Human Rights Watch is seeking an experienced and motivated Human Resources (HR) leader to provide leadership, vision, and strategic direction to design and implement our policies, practices and culture at this critical moment. These efforts are vital to enhancing HRW’s effectiveness, relevance, and sustainability for the next decade, as a platform for delivering sustained impact to secure human dignity, equality, and justice.
The Chief People Officer (CPO) will report to the Deputy Executive Director and serve on the organization’s most senior leadership body (the Executive Management Team). The CPO will be responsible for implementing HRW’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, and leading efforts to ensure a resilient and thriving staff community, in ways that reflect our global role, identity, and mandate. The CPO will oversee recruitment and hiring, international compensation and benefits, performance management, learning and development, and employee and labor relations. The CPO will foster a culture of success, accountability, transparency, and collaboration across multiple locations and jurisdictions.
At a time of great change and challenge both at HRW and for the human rights movement around the world, this position is an opportunity to play a strategic leadership role in the evolution of an extraordinary organization with a vital mission.
The CPO is based in HRW's New York headquarters, with periodic travel overseas. We estimate about 20-25% travel, to be supplemented by the travel of a NYC-based Deputy as well as that of a Europe-based Deputy (to be hired).
Leadership and Change Management
- Create and execute an HR strategy that is aligned with the organization’s mission, vision, and strategic plan as well as HR and organizational development best practices ensuring buy-in to the HR strategy across the organization;
- Lead initiatives to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion at Human Rights Watch to align with our values and role in the human rights movement, foster effectiveness, and attract, support and retain talent;
- Act as a trusted advisor and strategic contributor to senior leadership and internal teams and task forces to provide vision, leadership, coordination, and oversight on organizational initiatives relating to stress and resilience and internal accountability;
- Advise senior leadership and managers and recommend proven best practice approaches that are fit for purpose at HRW to solving problems on complex HR issues;
- Adjust the organization’s culture and processes to serve a rapidly changing internal and external environment;
- Recruit/retain, lead, develop, and mentor direct-reports, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely constructive feedback, ensuring balanced workloads, providing guidance on professional growth, and monitoring staff well-being as it pertains to stress and resilience issues and self-care; and
- Communicate effectively and lead presentations, when necessary, with internal and external stakeholders including leadership teams, internal committees, staff, vendors, funders, and the Board of Directors.
Human Resources
- Represent HR, identify gaps, offer best practice solutions, and provide guidance with regard to long-term institutional needs (e.g., staffing, salaries, benefits, diversity and inclusion, stress and resilience, professional development, personal conduct, accountability) and serve on institutional fora such as strategic staff committees and working groups;
- Collaborate with in-house and outside counsel in multiple global jurisdictions on compliance with local statutory requirements including to draft and maintain contracts, employee handbooks, and HR policies;
- Oversee organization-wide staffing of all positions including crafting and reviewing job descriptions; setting hiring procedures for recruitment, screening, interviewing, reference checks, and job offers; overseeing international visa petitions and relocations; and approving all hire letters and consultancy agreements;
- Develop comprehensive, systematic approaches to employee onboarding, development, and retention by refining or creating compensation and benefits structures, career paths, employee development, succession planning, and learning opportunities as appropriate to the needs of the staff and organization;
- Manage total compensation globally by setting initial salary bands/determinations and participating in salary reviews for all staff; conducting periodic salary and benefits benchmarking surveys within local labor markets and developing related salary protocols; and overseeing annual auditing and selection/negotiation of global benefits package;
- Manage and resolve employee relations issues including overseeing employee disciplinary issues and performance improvement plans;
- Enhance and oversee performance management including introductory reviews, annual performance reviews, quarterly check-ins, and 360 evaluation processes;
- Develop innovative approaches to training delivery, including management training, professional development for staff, and effective onboarding processes;
- Oversee, assess, and implement human resources information systems to meet the organization’s complex needs to effectively execute HR’s oversight responsibilities and to ensure HR systems, files, and databases are in compliance with applicable laws, in partnership with the HRW Information Technology and security teams; and
- Perform other responsibilities as required.
- A minimum of 12-15 years of progressive experience in an HR leadership role, preferably in a large, dynamic, mission-driven environment operating internationally
- Experience supporting employees in multiple locations globally and building rapport and trust across all levels in the organization
- Track record of, and passion for, being a collaborative team player with excellent leadership, management, interpersonal, and organizational skills who can empathetically engage with staff across levels and jurisdictions
- Track record of leading a mission-driven or business-aligned and enabling HR function
- Track record of identifiable and measurable successes in managing and advising on complex projects, implementing operational change, and ensuring high-quality deliverables
- Experience building inclusive workplaces and leading equitable practices across all HR functions
- Ability to coach colleagues to understand stakeholders’ perspectives and to handle high-level stakeholder challenges
- Track record of recruiting and retaining a well-functioning, top of class HR team
- Strong expertise and knowledge in all facets of human resources across multiple jurisdictions, including compensation or total rewards
- Excellent presentation, communication, public speaking, and listening skills
- A high level of professionalism and ability to work with sensitive and confidential matters by displaying strong judgement and leveraging outstanding relationship and diplomatic skills
- Demonstrated commitment to human rights and/or international issues
- The capacity to master and represent the mission of HRW
Desirable Qualifications / Skills
- Proficiency in at least one other language in addition to English
- Proven experience in developing, implementing, and maintaining a fair and equitable global compensation philosophy