave, OSHA, EEO, and COBRA.
- Advanced degree preferred. Certification in SHRM or HRCI desired.
Benefits
This regular full-time position includes Medical/Vision insurance, Dental insurance, Life/AD&D/LTD insurance, 3.08 hours of accrued Vacation per bi-weekly pay period, Seattle Sick/Safe, 2-7 Floating Holidays dependent on hire date, 8 Company Holidays paid throughout the year, EAP, 401k plan with vested match schedule once eligible, and subsidized transportation benefits for Orca Pass or parking.
Why MOPOP
We’re really glad you’re thinking about joining the team at MOPOP! We believe pop culture is a universal language capable of building connections across a range of people, no matter our differences in race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, education, socio-economic status, ethnicity, country of origin, or any other characteristic that makes us who we are. For more than twenty years, we have been showcasing how music, film, fashion, video games, sports, and more spark those connections and create a lasting cultural impact.
MOPOP provides both a physical space and an emotional and intellectual opportunity for people from any background to explore, find and build community, and recognize their own creative potential. This applies not only to our guests, but also to our staff — be it in designing an educational program to engage the next generation of creators, trying to reach a new audience with a marketing initiative, preserving an artifact in our collection, or providing excellent customer service to a visitor. If this sounds like something you’d be into, we’d love to hear from you!
MOPOP’s Mission and Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
Our mission is to make creative expression a life-changing force by offering experiences that inspire and connect our communities. A nonprofit grounded in five core values — open arms, creative exchanges, light bulb moments, pursuing excellence, and excitement — MOPOP is actively committed to ongoing learning in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). In partnership with our community, we hope to also develop safe spaces for their application. This includes taking steps to continue increasing our awareness of institutional “-isms,” as well as uncovering and undoing the ways they show up in museum culture. We recognize this is a process that requires intentionality, energy, and resources, and we are developing a DEIA framework that can cultivate a work environment and museum experience that is truly welcoming for all.
We are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We believe that having staff, interns, and volunteers with diverse backgrounds enables us to better meet our mission and encourage BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ individuals to apply. We acknowledge that our work to build safe spaces and better systems for traditionally marginalized groups is ongoing and will require constant vigilance and expect all MOPOP employees to be part of our DEIA journey.