Director of Talent

What You'll Do

The Director of Talent is responsible for developing and executing Central Synagogue's talent strategy to attract, develop, and retain high-performing staff aligned with the organization's mission, culture, and goals. This role oversees leadership development, talent acquisition, onboarding, and performance management, while measuring and ensuring strong employee engagement.

The Director of Talent will spearhead special projects of high strategic importance in partnership with the rest of the HR team, ranging from performance management, upgrades to compensation benchmarking to management coaching and more. In close collaboration with their HR colleagues, the Director will also serve as a business partner and source of support to Central Synagogue staff, answering questions and empowering them to excel as professionals and leaders. The Director will also work to leverage data and analytics to inform decision-making and systems design within the HR department and otherwise drive organizational upgrades and high-impact HR projects informed by best practices.

Reporting to Central Synagogue's Chief of Staff, the Director of Talent will partner closely with a Director of People Operations and Human Resources Manager, and will serve an overall organization of over 135 full time staff and over 100 part time staff. They will bring strategic talent skills, expertise in core human resource functions, and a deep commitment to Central Synagogue's core values as an open tent and inclusive, welcoming community. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced human capital leader to enhance the employee experience at Central Synagogue.

Key Responsibilities

HR Business Partnership

• Serve as the organization's subject matter expert and coordinator on HR matters including but not limited to recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, coaching, and professional development, among other things.
• Act as primary HRBP to most of Central Synagogue's departments and 135+ staff members.
• Build strong, trusting relationships with stakeholders across the organization through high rates of responsiveness and a customer service orientation.
• Drive employee engagement and retention efforts, collaborating with leaders to develop effective internal communications strategies, processes, tools, and training to elevate leadership skills and promote a strong organizational culture.
• Help to steward the organization successfully through new changes or initiatives by leveraging team-wide relationships and the department's strong reputation.

Systems & Process Improvements

• Develop and implement new policies, processes, trainings, initiatives, and surveys to support the organization's human resources strategy.
• Leverage technology and automation to streamline HR service delivery in line with the scale and complexity of Central Synagogue's growing team.
• Conduct research and analysis of organizational trends through data collection and feedback; elevate the HR department's approach to people analytics through data fluency and technology savvy.
• Maintain knowledge of trends, best practices, and new technologies in human resources; leverage these external insights as well as internal data/feedback to make recommendations to the HR team.
• Bring an orientation of continuous improvement to the HR department; iterate on systems and processes based on best practices and lessons learned.

Special Projects & Key Initiatives

• Spearhead strategic HR initiatives spanning organizational design, professional development, performance management, talent acquisition, employee relations, culture-building, and more.
• Evaluate and streamline Central Synagogue's full cycle recruiting process to increase efficiency and enhance effectiveness, introducing tools and templates to more seamlessly support hiring managers throughout the search process and subsequent onboarding of new hires.
• Create a more holistic approach to performance management at Central Synagogue, including a more strategic and uniform approach to management meetings, feedback delivery, and goal/expectation setting.
• Support Central Synagogue in conducting compensation benchmarking to ensure competitiveness with the market externally and pay equity internally.
• Design and deploy strategic initiatives to promote ongoing learning and development and employee growth.

Who You'll Work With

• You will report to the Chief of Staff of Central Synagogue, who will set the high-level vision for talent strategy and employee experience at the organization.
• You will partner closely with the Director of People Operations, who oversees benefits and internal policies, and serves as HRBP to Central's Facilities/Maintenance and Nursery School teams.
• You will partner closely with the Human Resources Manager, who oversees technical onboarding and offboarding, benefits administration, and provides support across all HR functions.
• You will collaborate frequently across the organization to support Central Synagogue Staff Members with a wide variety of HR initiatives and processes.

• At least 7-10 years of human resources management experience across a range of HR competencies is required; experience as an HR Business Partner or other HR generalist role is preferred.
• Strong data fluency and analytical abilities are required, including high comfort and competence with Microsoft Excel; experience with ADP and/or other HRIS systems is preferred.
• High degrees of conscientiousness, responsiveness, and a strong customer service orientation; excellent relationship building skills with a demonstrated ability to work well with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, including thoughtful, principled, and fair decision-making and the ability to implement those decisions fairly, consistently, and with integrity.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and desire to improve upon the status quo; approaches situations creatively, proactively, and with a strong solutions-orientation.
• Robust organizational and project management skills with an overall execution orientation and an ability to work independently and within teams to manage complex projects in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• Proven ability to achieve goals and align interests through cooperation and collaboration with other groups and cross-functional teams, even where no direct reporting relationship exists.
• Highly tech savvy; adept at mastering new tools and driving adoption, as well as leveraging technology to drive outcomes.

Compensation

The expected salary range for this position is $150K - $180K. Central Synagogue offers an extensive benefits package designed to meet the needs of our dedicated and diverse community. The salary is commensurate with experience based on several factors, including but not limited to skills, knowledge, training, education, areas of specialization, and depth and scope of experience. The above salary range represents the Synagogue's good faith and reasonable estimate of the possible compensation range at the time of posting.

Location and Schedule

Central Synagogue is located in Midtown Manhattan; as such, the Director of Human Resources must be based in New York City or within easily commutable distance. The Director of Talent will adhere to a hybrid schedule with four days in the office and one day remote. In partnership with their team, the Director of Talent may be expected to support and participate in events, which may include weekends and evenings. Working on the High Holy Days, specifically Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is required.

Central Synagogue is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local equal employment laws. To that end, we are dedicated to maintaining a work environment that is free from harassment and discrimination on the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin (including ancestry), religion, gender or sex, sexual orientation (including transgender status, gender identity or expression), pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), alienage or citizenship status (unless required by law), disability, reproductive health decision making (including, but not limited to, the decision to use or access a particular drug, device, or medical service), marital status, partnership status, caregiver status, domestic violence victim status, familial status, military status, unemployment status, genetic information (including genetic characteristics), or any other protected status under federal, state, or local laws. We are dedicated to the fulfillment of this policy with respect to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, placement, transfer, training, promotion, compensation, termination, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.