About Community Action Marin
COMMUNITY ACTION MARIN'S MISSION: We make it possible for people in Marin to achieve well-being by providing the vital services they need. Together, we break down the barriers that get in the way of fair and lasting change in service to better outcomes for all.
We hold a shared vision for equity: Those who live, work, and visit Marin, including all racial and ethnic groups, experience fair and just inclusion. We act together to rectify historic patterns of racial, class, and gender marginalization, ensuring that all see themselves reflected in decision making and that all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.
Position: Director of People & Culture
Reports to: Senior Director, People & Culture
Department: People & Culture
Pay Rate:$130,000- $150,000 yr.
The Director of People & Culture is a strategic and operational leader who supports the design and execution of CAM's people strategy in alignment with the agency's mission, values, and Equity & Well-Being Roadmap. Reporting to the Vice President, People & Culture, this role provides direct oversight of key HR functions; employee relations, training and learning, policy compliance, and P&C operations and contributes to initiatives that foster a high-performing, inclusive, and mission-aligned workforce.
The Director plays a key role in ensuring compliance, strengthening leadership and staff capabilities, and fostering equitable and consistent employee experience. This role serves as a thought partner across departments and builds the systems and infrastructure to enable the P&C team to scale effectively and drive outcomes.
Essential Functions
Leadership & Team Oversight
•Provide direct supervision and strategic guidance to the People & Culture Manager, who oversees benefits administration, leaves of absence, workers' compensation, performance evaluation processing, and HRIS operations. Serve as a thought partner to the VP on high-level benefits strategy, vendor partnerships, and compliance planning, while supporting the Manager's growth into these areas.
•Provide direct oversight to the Learning & Training Senior Manager, who leads staff development programs for frontline staff, case managers, success coaches, and peer support groups. Ensure alignment between frontline learning and organizational development goals.
•Serve as the P&C leadership liaison for the Staff Council, a cross-site peer body representing employee voice and feedback. Support recruitment, engagement, and sustainability of the Council as a communication bridge between leadership and staff.
•Foster team cohesion, continuous learning, and a culture of accountability within the P&C department, modeling trauma-informed and equity-centered leadership.
•Serve as a backup or support to the VP of People & Culture or P&C Manager as needed during absences, while maintaining boundaries on direct ownership of unrelated areas.
Employee Relations & Compliance Oversight
•Serve as the lead advisor and investigator on sensitive employee relations matters, including performance, misconduct, retaliation, discrimination, and conflict resolution.
•Conduct timely, thorough investigations and partner with legal counsel, union representatives, and leadership as needed.
•Ensure consistent application of policies and procedures across all levels of the organization.
•Oversee the review, revision, and communication of employee policies and practices to ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and union regulations.
•Monitor legal and regulatory updates and recommend responsive changes to policies, protocols, and practices.
Training, Learning & Development
•Serve as the primary architect and facilitator of CAM's monthly People Manager Trainings, ensuring content is practical, equity-centered, and aligned with leadership competencies and agency values.
•Co-design and support delivery of agency-wide leadership training, including content for directors, senior leaders, and emerging managers.
•Lead the buildout of CAM U within the Rippling platform, establishing a centralized learning management system for compliance, onboarding, and ongoing development.
•Champion and embed CAM's 70-20-10 career development model, designing tools and training for managers to support learning through experience, coaching, and formal education.
•Support all leaders in building and implementing individual workplans for their teams, in alignment with CAM's strategic workforce planning framework.
•Partner with program and department leads to assessing learning needs, track engagement, and evaluate impact.
•Ensure training content meets compliance and funder requirements (e.g., Title 22, Mandated Reporter, DEI, trauma-informed practice, etc.) and is documented appropriately.
Policy, Process & System Improvement
•Ensure all internal people policies are reviewed annually, legally vetted, and aligned with CAM's values and CBA requirements.
•Oversee the internal policy matrix and coordinate with program leaders to ensure consistency in practice and compliance across sites.
•Partner with the P&C Coordinator to use data and audits to proactively identify and address risks in compliance, equity, or accountability.
•Help document and standardize key people processes to ensure consistent delivery across the employee lifecycle.
Organizational Culture & Equity
•Act as a key implementer of CAM's Equity & Well-Being Roadmap by ensuring people policies, leadership practices, and staff training reflect equity-centered design.
•Co-lead employee engagement and recognition initiatives (e.g., Employee Recognition Program, Opinion Surveys).
•Serve as a cultural steward and role model for inclusive and trauma-informed leadership.
Qualifications
Education:
•As a CAM Requirement, all applicants must possess a High School Diploma or equivalent (GED), Bachelor's degree in Human Resources/Organizational Development/Business Administration or related field.
•Certification such as SHRM-SCP, SPHR preferred
Experience:
•Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in HR experience, with at least 2–3 years in a managerial or director-level role in a complex organization.
•Experience supervising and developing HR team members and leading cross-departmental initiatives.
•Experience working with union contracts (preferred), investigations, and policy compliance required.
Skills and Abilities:
•Strong understanding of California employment law, labor standards, and HR compliance practices.
•Expertise in employee relations, training design, and policy development.
•Demonstrated ability to manage confidential, complex, and high-stakes personnel matters with professionalism and discretion.
•Experience working in unionized, nonprofit, or multi-site environments strongly preferred.
•Bilingual (English/Spanish)
•Proactive communicator with strong coaching, facilitation, and influencing skills across diverse audiences.
•Experience leading HR investigations and resolving conflict in a thoughtful and trauma-informed manner.
•Ability to translate policy and compliance requirements into clear, staff-friendly procedures.
•Skilled in cross-functional project management and system improvement work.
•High attention to detail, follow-through, and documentation standards.
•A strong commitment to social justice, equity and the agency's mission to provide high-quality programs to serve low-income individuals and families.
•Deep understanding – and ability to articulate – the role equity, inclusion, and diversity plays in our work.
Software:
•Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications: Outlook, Word, Excel, and Internet Explorer
•Experience with HRIS platforms (Rippling strongly preferred), Power BI, Asana, and budget systems (Sage preferred).
Confidential and Sensitive Information:
•Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and maintain confidentiality.
Physical Demands:
Employees in this role may be required to perform the following physical activities, with or without reasonable accommodation:
- Bend: Flexion of the upper trunk forward while standing and knees extended, or knees flexed when sitting
- Lift: Exertion of physical strength to move objects 10-25lbs from one level to another
- Carry: Hold or rest weighted objects 10-25lbs directly on hands, arms, shoulders, or back while moving from one location to another
- Climb: Ascend/descend with gradual or continuous progress, using both hands and feet
- Push: Exertion of force on or against an object (weight/size) to move it from one location to another
- Feel: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin
- Travel: Travel to sites using a personal vehicle may be required based on job duties
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