Vice President of People, Culture, and Equity

Founded in 1981 in partnership with whistleblowers, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that works to expose waste, corruption, abuse of power, and other instances where the government fails to serve the public. We champion reforms to achieve a more effective, ethical, and accountable federal government that safeguards constitutional principles. POGO has an over $7 million annual budget that supports a staff of over 50 employees.

POGO is looking for a talented Vice President of People, Culture, and Equity to help nurture a collaborative, inclusive, remote-first culture that infuses equity, diversity, and inclusion into all aspects of POGO’s internal environment. This position will serve on the Executive team and help inform organizational direction and decision making. They will drive efforts to strengthen organizational culture, cohesion and equity. This position will also serve as a thought partner and executive representation for our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) staff committee. The Vice President of People, Culture, and Equity reports directly to the Executive Director/President.

We encourage potential applicants to apply even if they only have experience or familiarity in some of the areas described below. We fully recognize that many great candidates will not have experience in all of the areas we list, or may have relevant experiences and skills that we have not listed or considered.

Responsibilities include:

• Develop, oversee, and advance organization’s internal People, Culture, and Equity strategy, and other initiatives that foster a culture of inclusion that aligns with organizational values and is executed throughout all teams.
• Develop comprehensive JEDI strategies for the organization, establish assessment criteria to evaluate success of JEDI initiatives, and manage the implementation process to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with organizational goals.
• Responsible for overseeing HR programs, processes and policies ensuring they strengthen our organizational culture and commitment to JEDI.
• Provide executive leadership to JEDI staff committee, employee resource groups and the Board DEI committee fostering inclusion and belonging by providing guidance, facilitating information sharing and collaboration, and supporting development of new groups and inclusion initiatives.
• As a member of the Executive team, work closely with other Executive team members to provide organizational leadership and strategic direction while ensuring division alignment with the organization’s priorities.
• Develop and/or acquire training and development to deepen and apply JEDI learning and understanding for staff.
• Provide overall leadership and guidance to the HR team by overseeing talent acquisition, career development, succession planning, training, leadership development, compensation and benefits.
• Oversee performance management activities, including ongoing feedback, annual performance evaluations, documentation of performance issue and performance improvement plans; collaborate with the leadership team to develop and implement new performance management approaches and systems.
• Maintain knowledge of diversity-related issues, legislation, and best practices focusing on ways to improve engagement, inclusion and belonging.

Qualifications include:

• Minimum five years of related Executive level professional experience, ideally as a Senior HR leader or leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts in an organization.
• Demonstrated leadership ability that promotes an environment of collaboration, inclusivity, and culture of high engagement.
• In-depth knowledge of DEI principles and best practices.
• Proven ability to embed inclusive principles into policies, practices, and programs to foster belonging.
• Commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Excellent analytical skills, with a track record of using data and metrics to evaluate needs, drive change and measure impact.
• Proven success building strong, productive relationships with people and teams across a broad diverse organization.
• High degree of cultural intelligence.
• Strong communication, conflict resolution, critical thinking and change management skills.
• (+)DEI or HR related credential preferred but not required.

Compensation, benefits, and other information:

This position is eligible for remote work from anywhere within the United States provided you are available during POGO’s work hours of 9AM-6PM in the Eastern Time Zone. Otherwise, the position and POGO are based in Washington, DC.

This is a full-time position and includes the listed benefits:

• Competitive nonprofit salary in the range of $122,000 - $140,000
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 403(b) employee investment plan available, with employer retirement contribution once eligible
• Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Paid holiday, vacation, and sick leave

To Apply: Use POGO’s career application portal. No phone calls please.

Application Deadline: July 25th, 2024

POGO is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. We encourage all interested and qualified individuals to apply.