Director – People and Culture

The Organization and Role

About Access Now

Access Now defends and extends the digital rights of people and communities at risk. As a grassroots-to-global organization, we partner with local actors to bring a human rights agenda to the use, development, and governance of digital technologies, and to intervene where technologies adversely impact our human rights. By combining direct technical support, strategic advocacy, grassroots grantmaking, and convenings such as RightsCon, we fight for human rights in the digital age.

About this role

The Director — People and Culture leads across Access Now’s human resources team, and across a highly diverse, international and primarily remote team of 140 staff, to support the growing operations and people-facing demands of the Organization’s strategic development and dynamic environment. The Director — People and Culture has a portfolio of duties spanning organizational culture, people development, remuneration, change management, team member wellbeing, strong support to leadership and quality of team member experience at every turn. They are a strong strategic leader able to support our senior leadership and who is confident in facilitating/enabling structural changes and fostering a strong and inclusive organizational culture in a multicultural environment. The role is responsible for promoting and enabling a strong, functioning, healthy and collaborative team.

The Director — People and Culture works closely with global operations and senior leadership team members, managing regional HR Coordinators across multiple locations with different time zones, recruiters, and a matrixed work of regional operations managers. The Director reports through the Chief Operating Officer.

What you will do

Strategy and Leadership Support

• Translate organizational goals into HR actions and propose solutions to challenges
• Engage the team and leadership in thinking about organizational structures, work processes and team dynamics and propose changes in those areas to cultivate a positive organizational culture and efficient, clear and engaging work processes
• Provide advice on improvements of communication lines and org-wide communication processes in support of improved people experiences
• Support leaders with resources, advice, coaching and guidance around leadership approaches in line with Organization values

Organizational Culture

• Cultivate an inclusive environment through collaboration and human rights-based employee relations practices
• Develop and promote initiatives to foster positive team culture with focus on team member engagement, work-life balance, holistic strategies for team member health, wellness, and safety
• Identify tools, partners and stakeholders that can support and nurture the team’s culture across many time zones, cultures and identities
• With the entire team and senior leadership, co-create platforms and spaces that would drive collection and action around the team’s feedback, recommendations, and other inputs on operational priorities and practices

Performance and Talent Management

• Create, build and sustain pathways and talent retention within the Organization, using performance management, succession planning, and feedback systems
• Champion learning and development around the Organization through management of identified professional development activities
• Provide strong managerial support and guidance regarding performance interventions and conflict management across the Organization

Remuneration

• Ensure organizational sustainability and strength through benchmarking, relativity, and other studies to inform leadership and systems decisions
• Coordinate compensation and benefit strategies and systems in close collaboration with Director – Global Finances and regional operations managers
• Manage procurement of, and relationships with, benefits service providers and payroll agencies
• Partner with managers and directors to ensure equitable application of compensation policies across the Organization

Staffing

• Oversee inclusive and dynamic staffing and talent recruitment processes across the Organization, in coordination with arms and hiring managers to ensure consistent and efficient hiring practices
• Create and maintain annual hiring plans with updates based on development, program, and budget needs
• Design onboarding strategies that align and acclimate global team members to the Organization and its mission; ensure offboarding that provide smooth transitions
• Work with Organization leadership and arm directors to understand and address capacity gaps and resourcing needs across program and operations
• Support the development and management of annual personnel budget and future projections in coordination with Organization’s finance team and relevant arm directors

HR Administration

• Develop, manage and execute HR policies and procedures aligned to global and regional needs
• Ensure compliance with employment law and regulations, in partnership with regional HR leads, legal counsel, and other administrative experts including employer of record.

Skills, education, and mindset you will bring

• 10+ years of human resource and people management experience at an international civil society organization, with experience working in the area of human rights a plus.
• Thorough knowledge of strategic human resource / people management principles and best practices
• Strong leadership skills with ability to inspire and drive change
• Ability to think strategically and translate organizational goals into tangible HR actions
• Strong interpersonal, conflict management and problem solving skills
• Creative and innovative thinking with ability to analyze organizational structures, work processes and team dynamics and inspire Organization and job design practices to cultivate a positive organizational culture and team member engagement
• Exceptional background in managing complex HR issues in a nonprofit setting and supporting multicultural teams with deep commitment and understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion
• Proven experience in driving organizational culture and supporting building networks of empowered and collaborative teams within geographically very dispersed remote teams
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills
• Strong public speaking skills
• Strong project management and organizational skills; attention to detail and the ability to juggle multiple HR projects and deadlines
• Solid knowledge of all HR facets including familiarity with a variety of legal/employment compliance
• Fluency in English required; another language e.g. French, Arabic, or Spanish, helpful
• Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree in a related field preferred; SHRM, PHR or other HR certifications helpful. An equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.

The Details

Location

This is a full-time position, with preference for Costa Rica, Europe (Belgium, Germany), and New York. The successful candidate must possess the right to work in the location in which they will be based. At this time most Access Now Team Members are working through hybrid office arrangements, combining remote at-home work with intermittent use of offices and/or co-working spaces.

Remuneration

Access Now offers competitive compensation and benefits packages that align competitively with locations and regions around the world. Location-specific examples of initial placement within the salary range for this role include:

• • $7,150 USD gross monthly (Costa Rica)
    – €9,275 EUR gross monthly (Germany)
    – €8,673.92 EUR gross monthly (Belgium)
    – $9,980 USD gross monthly (United States)

Benefits for this specific role are tied to the location, and will vary. Regardless of location, all Team Members benefit from a strong global culture aligned around:

• Work-life balance…including a generous paid time-off program between 36 and 40 days annually
• Access to supplemental health care insurance policies
• Professional development and growth opportunities
• Extensive workplace flexibility
• Organizational resilience and support for all team members, including paid family leave and employee assistance programs
• Connection to a diverse, global team of passionate, principled professionals
• Opportunities to recharge (including one month of paid refresher leave after 4 years)