Talent & Human Resources Manager (Bush Foundation)

Company Name

Bush Foundation

Company City

St. Paul

Company State

MN

Job Location

Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, or the 23 Native nations within that geography

Company Information

Background

The Bush Foundation is a private foundation based in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Foundation was established in 1953 by 3M executive Archibald Bush and his wife, Edyth. The Foundation operates with a staff of 35, stewards an endowment that has grown to $1.4 billion and has a combined operating and philanthropic budget for 2023 of $66 million.

We invest in great ideas and the people who power them in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share that geography. We work to inspire and support creative problem solving – within and across sectors – to make our region better for everyone. Learn more at BushFoundation.org.

Our Values

Spread Optimism. We encourage individuals and organizations to think bigger and think differently about what is possible. We are positive and supportive in our internal and external interactions.

Work Beyond Ourselves. We actively seek opportunities to work in true collaboration with others to have more impact. We are willing to both lead and follow. We candidly share what we learn with others.

Everybody Matters. We are a champion for both excellence and equity inside and out of the Foundation. We have fair, open and inclusive processes. We work to raise overall quality of life while also closing opportunity and achievement gaps.

Steward Well. We demonstrate appreciation for the Foundation’s history and thoughtfully build on its legacy. We hold ourselves to high standards of integrity and accountability and conduct ourselves in a way we hope would make our founders proud.

More Good. Every Year. We are a true learning organization and work to be smarter and more effective every year. We never lose sight of the reason we exist: to do the most possible good with the resources left to the community by Archibald G. Bush.

Job Description

We’re seeking a Talent & Human Resources Manager! The right person will be excited at the chance to put their HR expertise, collaborative skills and passion for learning to use in this mission-driven organization. This is a great position for someone who wants to take on a broad spectrum of people-focused work in a critical cross-organizational role. We are a group of people who are passionate about helping people and organizations thinking bigger and differently about what is possible, grounded in a strong commitment to both equity and learning. If this sounds like the right next chapter for you, we invite you to apply!

Job Purpose and Context

The Talent & HR Manager leads processes and practices that ensure a diverse workforce and productive culture. This role manages the Foundation’s hiring and selection processes and provides support, coaching and guidance through development and interpretation of employee policies and 1:1 support for employees and supervisors. The Talent & HR Manager is part of the five-person Talent, Learning and Evaluation (TLE) team and reports to the TLE Director. The role is managerial in scope and responsibility but does not have direct supervisory responsibilities.

Core Responsibilities

Recruitment and Selection

• With the TLE Director, develop strategic recruitment and selection processes that lead to a high functioning, diverse workforce.

• • Manage all aspects of employee recruitment and hiring including developing proactive and creative sourcing strategies, persuasive job postings and announcements, reviewing and screening applications, developing interview questions and exercises, participating in interviews and conducting reference checks.
  • Work closely with hiring managers to ensure an inclusive and supportive applicant experience with successful search outcomes.

Employee Onboarding and Orientation

• Work closely with staff from across the Foundation to orient new employees to the Foundation and to their roles.
• Lead regular review and refinement to the onboarding process to ensure an experience that strikes a balance of conveying content, making connections and supporting a range of learning styles.
Supporting the Foundation’s Equity Work & Learning Culture
• Identify training and coaching needs for individuals and teams based on individual learning plans, employee requests and organization-wide goals on effective grantmaking, community engagement and other core skills needed to meet the Foundation’s goals for making the region better for everyone. Identify tools, partners for training and support. Conduct training sessions as needed.
• Provide strategic and operational support for the Foundation’s equity work. Actively support and participate in cross-functional projects related to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.
• Foster culture, processes and policies to help make the Foundation a great place to work, including learning opportunities, staff activities, and skill building with other TLE team members, plan and implement staff development and social activities and events, often in close partnership with other staff at the Foundation.
• Manage the regular assessment of employee engagement and activities to improve engagement, working closely with other TLE team members to analyze findings and develop action plans to address what we learn.
• Build and maintain professional relationships internally and externally, leveraging data, insights, and industry trends to lead, influence, support, and facilitate organizational effectiveness and productivity.

Policy Management and Support

• Working closely with the TLE Director, manage and adapt HR policies and processes, including performance management process, professional development planning and execution and related HR processes.

• • Maintain, evaluate and adapt the performance management process to ensure that it supports the Foundation’s goals of being a learning organization.
  • Provide day to day performance management guidance (coaching, counseling, professional development and performance improvement plans).

• Answer questions from employees on standard policies and practices, benefits, hiring processes, etc. working with the TLE Director, Finance team or other internal stakeholders to ensure alignment on interpretation of policy and guidance.
• Work with other TLE team members to ensure that HR paper and electronic records are maintained according to legal requirements and with appropriate access for supervisors and HR partners. Maintain HR files to ensure that data is accurate and that queries and reports are available to meet the information needs of the Foundation.
• Assist with responses to surveys, updates to organizational reports such as dashboards, headcount reports, organizational charts, and other information and tools.
Team Participation
• Participate actively in TLE team building, planning, team activities, backing up other TLE members as needed.
• Help to coordinate all staff meetings.
• Actively demonstrate core organizational values in performing all duties.

Reports to: Stephanie Andrews, Talent, Learning & Evaluation Director

Classification: Full-Time, Exempt

Starting salary: Annual salary of $109,725

Benefits: We offer excellent benefits, including health, dental, life and disability insurance; generous retirement contributions; professional development and vacation, sick and holiday leave.

Location: The Foundation’s primary office is located in St. Paul, MN. We are a place-based foundation with a focus on serving the people in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share that geography and employees are required to live in the region that we serve. Currently, 32 of our 35 employees live in the Twin Cities.

Work Context: We work in a hybrid environment, with a mix of virtual and in-person work so that we can strike a good balance between connection and flexibility. Twin Cities-based staff work on-site every Wednesday, with one additional ‘connection and learning’ on-site day each month. Once a quarter, staff who live outside the Twin Cities travel to our St. Paul offices for those two on-site days. Everybody is welcome to work in the office more frequently if desired.

Schedule & Travel: This role may require schedule flexibility and occasional travel (up to 10%) in the region to meet priority deadlines or participate in events.

Job Qualifications

Key Qualifications and Orientation

• Significant (5+ years) of experience in a similar human resources role, ideally with broad generalist duties.

• • Experience in recruitment and selection required.
  • Knowledge of state and federal employment law is required.
  • Previous supervisory, training, development and/or performance management experience is a plus.

• Strong customer service orientation. An approachable, responsive and resourceful individual who enjoys helping others and excels at listening, finding answers, creative problem-solving and proactively seeking to improve the employee experience.
• Discretion and sound judgment. Professionalism and comfort with the responsibility of having access to private records, information, business decisions and employee matters that require sensitivity, care, respect and confidentiality.
• Equity leader. Experience and interest in supporting the Foundation’s work to continually become more inclusive and anti-racist in our policies and practices.
• Champion for learning. Passionate and enthusiastic about building a culture and developing processes and practices that support adult learning and productivity. Enthusiastic about taking on new opportunities and challenges with curiosity and energy.
• Skilled project manager. Proven skills managing a mix of urgent and longer-term projects, using time effectively, elevating questions and issues, asking for help as needed, and driving results.
• Organized and creative problem-solver. Demonstrated aptitude for designing, reviewing and adapting internal organizational processes to make them simpler and more effective. Strong organizational, communication and technical skills to support this work, including:

• • Proficiency in Microsoft Office or similar tools.
  • Adept at presenting information on policy and process in engaging and clear ways.
  • Familiarity with HRIS systems and/or project management tools would be a big plus.

• Effective collaborator and communicator: Good at building trusting relationships and able to work well with people from a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds. Comfortable adapting communication style and content to in-person, virtual and hybrid work settings.

How to Apply

Informational Video
We will be recording a brief video to introduce the Bush Foundation and the job. The closed caption recording will be posted on our website by April 14.

We have partnered with Ash Talent Solutions, LLC to conduct this search. Please send a cover letter and resume to . Please put “HR & Talent Manager Application: [your name]” in the subject line.

In your cover letter, please describe your interest in the position and the experience you’ve had that lines up with the qualifications for the job.

We’ll be accepting applications until Friday, May 5 at noon, central time. We’re moving quickly to fill this position and so we encourage and appreciate early applications.

The Bush Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.