HR Business Partner

About Horizons 

Horizons for Homeless Children is hiring a Human Resource Business Partner (HRBP) to join our team. At Horizons each team member is an important part of our mission to improve the lives of young children experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts by providing high-quality early education opportunities for play and help their families succeed through comprehensive family support services. The HR Department proudly supports this mission and the talented team of 130+ employees that makes it happen each day.  

Summary of Position 

The HRBP reports to the Chief People Officer. Our HRBP has a strong focus on employee relations and partners with departments and within HR to design and implement programs, activities and initiatives that align with the strategic objectives of Horizons and the individual departments. The HRBP also leads and supports training and development, performance management, employee wellbeing, HR Information System, rewards and recognitions programs, employee tracking, onboarding and exit programs, etc. The HRBP develops strong credible partnerships and works across all levels of the organization from hourly to senior leaders, teachers and administrative staff and substitutes. 

Horizons employees reflect the communities we serve. As a result, we have a diverse group of staff who require HR support in English and Spanish and we invite bilingual candidates to apply. 

Where and when you’ll work 

This is a full-time, exempt, 40-hour a week position. This position is 4 days in the office and 1 day working remotely during regular business hours. There will be occasional evening or weekend events with advanced notice. We are located at  Edgerley Family Horizons Center at 1785 Columbus Ave, Roxbury, MA.  

This position requires the employee to comply with all applicable federal, state, local and company policy concerning immunizations, employment physical/screening, and Background record check. 

Wellbeing and Belonging 

The equitable world has always been at the center of Horizons’ mission, but in the last several years we’ve recommitted to the role Horizons plays in rectifying some of the problems we see and wish to address. Visit our Commitment to Workforce DEI page to learn more about what that looks like at Horizons for Homeless Children. 

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. 

For more information about Horizons, please visit horizonschildren.org. 

Responsibilities 

Employee Relations 

• Establish strong partnerships with employees across the organization.  

• Collaborate with management in assessing department leadership/management capabilities, employee relations climate, individual and team performance, development opportunities, department structure, roles, staffing, rewards and recognition, and overall engagement.  

• Coach supervisors on complex employee situations, problem prevention, resolution, early identification of ER issues, employee relations techniques, corrective action and documentation, and performance management best practices to support continuous learning and skill building. 

• Provide expert advice, coaching and guidance to employees at all levels on employment matters, and help develop positive interpersonal problem-solving skills. 

• Conduct workplace investigations as needed, providing accurate and timely responses to concerns, summary reports and determining solutions to ensure fairness and legal compliance. 

• Develop and deliver new employee day one orientation and the First Year Experience. 

Policy Advancement & Maintenance and Compliance 

• Partner with the Chief People Officer on the advancement and maintenance of HR policies. Develop, draft and revise policies as needed guided by our mission and vision. 

• Provide policy interpretation and compliance information regarding various employment-related state and federal statutes and regulations.  

• Responsible for the ADA interactive process, working with the HR team and supervisors resulting in reasonable accommodations. Work closely with the HR Generalist on staff returning from leave who may require accommodations. 

• Stay current on HR regulations and notices ensuring compliance across the workplace.  

Engagement and Recognition 

• Drive employee engagement and wellbeing, promoting and supporting Horizons’ employee programs and initiatives, including annual employee engagement survey, professional development funds, recognition and milestone awards and events. 

• Cultivate and promote a healthy organizational culture, in alignment with the values and mission of Horizons, championing the continued health of our diverse community. 

• Develop and maintain a Stay and Exit Interview program whereby the data is regularly reviewed and shared with supervisors and leaders to learn from.   

• Utilizing the information from the engagement survey, exit and stay interviews, etc., develop content for the all-staff meetings throughout the year. 

• Ensure our employee recognition program reflects the needs and desires of the organization, rewarding excellence and those who recognize it. Lead the annual staff awards night. 

• Oversee and lead the Navigating Your Career program, helping employees envision their ongoing career development and growth.  

Reporting and People Data 

• Utilize metrics to drive HR projects and understand the focus of employee needs, identify trends and provide insights to improve the employee experience. Generate regular reports. 

• Collaborate with HR team to identify, standardize, and implement data & analytics solutions, including enhanced tools and process improvements. 

• Support Benefits Administrator and serve as back up when out on vacations and/or leaves. 

• Develop, launch and report on the onboarding experience through surveying all new hires as they go through the onboarding experience. Use the data to continuously refresh and improve the experience. 

Training and Development 

• Lead the existing performance management process, manage the platform (Paycom) and make recommendations for an improved employee experience. 

• Work with HR professionals to develop content as appropriate, and deliver various management, communication, and policy training programs.  

• In partnership with the Sr. HR Director, develop and deliver monthly supervisor training program building the competencies of our middle managers. 

• Partner in the development, enhancement, and execution of HR programs and related organizational initiatives. 

Starting salary range, compensation, and benefits

$86,000-$96,000 is the starting salary range for this role. Your starting salary will fall within that range depending on your competencies, experience, and skillset.

Your total compensation package includes the following benefits:

Health coverage options designed to be as comprehensive and affordable for you as possible, with Horizons covering between 70-75% of premiums (a value that ranges from an additional $10,000 –30,000 per year based on your enrollment choices).

While you have a choice between an HMO and PPO plan for medical coverage, most employees pay $99 for individual, $199 for 2-person, or $314 for family coverage per biweekly paycheck and never pay more than $300 for individual or $600 for 2-person/family toward deductibles.

Visit The Benefits of Working at Horizons for more details on the rest of our benefits package

Qualifications 

Education & experience 

• At least 6 years of experience in HR, 4+ in Employee Relations. 

• HR certification (PHR or SHRM-CP) a plus. 

• Experience administering HR information systems required, Paycom preferred. 

• Working knowledge of multiple human resources disciplines, including employee relations, conflict resolution, compensation practices, benefits, performance management, and federal and state respective employment laws. 

• Proven track record in assessing situations and creating innovative solutions. 

• Experience supporting diverse employee populations, particularly multilingual groups. 

• Experience delivering and/or facilitating effective and engaging employee trainings and employee relations solutions. 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities 

• Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred. 

• Strong commitment to supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and continuous learning and improvement  

• A strengths-based and mutual respect approach to coaching supervisors in managing workloads, providing appropriate support, and addressing professional development needs. 

• Able to communicate complicated concepts and processes so all can understand. 

• Partner with others to effectively manage all types of employee relations cases. 

• Excellent coaching, facilitation, and conflict resolution skills, including communication, collaboration, case handling, and project management 

• Experience with various employment law issues such as harassment, discrimination, workplace violence, ethical issues, etc. 

• Strong customer service orientation. 

• Motivated self-starter who is comfortable working as part of team and independently. 

• Previous experience working in nonprofit or early education (with teachers) environments is preferred.