Senior Human Resource Director/Head

About the GIIN

The Global Impact Investing Network, Inc. (GIIN) is the leading industry

body for impact investing. Since 2009, the GIIN has worked to increase the scale and effectiveness of impact investing to solve systemic problems facing people and the planet. With approximately 450 member organizations across six continents, the GIIN serves as a hub for innovation, ideas and information to help investors build a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient world.

Learn more at https://thegiin.org

Role Purpose

The Senior HR Director is responsible for leading the GIINs people and culture strategy, designing the environment in which our people, and our mission, can thrive. At its core, the role is about creating the context in which people and strategy flourish. It sits at the heart of our organizational evolution, designing and shaping the cultural, leadership, and capability foundations that enable excellence, belonging, and high performance.

This is a mission-critical, cultural turnaround role. The successful candidate will be tasked with stabilizing and transforming organizational culture, fostering psychological safety, and establishing trust and ethical leadership as foundational elements across the GIIN.

Core Competencies and Position Scope

Cultural Stewardship

Behavioral Indicators

• Demonstrates deep understanding of the GIINs values and embeds them in behaviors, decisions, and systems.
• Identifies cultural risks and opportunities and proactively acts on them.
• Creates environments that foster trust, belonging, purpose, and high performance.
• Models inclusive and ethical leadership.
• Successfully diagnoses and navigates sensitive organizational issues, ensuring fair, transparent, and legally compliant resolution.

Outputs / Measures of Effectiveness

A cohesive, values-aligned culture that builds cross-team collaboration and trust, as measured by cultural survey results and qualitative sentiment.

Leadership & Talent Development

Behavioral Indicators

• Builds ethical leadership capability at all levels, providing individual and small group coaching, as well as frameworks for development pathways.
• Uses data and insight to identify high-potential talent and development needs.
• Designs programs that build skills, readiness, and strategic depth.
• Encourages feedback-rich, psychologically safe leadership behaviors.

Outputs / Measures of Effectiveness

• Capable management and leadership effectiveness.
• Effective onboarding context, succession pipelines and leadership bench strength.

Organizational Design & Capability Building

Behavioral Indicators

• Applies systems thinking to structure, roles, and ways of working.
• Aligns organizational architecture and compensation strategies with the GIINs mission, strategy and fiscal planning, culture, and future needs.
• Identifies structural bottlenecks and redesigns for clarity, scalability, and agility.
• Builds capability frameworks that allow teams to grow and evolve.
• Builds a compelling non-monetary benefit value proposition and aligns suppliers to service accordingly.

Outputs / Measures of Effectiveness

• Organizational effectiveness through role clarity across teams, and capability gaps addressed.
• Competitiveness of the GIIN as a leading employer in its class.

Employee Experience & Psychological Safety

Behavioral Indicators

• Designs employee journeys that reflect the GIINs mission, and feel fair, transparent, and human-centered.
• Listens deeply through semi- and structured feedback mechanisms (from informal engagement to cultural surveys) and uses insights for action.
• Ensures norms and systems promote safety, inclusion, and constructive dialogue.
• Anticipates employee needs and addresses issues early.
• Responsive to feedback from employees at every level.

Outputs / Measures of Effectiveness

• Consistently high-quality employee experience across the organization.
• Fair and consistent performance and disciplinary processes.
• Retention at relevant levels, engagement, and employee sentiment.

Strategic Workforce Planning

Behavioral Indicators

• Anticipates capability and staffing needs ahead of organizational growth or shifts.
• Uses qualitative and quantitative insight to guide workforce decisions.
• Balances financial, strategic, and cultural considerations in planning.
• Advises leadership on workforce strategy, mix, and future-skill requirements.

Outputs / Measures of Effectiveness

• Proactive workforce planning aligned with current and forward-looking priorities.
• Balanced, well-structured, future-ready workforce.

Insight, Innovation & Alignment

Behavioral Indicators

• Brings fresh thinking, frameworks, and approaches to people and culture challenges.
• Ensures strong alignment between HR strategy, mission, and the GIINs priorities.
• Communicates clearly and influences effectively across all levels.

Outputs / Measures of Effectiveness

• Actionable people insights enabling Leadership effectiveness.
• HR practices enable innovation and strategic clarity.
• Organizational-wide alignment and strengthened strategic execution.

Leadership Competencies

Strategic Thinking & Systems Leadership

• Sees the whole system and the interdependence within it.
• Prioritizes for maximum leverage; avoids activity (or rules) for activitys sake.
• Translates strategy into coherent action across people, culture, and capability.

Change Leadership

• Leads the organization through complexity and ambiguity with steadiness.
• Builds buy-in and trust during periods of transition.
• Implements change in a way that feels clear, transparent, human-centered, and well supported.

Relationship Building & Influence

• Forms deep, trust-based relationships across the organization.
• Coaches, challenges, and supports leaders constructively.
• Communicates with clarity, empathy, and credibility.

Integrity, Judgement & Discretion

• Exercises sound, mission-aligned judgement in ambiguous or sensitive situations.
• Upholds confidentiality and fairness.
• Acts consistently with organizational values.

The Success Profile

Experience & Qualifications

Requirements:

• Demonstrated track record leading organizational and cultural turnaround or stabilization efforts, organizational design, employee experience, and leadership development in a high-growth or transitional environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to human dignity, justice, fairness, and respect.
• 12+ years of progressive HR or People & Culture experience, with senior-level leadership roles.
• Post graduate qualification in Organizational Psychology or related degree.
• Being based in-person in our New York City headquarters.

Advantageous experience:

• Experience in mission-driven, or values-based organizations (such as a not-for-profit or philanthropic foundation), and ones that have scaled, is advantageous.
• Experience in developing and implementing strategies and systemic shifts that enable a constructive and highly functional workplace culture.

Personal Attributes

• Deeply people-centered, with a belief that culture is a strategic asset.
• A thoughtful, trusted advisor who brings clarity and steadiness.
• Curious, reflective, and able to see systems and patterns.
• Authentically collaborative; able to influence without authority.
• Courageous in surfacing issues and advocating for people and culture.
• Comfortable working in ambiguity and leading through change.

Location & Work Eligibility 

This position will be based in our New York City office year-round and is not eligible to participate in the GIINs hybrid work model. Candidates must possess valid authorization to work in the United States that does not require employment visa sponsorship. For example, possessing U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Residency (Green Card).

Compensation

The GIIN is committed to pay equity. The salary range for this role is between $106,000 - $153,000 per annum, with exact salary depending on qualification, experience, and non-profit market alignment, with an excellent benefits package.

The GIIN is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We aim to offer competitive salaries and benefits and are committed to fairness, trust, and consistency in compensation. We do not ask for prior pay history from our candidates and our offer-making process is negotiation-free for salaries and benefits.

To Apply

This is a great opportunity for a senior people leader to steward culture, build confidence, and together, shape the future of our mission-driven organization.

Interested? Submit a cover letter to motivate your interest in the role, your resume, and your responses to an initial set of questions, by January 7, 2026 here.