Vice President, People
About the Center
The Center for Justice Innovation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing community safety and racial justice. Since 1996, we’ve worked alongside communities, courts, and those most directly affected by the justice system to build stronger, healthier, and more equitable neighborhoods. With a team of over 900 staff and an annual budget of $130 million, the Center carries out its mission through three core strategies:
- Operating Programs that pilot new ideas and address local challenges;
- Conducting original research to evaluate what works—and what doesn’t; and
- Providing expert assistance and policy guidance to reformers across the country and beyond.
Backed by decades of on-the-ground experience and nationally recognized expertise, we bring innovative, practical, and lasting solutions to justice systems nationwide.
Learn more about our work at www.innovatingjustice.org.
Our vision for the People function:
In the communities where we work, the Center builds things deliberately. We learn from the people most affected what is needed, build it with them, measure whether it is working, and give it time to take hold. Our vision is a People function that works the same way inside the organization, treating the Center’s work with its own staff with the rigor, partnership, and respect we bring to the communities we serve.
We are looking for a leader who shares this vision. HR expertise matters a great deal in this role, but it will not be enough on its own. The person we hire will succeed here only if they believe the People function should work this way, and want to build it alongside the staff and leaders who have already begun.
The Position:
The Center seeks a mission-driven Vice President of People to bring this vision to life. This leader will be responsible for shaping and executing a forward-looking strategy and roadmap for the People function while ensuring strong day-to-day operations.
The Vice President reports to the Managing Director, Enterprise Strategy and People, and the two work closely together on people strategy and policy. The Vice President leads the People function and makes the day-to-day decisions within it.
This role is ideal for an experienced HR leader, whose path may also run through labor relations, operations or program leadership, and who combines operational discipline with a passion for building a People function that reflects and embodies the Center’s values.
You will also work closely with the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel, with Finance and Business Operations, with Technology, and with the leadership of our three program divisions.
Key responsibilities:
The responsibilities below describe the role as we expect it to operate once established.
Leading and developing the People team
Lead the Employee Relations, HR Operations, and People Experience & Development teams through their three directors, setting shared direction and priorities across the function.
Assess the function’s structure, staffing and roles against its workload, and clarify ownership and hand-offs across the three teams.
Hold regular supervision and growth conversations with direct reports, lead the function’s performance review process, and build visible development pathways and learning opportunities for People staff.
Service delivery and operations
Oversee reliable day-to-day delivery across the employee lifecycle — recruitment and onboarding, benefits, leave and accommodation, promotions and separations — for roughly 900 staff at about forty sites.
Oversee benefits administration, HR systems and vendor relationships — roughly $16.5 million in annual spend — within the approved budget.
Partner with Finance on payroll and with Technology on HR systems and people data.
Ensure changes to People processes and policies are communicated thoughtfully and intentionally, with the reasoning and advance notice to those affected.
People strategy and infrastructure
Bring the Center’s own way of working to its people practices: learn what staff need, design solutions with them, test and measure what is built, and give what works time to take hold.
Finalize the design of an organization-wide job architecture, including title consolidation and an explicit basis for crediting experience, including lived experience and non-traditional backgrounds.
Strengthen and unify the Center’s frameworks for performance management, progressive discipline, promotion and career pathing.
Test and evaluate approaches to how People staff partner with program sites, and bring the evidence to the executive team to inform the function’s long-term model.
Employee relations, compliance and labor partnership
Oversee employee relations and workplace investigations so that they are fair, timely and consistent, and informed by the restorative and procedural justice principles the Center practices in its own work.
Oversee leave and accommodation determinations.
Ensure people practices comply with federal, state and local employment law in every jurisdiction where the Center operates, working with the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel under an agreed escalation list.
Support contract bargaining, administration, and a constructive partnership with the Center’s unions, working with Legal and outside labor counsel on matters touching bargaining.
Organizational leadership and partnership
Serve as the Center’s senior-most voice on people matters, advising the Managing Director, Enterprise Strategy and People.
Build working relationships with the leadership of the three program divisions, and spend regular time at program sites learning how the work is done.
Lead employee listening and internal communication on people matters, and ensure the Center’s values of integrity, impact, equity, and collaboration are reflected in how it treats its own staff.
Required qualifications:
Candidates must meet each of the required qualifications below.
A demonstrated commitment to the vision described above, including experience designing people practices in partnership with the staff they serve and using evidence and data to decide what to build and whether it is working.
Broad and deep HR expertise across employee relations, leave and accommodation, compensation, compliance and HR operations at scale, including working knowledge of federal, New York State, and New York City employment law and multi-state compliance. You will lead the Center’s HR practice and be its senior-most voice on people matters.
Experience building a function or bringing one to a new stage, rather than only running a mature one.
Comfort operating in a partly unionized environment, including contract administration and union partnership.
Preferred qualifications — what will set you apart
A demonstrated habit of learning an organization before changing it. The Center is unusual and place-specific, and the leaders who do well here are the ones who take that seriously.
Genuine comfort in community settings. Much of our work happens in neighborhoods, storefronts and courthouses rather than offices, and a People function that does not go there cannot serve it.
A record of developing the people who report to you, including growth conversations and fostering visible internal growth pathways.
Experience leading a people function for a distributed, multi-site workforce that includes people with lived experience with the criminal legal system.
Ten or more years of progressive experience in HR or people leadership, including senior leadership of a team or function.
Nonprofit, public-sector or other mission-driven experience.
The required qualifications are the baseline for this role. If you meet them, we encourage you to apply even if you do not have every preferred qualification.
Position Type: Full time
Position Location: New York, NY, based at 520 Eighth Avenue, with regular travel to program sites across New York City, and periodic travel to sites in other states. Our current practice is two days per week in person, with flexibility.
Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $215,000 – $230,000 and is commensurate with experience.
Benefits: The Center for Justice Innovation offers an excellent benefits package including comprehensive healthcare with a national network, free basic dental coverage, vision insurance, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts including commuter FSA. We prioritize mental health care for our staff and offer services like Talkspace and Ginger through our healthcare plans. We offer a 403(b) retirement plan with a two-to-one employer contribution up to 5%.
How to apply: Please submit a resume and a cover letter telling us what the vision described above means to you, what you would want to understand about the Center before deciding anything, and what has prepared you for this kind of work.
The Center for Justice Innovation is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, national origin, age, military service eligibility, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other category protected by law. We strongly encourage and welcome applications from women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals with prior contact with the criminal justice system. Our goal is to create a supportive and respectful environment where everyone, regardless of background or identity, feels valued and included.
At this time, the Center is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application and throughout the duration of employment.
Candidates are expected to provide accurate and truthful information throughout the hiring process. Any misrepresentation, falsification, or omission of material facts may result in disqualification from consideration, withdrawal of an offer, or termination of employment, regardless of when discovered.
In compliance with federal law, all hires must verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete the required employment verification form upon hire. Please refer to the job posting for relevant contact information. If contact details are not provided, we kindly ask that you refrain from inquiries via phone or email, as only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.