Director of People

The application deadline for this role is Thursday, October 16th.

Public Rights Project envisions a democracy built by the people that delivers equity and justice —- where every community has a government fighting for their civil rights.

Public Rights Project (PRP) is an 501c3 non-partisan, non-profit organization founded in 2017 by Jill Habig, an Ashoka award-winning fellow and former civil rights attorney. PRP is a fully remote team working across nine states. Some of its key funders include Ford Foundation, Skoll Foundation, Crankstart, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Democracy Fund.

Mission Statement

To close the gap between the promise of our laws and the lived reality of marginalized communities. PRP works hand in hand with local, state and tribal governments across the U.S. to equitably enforce laws that protect people's civil and human rights.

Vision Statement

Envision a democracy built by the people that delivers equity and justice — where every community has a government fighting for their civil rights.

Organization Website

You can learn more about Public Rights Project at their website.

What You'll Do

The Director of People will play a critical role at the intersection of law, government, and social justice, partnering with leadership to shape PRP's culture, build career pathways, and ensure every employee feels supported to do their best work. This is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned, strategic, equity-focused people leader who thrives on building scalable systems, fostering inclusive cultures, and guiding organizations through growth and change.

Key Responsibilities

HR Policy & Compliance

• Implement and refine HR strategies to support the organization's long-term growth
• Develop, implement and update HR policies and the employee handbook; ensure compliance with federal, state and local employment laws
• Oversee systems and processes for employee relations, compensation, benefits and leaves; monitor and audit for consistency, equity and compliance
• Partner with leadership to ensure all employment practices are ethical, inclusive and legally sound
• Guide the organization to address and resolve employee relations incidents, personnel matters, and other organizational challenges and issues that arise; recommend improvements to policies, systems, and processes to resolve and prevent challenges

Performance Management

• Lead rollout and ongoing management of PRP's new performance management system, ensuring consistent communication, effective training and strong adoption across staff
• Equip managers with tools, training and guidance for effective performance reviews and ongoing feedback with their teams
• Co-design and structure career pathways, long-term development plans, and succession planning with relevant PRP stakeholders
• Develop and coordinate training to support growth in organizational competencies and other skills for all staff, including vendor recruitment and management where needed
• Shape PRP's management ethos by building manager learning arcs, and professional development opportunities for people managers
• Coach managers to be strong supervisors and support employee learning, growth and advancement

Culture & Employee Engagement

• Act as a trusted advisor to staff and managers, ensuring issues are being addressed promptly, fairly and in alignment with PRP's values
• Drive organization-wide DEIB initiatives, partnering with the leadership team and staff, including working groups or ad hoc task forces where appropriate
• Partner with leadership teams on organizational health, change management and strategic planning
• Develop strategies and tactics to support the organization's overarching goals, foster an inclusive work environment and strengthen culture over time

Talent Strategy & People Operations

• Oversee the People team, including the Recruiting Manager and People Operations Manager (and other future hires as needed), ensuring alignment of recruitment and HR operations with PRP's strategic goals and DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging) commitments
• Partner with the Executive Leadership Team on workforce planning to anticipate staffing needs and prioritize hires
• Strengthen PRP's ability to attract and retain top talent by advising on recruitment strategies, positioning and people practices
• Oversee all hiring and onboarding practices and ensure they are compliant, equitable and consistently applied across the organization

Who You'll Work With

• You will report to the Chief Operating Officer and serve as a thought partner to the Executive Leadership Team.
• You will supervise the Recruiting Manager and People Operations Manager.

Required Skills and Experience

• 10–15 years of experience in HR, people operations, recruitment, or related fields, including managing HR teams; experience building and implementing performance management frameworks is ideal
• Strong people management skills (3–5+ years managing staff)
• Deep experience in employee relations, HR policy, compliance, compensation, and benefits across multiple states
• Expertise embedding DEIB principles into HR strategy and practice
• Proven ability to partner with senior leaders to shape organizational strategy and culture
• Skilled in managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders
• Excellent communicator, detail-oriented project manager, and proactive problem-solver
• Comfortable with both high-level strategy and hands-on execution
• Familiarity with Google Suite, Office 365, Salesforce, Cornerstone, and Asana (or willingness to learn)
• A strong belief in the power of government to drive change and a passion for racial, economic, gender, and environmental justice

Remote Work Environment

PRP is a fully remote organization and team. This role may require travel a few times a year to PRP events or meetings. We currently have remote staff in Oakland, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), and Washington, D.C., as well as other cities.

PRP is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity. A diverse and inclusive workplace, both at PRP and within the government offices we serve, is a key ingredient for achieving our mission of building equitable enforcement capacity within state and local government.

We aim to assemble a team that reflects the world we live in and the communities we serve with respect to race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and immigration status. People with personal or family experience with the type of harms we seek to combat, including wage theft, predatory lending, fraud, discrimination, and environmental degradation are particularly encouraged to apply.

The application deadline for this role is Thursday, October 16th.