Vice President, People & Culture - Social Services

Overview

Our client, a mission-driven nonprofit organization in Illinois, is seeking a Vice President to lead the People & Culture function. This organization provides residential, vocational, and community-based services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The ideal candidate will possess strong communication skills, excellent collaboration abilities, and the capacity to navigate complex organizational relationships while maintaining the highest standards of HR excellence.

• Strategic Leadership & Transformation:
  Partner with the CEO and leadership team to develop and implement a three-year strategic HR plan supporting organizational goals. Serve as the lead architect for workplace culture initiatives, evolving the organization into an "employer of choice". Lead HR initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, employee performance, and organizational culture. Serve as primary liaison to the Board HR Committee, preparing presentations and strategic reports.
  
  Manage HR department budget and resources strategically.
• Change Management & Culture Building:
  Act as facilitator and consensus-builder across the Senior Leadership Team, ensuring high buy-in for HR initiatives. Bridge communication gaps between shifts, departments, and leadership levels. Establish structured stay-interview and culture audit programs to proactively identify and address employee needs. Design and implement employee recognition programs and engagement strategies. Foster a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and connected to the mission.
• Process Engineering & Systems Optimization:
  Conduct comprehensive audit of all HR workflows to eliminate redundancies and improve service delivery speed and quality. Fully leverage Paycom HRIS to transition from manual tracking to data-driven decision-making. Provide leadership with real-time dashboards on workforce health and key metrics. Ensure standardization of personnel policy application across the organization for equitable treatment. Identify and implement technology solutions for HR process improvements.
• Data-Driven Accountability & Financial Stewardship:
  Partner with the CEO and Controller to analyze labor data (overtime, agency usage, turnover) and hold department heads accountable for staffing efficiencies. Develop comprehensive reports on turnover, retention, compensation, and workforce planning. Create and maintain dashboards for ongoing monitoring of critical HR indicators. Drive measurable reduction in reliance on temporary agency labor. Use data analytics to measure the effectiveness of HR programs and calculate ROI on technology investments.
• Talent Acquisition & Retention:
  Develop a multi-year recruitment and retention roadmap addressing the unique challenges of the Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce. Oversee full recruitment lifecycle from job posting through onboarding. Design competitive compensation and benefits programs. Create and implement succession planning for key positions. Establish metrics to evaluate recruitment effectiveness and retention outcomes.
• Labor Relations & Legal Compliance:
  Serve as primary contact for union negotiations and contract administration in a unionized environment. Manage grievance processes and represent the organization during arbitration proceedings. Manage the organization's response to employment-related legal matters, working with external counsel when needed. Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws (e.g., IDPH, OSHA, HIPAA, DCFS requirements). Train managers on contract interpretation, compliance, and conflict resolution.
• Performance Management & Accountability:
  Transform the performance management system from annual reviews to a continuous feedback model. Tie individual and departmental goals directly to organizational strategic KPIs. Lead a high-accountability performance culture while maintaining a supportive employee environment. Collaborate with the Training Director to align HR strategies with professional development initiatives. Ensure organizational succession planning and leadership development.
• Employee Relations &
  
  Risk Management:
  
  Co…