Director of People & Culture

Director of People & Culture

Job Description

Path Home empowers homeless families with children to get back into housing and to stay there. Our programs include Homeless Prevention Family Village Emergency Shelter, Rapid Re-Housing & Housing Retention, and Basic Income Guarantee. Annually, Path Home provides culturally competent, trauma-informed services to over 2,400 kids and parents from more than 680 families. Path Home is a growing organization with significant expansion plans in the next 3 years as we build affordable housing and wrap-around services on our Family Village Campus in the Lents neighborhood.

Path Home believes that intentional, systematic racism and oppression are primary causes of homelessness, and we are working to dismantle systems of oppression within our own organization and the community as a whole. We serve a very diverse group of families, and our goal is to have a staff that reflects the diversity of our families.

Organization: Path Home

Job Title: Director of People & Culture

Reports to: Executive Director

Job Specifics: Full time (40 hours per week), salaried

Compensation: $110,000-$120,000 annually, depending on experience

Benefits: Full health and vision insurance (Regence), and dental insurance (Delta/Willamette). Option to add family at employee’s pre-tax expense. Path Home will contribute an amount equal to 2% of employee’s total annual salary into a Simple IRA. Employee Assistance fund, paid Sabbatical after 7 years, and paid bereavement leave.

Paid Time Off: Three weeks of Paid Time Off (120 hours) plus one week of paid sick time (40 hours) annually. Path Home also recognizes 11 paid holidays throughout the year.

Close date: Position is open until filled. The first review of applications will take place on 10/26/2026.

Path Home values diversity in its workforce and is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for this position, including people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, people with lived experience, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people with criminal backgrounds.

Overview:

The Director of People & Culture serves as Path Home’s senior human resources and people operations leader, a trusted advisor to the Executive Director and leadership team, and a member of the organization’s leadership team. This position is both strategic and highly hands-on. Because Path Home maintains a lean administrative structure, the Director leads organization-wide people strategy while also directly managing critical HR functions, including employee relations, compliance, payroll, benefits, leave administration, performance management, talent acquisition, organizational culture, anti-racism and anti-oppression work, and HR systems. The Director partners closely with organizational leaders to navigate complex employee matters, strengthen management practices, support organizational growth and change, mitigate employment-related risk, and foster an inclusive, anti-oppressive, and trauma-informed workplace. The Director supervises the part-time HR Administrator and builds systems and infrastructure that can grow with the organization.

Specific Job Duties People & Culture Leadership

• Lead Path Home’s people operations function, ensuring effective, compliant, equitable, and employee-centered practices.
• Advise the Executive Director and leadership team on workforce planning, staffing, organizational change, employee relations, and employment-related risk.
• Translate organizational priorities into practical people strategies, policies, systems, and practices using anti-oppressive and trauma-informed lenses.
• Use workforce data, employee feedback, and HR trends to identify opportunities and recommend improvements.
• Maintain a high standard of confidentiality, professionalism, judgment, and ethical decision-making.

Organizational Culture, Engagement & Change

• Lead strategies that strengthen organizational culture, employee engagement, psychological safety, belonging, communication, recognition, and workplace well-being.
• Gather employee feedback through surveys, pulse checks, exit feedback, and other listening strategies. Translate findings into organizational improvements.
• Monitor retention, turnover, engagement, and workforce trends and recommend responsive strategies.
• Advise leaders on the people and culture impacts of organizational growth, restructuring, new programs, and significant change.
• Develop practical change-management strategies that support clear communication, alignment, engagement.
• Serve as sponsor and advisor to Path Home’s employee Culture and Belonging Committee.

Employee Relations, Compliance & Management Development

• Serve as the primary organizational resource for complex employee relations matters.
• Conduct or oversee workplace investigations involving complaints, policy violations, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other workplace concerns.
• Advise and coach leaders and supervisors on performance management, conflict resolution, corrective action, documentation, professional development, and other employee matters.
• Strengthen management practices through supervisor training, coaching, tools, and leadership development.
• Identify employment and compliance risks, ensure compliance with applicable employment laws, and coordinate with employment counsel, insurers, government agencies, and other external partners when appropriate.

Talent, Performance & Employee Development

• Oversee the employee lifecycle, including workforce planning, recruitment, hiring, onboarding, development, retention, internal advancement, and offboarding.
• Lead Path Home’s performance review and individual growth plan processes.
• Partner with organizational leadership to strengthen employee development, internal advancement, and leadership capacity.

Compensation, Benefits, Payroll & HR Systems

• Lead Path Home’s compensation and benefits strategy, including salary benchmarking, pay equity, position classification, annual compensation recommendations, and evaluation of employee benefits.
• Oversee and administer Path Home’s semi-monthly payroll through Paychex, ensuring accurate and timely compensation and compliance with applicable requirements.
• Ensure accurate processing and documentation of new hires, terminations, compensation changes, deductions, garnishments, benefits, leave, and other payroll transactions.
• Ensure the accuracy and integrity of personnel records, HR systems, payroll data, reporting, and HR processes.
• Oversee HR vendors and benefits providers and serve as the primary liaison with Paychex.
• Develop and improve HR systems and processes that increase efficiency, consistency, compliance, and employee service.
• Lead the development, review, interpretation, and implementation of Path Home’s employment policies and Employee Handbook.

Leave Administration & Employee Accommodations

• Administer federal and state leave programs, including FMLA, OFLA, Paid Leave Oregon, workers’ compensation, and other protected leaves.
• Manage disability and pregnancy-related accommodation processes and advise managers regarding return-to-work planning, workplace restrictions, and reasonable accommodations.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible human resources experience, including at least three years in an HR leadership role advising senior leaders and managing complex employee relations and compliance matters.
• Strong working knowledge of Oregon and federal employment law, including employee relations, workplace investigations, leave administration, accommodations, performance management, and HR compliance.
• Experience designing or improving HR systems, policies, processes, or organizational practices.
• Demonstrated ability to advise executive leaders, coach supervisors, influence organizational decisions, and navigate sensitive or complex personnel matters.
• Experience supporting organizational growth or change and developing strategies that promote leadership alignment, staff engagement, and clear communication.
• Experience using workforce data and employee feedback to identify trends and make recommendations.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, conflict resolution, judgment, and problem-solving skills.
• Commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression.
• Demonstrated ability to apply trauma-informed and inclusive practices that foster belonging, trust, and employee well-being.
• Commitment to Path Home’s anti-racism and anti-oppression practices.
• Experience working with HR, payroll, or related technology systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification.
• Human resources experience within a nonprofit organization.
• Experience with HRIS, ATS, and payroll systems.

Note: Path Home currently operates with limited HR-related technology through Paychex Flex. The Director will be expected to work effectively within our current systems while simultaneously helping develop the processes and infrastructure necessary to transition to a more robust HRIS support system.

Work Environment: The Director of People and Culture works in a shared office space and requires the ability to manage multiple priorities, respond to time-sensitive employee matters, maintain confidentiality, and exercise independent judgment. This role regularly interacts with employees, supervisors, leadership, and external partners and requires professionalism, discretion, and the ability to navigate complex interpersonal situations. Some hybrid work is allowed, though at least three days per week will be on site.

To Apply: Send your resume and cover letter in .pdf format to [email protected] with your name and the job title, People & Culture Director,” in the subject line. In your cover letter, please tell us about your experience heading People Operations for a small organization, and how you think about operational workflow, employee relations, and workplace culture. We do not accept calls, unless you are requesting reasonable accommodation for a disability. To request a reasonable accommodation, please contact Zia-Marie Nichols at [email protected] or 971.429.3785.