New York, NY

Supported by the Mellon, Hewlett and Niarchos Foundations, Ithaka is an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping accelerate the adoption of productive and efficient uses of information technology for the benefit of the worldwide higher education community. Our initial focus is on helping promising not-for-profit projects develop sustainable organizational and economic models. Ithaka is affiliated with JSTOR and ARTstor, and is currently incubating three new initiatives: Portico, an effort to build a trusted and reliable archive of born-electronic journals; Aluka, a project with an aim to make primary source material from the developing world more widely available in digital form; and NITLE, an effort to help smaller colleges make full use of new electronic and networking technologies to support teaching and research. We are a small, growing entrepreneurially-minded organization that values teamwork, a collegial spirit and collaboration.

Ithaka supports the affiliated and incubated entities through the provision of three types of services: 1) strategic services, through which we offer strategic advice based on our combination of experience and access to a unique network of relationships with leaders in higher education, philanthropy, business and technology; 2) shared services, which includes provision of administrative, financial and technical services with objectives to lower costs and increase effectiveness for the affiliated and incubated entities while enabling them to focus on mission-specific activities; and 3) research, which is dedicated to supporting the cost recovery goals of affiliated and incubated entities while also informing the general higher education community of the impact of new technologies.

Ithaka is searching for a Director of Human Resources with strong leadership abilities and a well rounded generalist background with particular emphasis on benefits administration, compensation, compliance, and organizational development. As part of a shared services group, this position will report directly to the Vice President of Shared Services and Administration, serve as an integral part of the organization’s leadership team and provide human resources support to a major foundation and several affiliated, not-for-profit entrepreneurial organizations.

The Director of Human Resources will:

* Manage and oversee the human resource team (noted in more detail below) in the areas of staffing, recruiting, compensation administration, employee relations, benefits administration, organizational effectiveness, training development, employee communications, policy design, regulatory compliance, etc.;
* Coordinate the development of comprehensive human resources plans, including annual and quarterly goals, as a result of understanding needs of, and working in conjunction with, the supported organizations;
* Ensure the management and maintenance of all essential records of employment, benefits and training using technological solutions to increase efficiency;
* Proactively monitor compensation programs and policies to maintain market competitiveness and internal equity, including conducting regular benchmarking analyses;
* Work with the Manager of Benefits & HRIS staff member to make recommendations regarding health and welfare benefit programs, products and services;
* Address potential employee and organizational issues, and work closely with the General Counsels of each entity, when necessary, to ensure that employment practices are in compliance with regulatory requirements and reflect the values and cultures of the organizations;
* Recommend and coordinate employee and management training and development based on the demands of individual organizations including needs assessment and identifying appropriate training resources.
* Travel between U.S. office locations will be required – New York City, Princeton, NJ and Ann Arbor, MI.

To carry out these duties, the Director of Human Resources will lead a small, dynamic human resources team consisting of two HR generalists, a Manager of Benefits & HRIS and two administrators whose responsibilities include:

Staffing & Selection

* Provide guidance to managers in the development of staffing plans.
* Partner with hiring managers to: profile positions, provide salary recommendations based on internal equity and competitiveness in the market, and prepare offer letters.
* Guide the selection process of candidates including candidate source development, interviewing and selection of staff.
* Develop new hire orientation processes and ensure appropriate orientation is provided to new employees.

Employee Relations & Organizational Effectiveness

* Assist in the development and maintenance of employee policies and handbooks.
* Provide objective perspective to both managers and employees in support of employee relations issues.
* Coordinate the investigation and response to any employee concerns or complaints; monitor the implementation of the management action.
* Develop termination procedures for exiting employees and conduct exit interviews.
* Provide effective and timely internal communication relating to human resource programs, organization issues, and initiatives.
* Proactively address potential employee and organizational issues to ensure that employment practices are in compliance with regulatory requirements and reflect the values and cultures of the various organizations.

Compensation & Benefits

* Keep up-to-date benefits to reflect changes in the law and in the needs of the organizations
* Help communicate and orient employees to benefits programs and respond to inquiries about coverage parameters and claims.
* Help develop competitive salary information to ensure external and internal pay equity and compliance with intermediate sanctions regulations.
* Work with managers to address issues of compensation and their resolution.
* Work with the General Counsels to ensure legal compliance in the delivery of human resources.
* Interact with Finance on payroll needs and coordination.
* Ensure effective processes and procedures.
* Develop and manage the HRIS system.
*Maintain relationships with all benefit providers.br> * Make recommendations concerning health and welfare benefit plans.

Performance Management / Training & Development

* Assist in the development of annual performance review policies and procedures.
* Contribute to the enhancement of performance review models and assist managers in the coordination of performance and salary reviews.
* Coordinate employee training and development based on the needs of the individual organizations including needs assessment and identifying appropriate training resources.

Required Skills and Experiences

Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree, a minimum 8-12 years of human resources management experience, possess strong change management skills and have demonstrated experience driving cultural transformation. The ideal candidate must be able to excel in a constantly changing environment with the ability handle competing priorities and also possess the versatility, resourcefulness and the “roll up your sleeves” approach needed to be successful in a small organization. Candidates with previous experience in a professional services organization are highly desirable, as are candidates with prior experience coordinating HR across a number of different, but related organizations. Influencing and consensus management skills are invaluable. The candidate must have:

* Track-record of building consultative relationships with managers to support and influence decision making;
* Demonstrated problem solving, and counseling skills;
* Ability to relate to multiple constituencies and different cultural environments and styles, and to devise common solutions when desired;
* Desire to work in a hands on, entrepreneurial and collaborative environment;
* Aptitude to work independently and to research solutions on a broad array of HR disciplines and make sound, thoughtful recommendations on actions and policies;
* Ability to demonstrate value of services to customers using quantitative and qualitative metrics aligned with organizational goals;
* Attitude of innovation, carefully considering alternate processes, procedures, automation, simplification and elimination of redundant or unnecessary services;
* Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; highly computer literate.
* Advanced degree or SHRM certification is a plus.

The position offers a competitive salary, an excellent benefits package, and the opportunity to grow and expand human resources management skills.

Qualified candidates should submit a resume, cover letter and salary requirements to:

hrdirector@ithaka.org

We will consider each response carefully, but only contact those individuals we feel are most qualified for the position.

Ithaka is an equal opportunity employer that offers a competitive salary, an excellent benefits package, and the opportunity to grow and expand your professional skills.