Director of Human Resources

Career Opportunity: Director of Human Resources with Cincinnati Opera in Cincinnati, OH

Part-Time | Hybrid

Are you an experienced HR leader who enjoys both strategic partnership and hands-on execution? Do you thrive in environments where you can build relationships, improve processes, coach leaders, and serve as a trusted resource for employees? Are you looking for a meaningful opportunity to shape the employee experience within a mission-driven arts organization? If so, Cincinnati Opera may be the perfect fit for you.

Cincinnati Opera is seeking a Part-Time Director of Human Resources to lead and strengthen the organization's HR function. This role is ideal for an experienced HR professional who enjoys serving as a trusted advisor to employees and leadership while personally managing employee relations, performance management, recruiting, payroll oversight, compliance, onboarding, and HR operations in a department-of-one environment.

Supporting approximately 25 year-round employees and a significantly expanded seasonal workforce, this role offers the opportunity to strengthen HR processes, support organizational growth, and help shape the future of HR at Cincinnati Opera.

As the Director of Human Resources, you will

• Serve as the primary HR resource for employees and leaders, providing guidance on employee relations, performance management, workplace concerns, policy interpretation, and employment matters while building trust and credibility across the organization.
• Coach and advise leadership on performance management, employee development, compensation matters, workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, and employment decisions.
• Manage employee relations concerns and workplace investigations while partnering with legal counsel and external advisors when appropriate.
• Lead recruiting activities, including job postings, candidate screening, interview coordination, offer administration, and onboarding.
• Coordinate and administer employee benefits, PTO, leave programs, workers' compensation, unemployment claims, employment verifications, and related HR processes.
• Review and oversee payroll preparation and processing, ensuring employee data, deductions, classifications, compensation changes, and payroll inputs are accurate and compliant.
• Maintain employee records, HRIS data, organizational documentation, and workforce reporting.
• Manage onboarding and offboarding processes while partnering with leaders, IT providers, payroll vendors, and other stakeholders to ensure a positive employee experience.
• Serve as the primary liaison with payroll, benefits, HR, and shared-services providers.
• Support implementation and transition efforts related to new payroll, HRIS, and outsourced service providers.
• Maintain and update HR policies, procedures, employee handbook materials, and compliance-related documentation.
• Develop and improve HR processes that promote consistency, communication, accountability, compliance, and operational effectiveness.
• Deliver training and guidance to leaders and employees on HR-related topics.

Qualifications

• Five to seven years of progressively responsible HR experience with independent ownership of multiple HR functions, including employee relations, performance management, payroll, benefits, recruiting, compliance, policy administration, and onboarding/offboarding.
• Strong working knowledge of federal and Ohio employment laws, HR best practices, and employee relations principles.
• Experience serving as a trusted advisor to leaders, with strong communication, coaching, relationship-building, organizational, and problem-solving skills. Ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain confidentiality, and exercise sound judgment.
• Experience working with HRIS and payroll systems and supporting day-to-day HR operations.
• Ability to work independently in a department-of-one environment and occasional evenings or weekends during Cincinnati Opera's production season.
• Experience supporting seasonal workforces, payroll administration, compensation planning, workforce planning, vendor management, HR/payroll system transitions, unionized environments, and/or nonprofit or arts organizations is preferred.
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or similar HR certification is a plus.
• An appreciation for the arts and Cincinnati Opera's mission is highly valued.

Salary Range

$75,000-$85,000 annually, commensurate with experience.

Schedule: Part-time, averaging approximately 30 hours per week with a hybrid work arrangement. Preferred onsite availability Tuesday through Thursday during much of the year, with increased onsite presence during the summer production season. As a seasonal organization, Cincinnati Opera's HR activity increases significantly during the spring and summer months, particularly in recruitment, onboarding, payroll, employee support, and offboarding.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer-paid life and long-term disability insurance
• Paid time off and holidays
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
• Parking provided