Chief Human Resources Officer

YMCA of Greater Seattle

Senior Leadership Team

About the YMCA of Greater Seattle

Founded in 1876, the YMCA of Greater Seattle (YGS) seeks to build a community where all people, especially the young, are encouraged to develop to their fullest potential in mind, body, and spirit. YGS is an inclusive organization with a shared commitment to nurture the potential of youth, promote healthy living, and foster social responsibility.

YGS has responded to the region's most critical social needs for more than 135 years and currently reaches 230,000 people of all backgrounds, abilities, and financial circumstances. Through its 13 branches and two overnight camps, YGS provides affordable, world-class programs spanning health and wellness, youth development, and social responsibility. YGS staff help youth reach their full potential through a wide variety of programs including overnight camps, youth-in-government, and before and after-school care. YGS also operates a powerful array of less well-known support services for at-risk-youth and young adults, offering them case management, transitional housing, mental health care and life skills. YGS serves 1 in 4 youth in King County, and is the region’s largest provider of transitional housing for youth and young adults. YGS is the 8th largest Y association in the country, with a total operating budget of over $100 million.

YGS is a dynamic, growing organization that has steadily expanded its reach and impact. In response to escalating challenges across the region, YGS has grown its network of branch facilities and broadened its social services offerings, including mental health and rapid response programs, to provide more support for children and families in crisis. Using methods proven to deliver meaningful outcomes, YGS branch staff work closely with local leaders to design the mix of programs and services best suited to the unique needs of each community. YGS offers generous financial assistance for all fee-based programs; currently, 32% of all members receive financial assistance.

YGS is nationally recognized for developing innovative programs replicated throughout the country, and it is at the forefront of innovative partnerships with local government, health care systems, physicians, and other nonprofits across King County – all of whom look to YGS as a trusted partner.

YGS is more than a mission - it's a movement powered by an unwavering belief that everyone deserves a fair chance in life. For more information, visit

Financial and Operational Highlights for 2019

• Delivered swimming lessons to 13,000 people
• $31M+ endowment, $23M+ reserves
• Served 197,749 meals/snacks to low-income children, adults, and families
• Provided social services to 4,800 teens and young adults
• Over $100M operating budget, with solid track record of financial sustainability
• Taught 28,700 people new skills through outdoor leadership programs
• Served 1,700 participants in chronic disease prevention programs
• 3,500 full and part-time employees
• 13 branches, two overnight camps, and 200+ program sites

YGS seeks a Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) who will work in collaboration with the CEO and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to develop and execute the Association’s Human Resources plans and strategies across YGS and its branches and departments, driving organizational and cultural change and managing the delivery of HR services to all employees. The CHRO, in collaboration with the SLT, will provide a clear and actionable strategy to execute on the vision for the organization. In close partnership with the highly collaborative YGS senior leadership team, the CHRO is expected to build upon the organization’s success, constructing and fulfilling all assigned financial and operational objectives. They will be comfortable motivating, communicating, and influencing at all levels and in a multitude of environments. This executive will operate with the highest levels of integrity, honesty, and personal standards and ethics.

The position will be based at headquarters in Seattle, WA. Approximately 15 - 20% travel is expected.

The CHRO will demonstrate the following attributes:

• Strong leader with the ability to effectively execute and communicate a vision for both the short- and long-term direction of the organization’s branches
• Strengthens the Y’s culture by demonstrating the values of the Y - honesty, caring, respect, responsibility, and passion for excellence - in every aspect of work
• Established reputation as a diplomatic leader who is able to transcend personal politics, engage a wide range of ideologies, and build consensus and community
• Eloquent, articulate, and persuasive communication style (oral and written)
• Strategic, results-oriented, growth focus and strong work ethic; takes the initiative and holds self and others accountable to meet or exceed quantitative and qualitative goals relating to operations, people (employees and members), philanthropy, finance, and volunteerism
• Passionate community organizer and advocate
• Ability to work through political barriers, build consensus, and enact change
• Big thinker at the systems level to drive sustainable social change
• Inspires others; promotes creativity, generate excitement, and rewards risk taking, while consistently demonstrating a high level of emotional maturity, maintaining a positive attitude and building strong relationships
• Proven champion of social responsibility, diversity, and inclusion; models cultural competence and supports diversity, effectively working with people of different backgrounds, abilities, opinions, and perceptions
• Responsible for continuous quality improvement of branch operations
• Proven people management and development skills and ability to play a day-to-day role in directing staff
• Deep commitment to the mission of the YMCA, its members and the communities served
• Facilitates change, seeks opportunities in the change systems process, models adaptability, and leads transition and transformation in support of the Y’s mission
• Culture influencer, trust builder, pacesetter, change maker at the systems level, and community connector
• Develops self and others; demonstrates executive team leadership and management, teamwork and personal accountability, seeking and providing feedback, coaching, and resources for development

Key Responsibilities

• Assesses the organization’s culture and leadership. Recommends and implements changes to enhance the Y’s diverse workforce and achievement of the Y’s mission and values. Provides leadership and models partnership with others to instill the culture with the understanding that diversity and inclusion are integral to the Y’s aspirations for excellence.
• Develops, implements and ensures achievement of the Human Resources department goals, outcomes, budget and operations; drives measurement, outcome evaluation and continuous quality improvement of all Human Resources projects, activities and services.
• Ensures the Human Resources strategic and tactical initiatives are aligned with the Y’s mission, vision and goals. Collaborates with and provides counsel to the President/CEO and senior leadership regarding strategic people initiatives, program development and operational issues impacting the employees of the YMCA.
• Models for the organization highly refined skills in critical thinking, analysis, problem solving, risk assessment and prevention, collaboration, diversity and inclusion, integration, stewardship, team building and development of leadership at all levels.
• Represents the YMCA locally, regionally and nationally, inside and outside the organization. Actively engages in advocacy and fundraising for the Y in support of development and goals.
• Assesses, develops and implements comprehensive human resources strategies, systems, practices, plans and programs, including recruitment and retention, performance feedback, goal setting, pay for performance, compensation and benefits, diversity and inclusion, organizational planning, workforce planning and analysis, succession planning, staff learning and development, total rewards and recognition, employee relations and legal compliance, which result in the achievement of organizational goals.
• Provides overall leadership and management of the Human Resources team; hires, develops and directly manages the Human Resources department staff.
• Serves on the President/CEO’s senior leadership team. Works and collaborates with the CEO and other Association senior team members to accomplish the Association mission and goals under a sustainable business model. Contributes to the evaluation of and adjustments to the sustainable business model from a financial and workforce perspective.

Critical Leadership Capabilities

LEADERSHIP AND COLLABORATION

The Seattle region is a vibrant and diverse community across the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. Working effectively across constituency groups including large and small businesses, not–for-profit organizations, civic leaders, and the YGS staff, this individual will:

• Be a hands-on, team-oriented leader with highly developed interpersonal skills, adept as an influencer and negotiator
• Build partnerships based on a common agreement that acknowledges individual differences but creates a new commonality beyond root beliefs or culture
• Build ongoing partnerships with key stakeholders
• Systematically build support at multiple levels and across groups
• Delegate and leverage direct reports to facilitate increased collaboration across the organization, tapping their motivations and values to energize them
• Use complex, coordinated influencing/negotiation strategies, adapted to people, organizations, and/or the situation, e.g. networks

STRATEGIC THINKING AND PARTNERSHIP MINDSET

YGS seeks to identify and develop strategic opportunities that widen the organization’s outreach and deepen impact. The successful CHRO will lead these efforts by:

• Contributing to the development of an organizational strategy and justifying it with market insight
• Thinking 3-5 years ahead into the organization’s long-term strategy
• Revising strategy for their organization and defining the evolving future of the local non-profit landscape
• Challenging assumptions and conventional wisdom with specific, supported, reasoned proposals

DRIVING RESULTS

With a track record of generating growth and consistently setting and delivering against targets, the CHRO will:

• Benchmark own performance against industry best practices
• Identify new ways to broaden the impact and reach of the branches in the community
• Enable higher performance by incrementally improving approaches based on internal and external feedback
• Proactively seek to improve community experience at our branches and align with the organization’s mission

Desired Skills & Experience

• Ability to relate effectively to diverse groups of people from all social and economic segments of the community; track record of building authentic, constructive relationships with others
• Must possess an appropriate balance between the strategic and tactical aspects of HR and have the vision for where the organization is going and how to get there.
• Specific depth in organizational development, leadership, diversity & inclusion, change management, coaching, compensation & benefits strategy, talent management, succession planning, learning and organizational effectiveness.
• Demonstrated experience with attracting and developing high performance teams and a positive culture
• Proven experience in handling highly confidential and sensitive matters
• Possess excellent communication skills (verbal and written).
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal, organizational and leadership skills with an ability to balance assertiveness with diplomacy.
• A highly refined sense of cultural competence and awareness, as well as a proven effectiveness and ease in communicating within a multicultural environment. An understanding of the importance and value of diversity that recognizes and embraces the differences that arise from varying backgrounds, life experiences, beliefs, and perspectives.
• Strong strategic planning skills including execution expertise
• Demonstrated experience in financial planning, budgeting, and analysis
• Preferred experience and skills: Bilingual with demonstrated experience working with diverse populations (language, culture, race, physical ability, sexual orientation, etc.).
• Demonstrated competence in building and leading an effective and cohesive HR team.
• A passion for our mission supporting youth development, healthy living and social responsibility and possesses the ability to impel others to share in our commitment.
• A Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, or related field (Advanced degree is desirable).
• Competency in variety of Windows-based programs including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Ability to partner and provide strategic level input to senior leadership and the ability to influence others at all levels of the organization
• Experience leading within an environment undergoing transformational change.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive human resources management experience.

OTHER LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES:

• Change Capacity: Facilitates change, seeks opportunities in the change process, models adaptability, and leads transition in support of the Y’s mission
• Values: Strengthens the Y’s culture by demonstrating the values of the Y - honesty, caring, respect, responsibility, and passion for excellence - in every aspect of work
• Develop Self and Others: Demonstrates teamwork and personal accountability, seeking and providing feedback, coaching, and resources for development
• Inspire Others: Promotes creativity, generates excitement, and rewards risk taking, while consistently demonstrating a high level of emotional maturity, maintaining a positive attitude and building strong relationships
• Inclusion: Models cultural competence and supports diversity, effectively working with people of different backgrounds, abilities, opinions, and perceptions
• Quality Results: Takes the initiative and holds self and others accountable to meet or exceed quantitative and qualitative goals relating to people (employees and members), philanthropy, finance and volunteerism
• Cause Driven Leader Level: Organizational Leader

Target Compensation: $153,000-$200,000, in addition:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
• Free access to mental health resources
• Retirement with a generous employer contribution of 12% of total compensation after two years with YGS
• Discounts on qualifying YMCA of Greater Seattle childcare and day camp programs
• Rapidly accruing paid time off (PTO) available immediately upon hire
• Membership to the YMCA of Greater Seattle for you and your household
• Position is eligible for Annual Executive discretionary bonus plan up to 10% of base salary.

The YMCA of Greater Seattle is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity. We are a drug & alcohol-free workplace; all job offers are contingent on results of a background check and drug screening, including screening for marijuana.

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