Executive Vice President of People & Culture

Employment Status: Full-time

Department: Executive

Reports to: President & CEO

Supervises: Vice Presidents of Advancement, Community Impact, Communications, and Strategic Initiatives

Salary: $150,000 – $195,000 based on experience and qualifications, + benefits

To Apply: Send resume and cover letter to humanresources@wfmn.org. Applications accepted through May 20, 2024, or until filled.

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Hybrid work environment. Office expectation is approximately 35%. As a community foundation with a statewide focus, community context is an integral aspect to achieve the Foundation’s mission. As such, the incumbent to this position should reside within the state of Minnesota and within a commutable distance to WFM’s office in Minneapolis.

Access: We encourage interested candidates to submit application materials and indicate in their submission if they need flexibility in the hiring process.

Summary

The Executive Vice President of People & Culture (EVP PC) is a primary partner of the President & CEO and Executive Team, helping to create an environment that is highly productive, meaningful, inclusive, and enjoyable for all who work at the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota. The incumbent will develop, support and oversee the organization’s most valuable asset- its people.  

The EVP PC will report directly to the President & CEO and partner closely with the Executive Vice President of Finance & Administration and Vice Presidents. The EVP PC will focus on the employee experience across the organization, overseeing Human Resources, driving DEIA strategies, supporting Executive Team members, internal leaders, and all staff by leading an internal people and culture strategy consistent with WFM’s mission, vision, and values.  

The EVP PC will be a member of the Executive Team, providing strategic leadership for the Women’s Foundation’s people strategy in alignment with the strategic plan. Diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism (DEIA) goals are prioritized and centered in this work. In addition to attracting and hiring the right talent to shape organizational culture, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota is committed to retaining talent, developing leaders and succession plans, and bridging skill gaps. 

The EVP PC is a thought leader that aligns organizational practices with a culture of wellness, inclusion, and belonging. The EVP PC collaborates with the President & CEO to learn from partners in the field and share our learnings about organizational culture and change management with key stakeholders. This position is accountable for key internal leadership, management of Human Resources, and management of diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism (DEIA) implementation and guidance at the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota. 

Essential Functions: Role Specific

Strategic & Operational Leadership

• Lead and actively shape a formal and informal culture of internal wellness, inclusion, belonging, and accountability to embody anti-racist practices. The EVP PC will examine current internal HR and DEIA practices, champion change management initiatives, and act as a partner with team leaders on HR and DEIA issues. 
• Ensure all teams are working together across departments, and ensure team structures, annual goals, and metrics of performance are set and achieved by all teams.  
• Supervise, support, and evaluate the Vice Presidents of Advancement, Community Impact, Communications, and Strategic Initiatives to ensure annual objectives of their teams are met.  
• Ensure team learning opportunities and individual development plans are activated, sustaining commitment to the WFM mission, values, and norms. Actively enhance and build a positive work culture within the Foundation. 
• Work with President & CEO and Executive Vice President of Finance & Administration on long-term Foundation business modeling, growth, and people strategy. 
• Serve as a key ambassador, solicitor, and representative of the Foundation.  
• Support Board of Trustees skill-building to meet the desired objectives for a culture of wellness, inclusion and belonging. 

Human Resources

• Lead strategy development for all Human Resources functions in alignment with the strategic plan, ensure implementation supports WFM’s mission, vision, values and is sustained.  
• In partnership with President and CEO, contribute to a cohesive integrated Executive Team and foster trusting relationships with all team members. 
• Create and manage DEIA program and budget related to recruitment, training, and retention. If needed, develop any new diversity programs to address any diversity needs. 
• Ensure a robust onboarding process for new employees that includes building a broad understanding of the foundation’s goals, values, culture, impact areas, and levers of impact for change. 
• Proactively work with supervisors to identify and ensure timely and relevant feedback is provided to staff that tie to annual staff development plans and Intercultural Development Plans. 
• Oversee talent and performance management systems, including staff training and leadership development, retention, recognition, employee communication, performance review and career development. Ensure methodologies are consistently equitable and aligned. 
• Actively engage staff to foster behaviors, attitudes, and policies that support diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. Ensure people practices are compliant with regulations, best practices for human resource management. 
• Serve as the main resource for staff on organizational culture and employee relations. Manage personnel issues, Equal Employment Opportunity matters as a result of claim of harassment, discrimination, assault or any other objections filed by employees. Ensure investigation process, notification, reporting and documentation are compliant with Federal, State, and Municipal regulations and statutes.  
• Provide strategic instruction for training initiatives on cultural competency, gender differences, sexual orientation, disability, sexual harassment and other topics designed to increase support of equity and inclusion values, as well as maintain compliance with the law. Collaborate with Executive Team members in assessment and implementation. 
• Recommend to the President and CEO and Executive Team, HR policies and practices in alignment with our goals to embody anti-racist practices. 
• Recommend to the Executive Vice President of Finance & Administration employee benefits in compliance with budget and best practices for a culture of wellness. 
• Implement strategies to remain aware of staff morale and wellbeing to understand employee satisfaction and turnover. Use data to make recommendations for action to Executive Team. 
• Monitor trends, laws, and other factors influencing organizational culture, human resources, equity and DEIA programs, recommend and implement relevant changes to ensure best practices and compliance. 
• Demonstrate in-depth understanding of the contexts, culture, and politics within complex institutions that impact the implementation and management of effective diversity change efforts. 

Essential Functions: Organizational

• Establish and sustain external stakeholder relationships to advance the Foundation’s strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. 
• Participate as an active Foundation staff member by working with other staff members and by communicating openly and honestly with staff and volunteers.  
• Cultivate and sustain a portfolio of major donors and develop relationships with key donors. 
• Attend Foundation events, as required and/or as requested by the President & CEO. 
• Perform all other projects and tasks as assigned by the President & CEO. 

Job Specifications

Desired Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in related subject area, or equivalent experience. 
• Minimum ten years’ experience in management of human resources and/or DEIA programs. 
• Deep understanding of, and experience implementing, laws and best practices for Human Resource Management with an equity lens. 
• Understanding of the history of philanthropy and role of community foundations across movements. 
• Demonstrated success in implementing DEIA strategies. 
• Demonstrated success in working as a member of a team and developing effective working relationships with key constituents.  
• Excellent written/oral communication skills. 
• Demonstrated track record with respect to detail orientation and accuracy. 
• Computer literacy and competency with electronic donor tracking systems. 
• Commitment to mission. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Commitment to gender and racial justice, including actively participating in WFM’s learning culture in diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. 
• DEIA practitioner with HR expertise and business acumen in addition to a strong communication and problem-solving skill set. 
• Demonstrates initiative and a solution-focused attitude while positively contributing to teamwork. 
• Ability to lead multiple long and short-term projects simultaneously, meeting all related deadlines.  Ability to plan, prioritize, coordinate, and manage own work.  Able to work unsupervised and make decisions and solve problems independently, effectively and creatively. 
• Excellent verbal communication, interpersonal and relationship building skills to effectively work with a variety of people and personalities.  Able to communicate clearly in person and in writing. 
• Strong managerial skills, including direct supervision as well as management and sharing of information pertinent to the whole team. 
• Proven ability to work effectively with board members, colleagues, donors and volunteers. 
• Sense of Humor. 
• Passion for the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota’s mission. 

Physical Requirements Necessary to Perform This Job

The physical demands described here must be met for the incumbent to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to operate a computer and frequently initiate and reply to written and verbal communications. Must be able to exchange accurate information, visual ability to review detailed reports and information. The person in this position occasionally needs to move around the office space to access files and office machinery. The person in this role will also need to frequently attend external meetings and events, including outside of traditional business hours. 

Tools and Equipment Used

• Incumbent must be able to use multi-line telephone, calculator, copy machines, computers, postage machine, and other office equipment.
• Able to become proficient in MS Office Suite software as well as fundraising, publishing and research applications.

To Apply

Send resume and cover letter to humanresources@wfmn.org. Applications accepted through May 20, 2024, or until filled. Please note that WFM participates in E-Verify, which is a service to confirm employment eligibility. This process will occur after an offer of employment is extended.