Director of People & Culture

Position Summary

The Director of People & Culture serves as the Long Center’s human resources leader, partnering closely with executive leadership to cultivate an engaged, high-performing, and inclusive workplace.

Reporting directly to the CEO, this role is responsible for leading the organization’s people strategy, including talent acquisition, onboarding, employee relations, leadership coaching, organizational development, performance management, employee engagement, compensation strategy, and culture initiatives. The Director helps ensure the Long Center attracts, develops, and retains exceptional talent while fostering a workplace where employees feel supported, valued, and empowered to do their best work.

Working collaboratively across the organization, this key hire serves as a trusted advisor to leaders and employees, helping guide organizational change, strengthen leadership effectiveness, and build a positive employee experience aligned with the Long Center’s mission and values.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

People Strategy and Organizational Leadership

• Develop and execute a comprehensive people strategy that supports the Long Center’s mission, strategic priorities, and organizational goals.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and coach to the CEO and leadership team on organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, and leadership development.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, inclusion, innovation, and continuous learning, leading organizational change initiatives and supporting employees through growth and transformation.

Talent Acquisition and Workforce Planning

• Lead full-cycle recruitment for all full-time and part-time roles, including union, professional, technical, intern, and executive positions.
• Develop recruitment strategies that attract diverse, high-performing talent.
• Partner with hiring managers to ensure an exceptional candidate experience.
• Design and implement an extensive onboarding program to ensure new hires are successfully integrated into the team.
• Lead workforce planning, succession planning, and talent development initiatives.

Employee Relations and Performance Management

• Provide guidance and coaching to leaders and employees on employee relations, conflict resolution, performance management, and employment best practices.
• Lead employee investigations and partner with leadership to resolve complex personnel matters.
• Develop and enhance performance management processes that encourage accountability, growth, and continuous feedback.
• Support managers in navigating coaching conversations, corrective action, and employee separations when needed.

Culture, Engagement and Leadership Development

• Develop programs that strengthen employee engagement, recognition, communication, and organizational culture; leading staff meetings, celebrations, and other culture initiatives.
• Participate as a member of the senior leadership team, contributing to strategic planning, process improvement, and organizational decision-making.
• Champion initiatives that support employee well-being, belonging, and an exceptional workplace experience.

Human Resources

• Partner with Finance & Administration/People Operations to ensure consistent implementation of policies and employee lifecycle processes.
• Develop, maintain, and communicate HR policies and procedures to the team, ensuring compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Support compensation planning, job design, accurate job descriptions, organizational structure, total rewards, and workforce analytics.
• Represent the People & Culture function internally and externally with professionalism, integrity, and a service-oriented mindset; supporting other HR-related programs and projects as needed.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of human resources principles, employment law, employee relations, organizational development, and talent management.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with leaders, employees, and stakeholders at all levels.
• Excellent interpersonal, facilitation, coaching, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with sound judgment and discretion.
• Experience leading organizational change and fostering positive workplace culture.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and employee engagement.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field.
• 7-10 years of progressively responsible human resources experience, with specific experience serving as a strategic HR business partner or senior HR leader.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point) and HR systems.
• Experience in nonprofit, arts, or mission-driven organizations required.
• Professional certification (SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR) strongly preferred.

Work Environment

This position is based on site at the Long Center, located in the heart of beautiful Austin, TX, and requires regular in-person interaction with employees, managers, and executive leadership. The demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

Benefits

The Long Center offers a competitive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, 401k plan with employer match, generous paid time off, and unparalleled access to arts and cultural programming.