[Hiring] Director of Human Resources @The Water Project

Role Description

The Part-Time Director of Human Resources is The Water Project’s senior hands-on HR practitioner and the day-to-day point person for people-related matters. This role involves:

• Owning the employee lifecycle, HR compliance, employee relations, performance processes, compensation support, and the effective use of the organization’s PEO.
• Establishing a predictable weekly schedule while maintaining flexibility for time-sensitive employee matters.
• Recognizing the person behind every policy, process, and personnel decision.
• Building trust through thoughtful communication and genuine care for the employee experience.
• Focusing on U.S. human resources without ownership of finance, general operations, or international employment compliance.
• Working part-time (~15-20 hrs/wk) and may be located anywhere in the United States.

Qualifications

• Typically seven or more years of progressive, hands-on human-resources experience.
• Demonstrated experience handling employee relations, performance concerns, leave and accommodation questions, and sensitive personnel matters.
• Working knowledge of federal and multi-state employment requirements.
• Experience administering benefits, payroll inputs, policies, personnel records, and other HR operations.
• Strong judgment, discretion, empathy, organization, and follow-through.
• Clear, practical written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to balance strategic advice with detailed administrative execution.

Requirements

• Experience as the sole or senior HR practitioner in a small nonprofit or similarly lean organization.
• Experience supporting a distributed workforce across several U.S. states.
• Familiarity with Justworks or a comparable PEO.
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or another relevant credential.
• Experience developing compensation structures, manager resources, and scalable HR processes.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries.
• Fully covered medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) match.
• A generous vacation policy.

Measures of Success

• Employees and managers have a reliable, trusted, and approachable point of contact for HR guidance.
• HR interactions are respectful, responsive, fair, and thoughtfully handled.
• Employee lifecycle processes, personnel records, policies, and compliance obligations are accurate and well-documented.
• Employee-relations matters are addressed promptly and fairly.
• Performance, compensation, and recruiting processes are completed consistently and within agreed timelines.
• HR practices support a workplace where people are treated with dignity and commitments are honored.
• HR priorities and workload remain transparent and appropriately scoped for a part-time role.