Director of People Strategy

Overview

Reporting to the Vice President for Talent Management and Human Resources Services, the Director of People Strategy will lead a team of 12-15 dedicated human resource professionals providing people strategy consulting to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI, or Dana-Farber) community. As part of a larger strategic transformation in human resources, we are re-shaping the HR Business Partnerships team to become a People Strategy team focusing on delivery of best-in-class talent advisory services, manager capability, and employee support to prepare our workforce to deliver on our mission and capitalize on the most promising new opportunities in patient care and research. 

DFCI’s clinical, research and administrative operations -- located mainly in Boston’s Longwood Medical Area, Chestnut Hill, Foxborough, Milford and the Merrimac Valley -- employ a growing workforce of over 10,000 people.

The Director will have overall responsibility for people strategy and practices across Dana-Farber. The Director will partner with leaders, managers, and employees to optimize organizational effectiveness, operational efficiency, and performance accountability; cultivate and grow key talent and leadership capacity; and provide an employment experience commensurate with the Institute’s important mission and global standing.

To be successful in this role, the Director must understand the Institute’s business and organizational priorities and translate them into the highest impact HR work, supported by data-driven insights. The Director must work across their peer group within HR to drive HR initiatives and programs and act as a thought leader and trusted advisor to Dana-Farber leadership on people-related issues.

The incumbent will drive transformational and sustainable people practices, and advocate for the desired workplace culture in planning, decision-making, and everyday operations. The role will have a flexible skill set, including the ability to think strategically, execute tactically, and collaborate/communicate effectively across many teams, levels, and situations.

Work Location: Hybrid, with 2-3 days per week remote, and 2-3 days per week onsite.  Remote work must be performed in one of the New England states.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

Responsibilities

Responsible for people strategy and practices across Dana-Farber, the director will:

• Contribute to Dana-Farber’s organizational success by facilitating the consistent use of effective talent- and people best practices.
• Devise and promote employee engagement and retention strategies that result in a motivated, stable, and productive workforce.
• Foster people management and organizational practices that improve the employment experience and strengthen the employment brand.
• Support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that ensure a workplace culture where everyone can succeed and thrive.
• Work with the Director, Employee and Labor Relations on issues and matters relating to workplace conduct, performance or absenteeism; HR policy and compliance; situation assessment and fact-finding; formal complaints and investigations; employee relations; labor relations and negotiations; workforce disruptions and transitions; and the overall employee experience.
• Drive widespread adoption of effective talent management approaches – including talent acquisition, manager effectiveness, employee development, performance management, internal mobility, and succession planning.
• Define and communicate the service- model and standards for the People Strategy team. Ensure appropriate responsiveness and workflows/handoffs to and from other parts of Human Resources, such as the “tier one” HR Service Center (HRSC) and the “tier two” HR centers of expertise (CoEs). Tap internal resources, external experts, consultants, and solution providers as needed to accelerate delivery of high-quality HR services.
• Manage and mentor a team of HR consultants who bring answers, solutions and best people practices to client departments and employees, collaborating with other experts as needed. Set well-chosen, clear team goals to achieve the best results and make the greatest impact. Motivate and enable the team to meet goals, adopt best practices and technology, and provide excellent HR service at scale.
• Routinely gather client feedback to ensure that people strategies and practices are effective and relevant. Continuously improve the department’s services and performance. Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including institutional leaders and department heads, to identify and address the current and future needs of the Institute as an employer, and of the workforce, and execute effective HR initiatives and strategies.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Leads a team of approximately 12-15 FTE’s.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree. Years of relevant HR experience may count towards degree requirement.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in HR consulting and/or employee/labor relations in a large, complex organization
• A successful history working as a senior HR generalist and trusted advisor providing HR strategy and sound, insightful people advice to senior leaders and executives.
• Strong working knowledge and fluency across all major HR disciplines, and the ability to synthesize, explain and apply this knowledge in a practical way across a broad range of situations.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Graduate degree in human resources, industrial relations, business, law, or related fields
• PHR or SPHR certification
• Experience in non-profit sectors such as higher education, academic medicine, research, health care, biomedical/pharma, research, or government or in management consulting to organizations in these sectors
• Proficiency in the key HR competencies of business acumen, talent management, agility, HR data and systems, relationship management, and strategic consulting

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Strategic mind-set. Strong experience in HR/people strategy consulting in a large, complex organization
• Great interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence. Highly approachable, able to earn and sustain the trust of others, can broker agreements, and de-escalate/stabilize difficult situations.
• Excellent judgment, sound decision-making, strong critical thinking
• Demonstrated ability to understand business goals and issues and to manage organizational change. Ability to understand links and connections across the whole of the organization; experience working in a highly matrixed environment.
• Ability to handle confidential matters with sensitivity and discretion while providing expert HR guidance. Able to effectively recognize, mitigate and monitor Dana-Farber’s employment risks, while acting with integrity, respect, and fairness to all involved.
• Solid understanding of principles and practices relating to inclusion and belonging, diversity, and equity. Can guide leaders and managers in their application in day-to-day work.
• Knowledge of typical HR policies and processes; expert and advocate for effective people practices.
• Proficient in leading and managing through change, growth and uncertainty while creating a productive, stable, and reliable environment for the immediate team and the larger organization. Flexibility, adaptability, and agility to navigate through resistance and setbacks effectively. Anticipates barriers and adjusts in ways that move the work forward. Protects the resilience of self and team.
• Productive, efficient, and effective work habits
  • Excellent organizational skills and follow-through needed to manage multiple matters simultaneously. Strong time management, project management and follow-through skills. Ability to multi-task and maintain efficiency and quality in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
  • High level of responsiveness and customer service orientation. Retains “big picture” view of all the demands and service requests flowing to the team and expedites responsiveness (or reprioritizes among competing demands) as needed. Manages team structure and processes to gain efficiencies in service delivery over time.
  • Strong written and verbal communications skills. Must have the ability to deliver clear and compelling messages to audiences at all levels.
  • High degree of computer literacy (MS Office, familiarity with enterprise HR information systems such as PeopleSoft or Workday, and typical service/case management systems such as Zendesk or Service Now)

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are equally committed to diversifying our faculty and staff. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other groups as protected by law.

EEOC Poster