About JFF
Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve economic advancement for all. Seeing that millions of people are unfairly shut out of quality jobs and the chance for a better life, our goal is to align education, workforce, and employment changemakers toward a shared North Star: By 2033, 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement will work in quality jobs.
To achieve that goal, we design solutions, scale best practices, influence policy and action, and invest in innovation. With a staff of more than 200 people across the country working remotely and in offices in Boston (headquarters), Washington, DC, and Oakland, California, we operate at the national, state, and local levels, forging deep partnerships with employers, investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and education and workforce development providers to break down barriers and reimagine what’s possible.
We’re on a path of ongoing growth and expanding impact. We have an operating budget of $105 million, and we’re funded by dozens of leading government agencies, foundations, and corporations. Learn more about JFF and join us as we build a future that works—for everyone.
Equal Employment Opportunity at JFF
Inclusion, belonging, and well-being are core to JFF’s North Star and mission, and we seek to invest in and learn from those who represent the communities we serve as it is important to the success of our work and the engagement of our staff members. We aim to cultivate a culture that centers the overall care, well-being, and success of the employee through flexible work hours, balanced workloads, professional development, and career advancement opportunities for all.
JFF is a fair chance employer and in alignment to our North Star , we hire based on qualifications, and experience, and we are committed to fair opportunity for all qualified candidates – including those without a 4-year degree or formally incarnated individuals.
About the Position
The Director, People & Culture leads JFF's People Business Partner (PBP) function. The role owns the segment responsibilities that make People & Culture (P&C) work in practice for leaders, managers, and employees across the organization, and is accountable for the consistency, quality, and risk management of employee relations, career development, employee listening, and the large-scale, people-facing initiatives and processes that reach the full workforce of more than 200 employees working remotely and in offices across the U.S.
This is a functional leadership role on the P&C team. The director sets direction and standards for the PBP team, builds processes that make business partnership consistent and repeatable, and brings both a deep understanding of the business and of the HR practices that matter most to a nonprofit. PBPs lead leader partnership, portfolio context, workforce and talent needs, and employee relations coordination; People Operations provides enterprise infrastructure, specialist expertise, systems, data, rewards, and compliance support. Every handoff has a named owner, next action, and timing. The director is expected to stay close enough to the work to exercise sound judgment on complex people matters, and to escalate early and keep the AVP, P&C informed when issues carry meaningful legal, financial, or reputational risk.
JFF is a complex, matrixed organization with Practices, Centers, Solutions, and Business Operations teams, and decisions are made through shared leadership forums such as the JFF Leadership Council (JLC). The role succeeds by building trust and influence across that matrix, spotting patterns early, and helping leaders make people decisions that are fair, legally sound, and aligned to JFF's strategy.
This role leads the PBP team and reports to the Associate Vice President, P&C. It partners closely with the Director, People Operations & Total Rewards, Finance, Legal, Operations, and JFF leaders.
What You'll Do
Own…