Location: Hybrid, Washington, DC
Reports To: Chief Operating Officer
Direct Reports: Senior Associate, People Operations; Manager, Talent Acquisition (contract); ROS (contract); and Senior Advisor, People Strategy (contract)
Category: Full-time, Exempt

About Think of Us

Think of Us (TOU) is transforming the child welfare system into one where young people and families can heal, develop, and thrive. We drive purpose-driven work aligned with meaningful systems change, powered by data and the insights of lived experience. Our focus is on prevention, keeping families strong before crisis, and on building kinship-first systems so children grow up with people they know and trust. Through bold collaborations with leaders and innovators across the public and private sectors — from Presidential Administrations to local providers — we identify leverage points and co-create solutions that re-architect child welfare for the future.

Here’s what this looks like:

• Built the Lived Experience Engine into the largest dataset of its kind (51,000+ voices), powering AI tools and shaping reforms
• Partnered with California to launch the Kinship Accelerator in 8 counties, backed by $150M and a budget increase from $317M → $896M
• Co-drive (in partnership)Drove a national kin-first shift: 39 states (plus 5 tribes) adopting kinship standards, unlocking $3B for families
• Operate one of the largest direct resource networks, connecting 1,827 families to $28M+ in support

Our team members share a commitment to driving systems change through creative problem-solving, obsessive curiosity, and a love of quickly driving innovative, measurable, and impactful results.

Position Overview

The Senior Director, People & Culture is a senior leader and strategic partner who will architect and operationalize Think of Us’s end-to-end people function—building the systems, culture, and capabilities needed to power TOU’s growth and impact. Reporting to the COO, this role is both visionary and hands-on: setting direction while rolling up sleeves to design and implement people strategies and infrastructure in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

You will lead across all facets of People & Culture—including people operations, talent acquisition, learning and development, employee performance management, belonging and inclusion, and organizational culture. As the most senior HR leader in the organization, you’ll collaborate closely with the executive team to ensure that TOU’s people practices are future-ready, deeply aligned with the organization’s mission and values, and grounded in operational excellence.

In alignment with TOU’s innovation-powered mission, this leader will actively explore and implement innovative practices, e.g., AI and automation tools, to increase capacity, improve systems, and elevate the employee experience—embedding innovation not only in what we do, but how we work.

Success in this role will require not only a transformational mindset (systems-building expertise), but also strong relational and strategic influence across the organization. This leader will align people strategies with business priorities and mission outcomes—earning trust and commitment through insight, partnership, and results.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a dynamic and forward-thinking HR leader who thrives in building mode—someone who leads with influence, brings systems/transformational thinking, and is energized by the opportunity to shape the employee experience and organizational culture at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic People Leadership

• Lead the development and execution of a forward-looking, scalable people strategy aligned with TOU’s mission, growth trajectory, and culture.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the executive team on organizational design, workforce planning, and leadership development.
• Influence executive and organizational stakeholders by framing people strategies in terms of mission impact, organizational effectiveness, and business value.
• Bring a “builder’s mindset” to design systems from the ground up—including structures, processes, and policies—ensuring they are inclusive, agile, and aligned with best practices.
• Apply data-informed decision making to proactively surface talent needs, risks, and opportunities.
• Champion the integration of innovation and AI into the People function—leveraging automation and AI tools to streamline workflows, increase capacity, and enhance employee experience.
• Align people strategy with TOU’s broader innovation-powered mission, ensuring internal systems reflect the organization’s innovation ethos.
• Operate with flexibility and pragmatism in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment—prioritizing progress over perfection and aligning people initiatives with real-time organizational needs.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with all departments, ensuring People & Culture is seen as a strategic and trusted partner across the organization.
• Oversee HR contracts, providing strategic direction to meet People & Culture goals.
  
  

People Operations & HR Infrastructure

• Oversee all core HR functions: employee relations, total rewards administration, employee performance management systems, compliance, talent development, and policy development.
• Manage the Senior Associate, People Operations and where capacity requires, directly support delivery of HR operations to ensure seamless HR service delivery, legal compliance, and scalable support as the organization grows.
• Standardize and optimize HR systems and processes, integrating equity and accessibility throughout.
• Develop internal HR capacity to support future growth, scale, and impact and reduce reliance on external partners over time.
  
  

Organizational Development & Manager Enablement

• Design and implement integrated talent development frameworks, including employee performance management, learning and development, and succession planning.
• Elevate manager capability through training, coaching, and toolkits that support team effectiveness, accountability, and inclusive leadership.
• Foster a culture of feedback, learning, and growth—balancing performance expectations with human-centered leadership.

Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Lead the end-to-end talent acquisition function, ensuring best-in-class recruitment strategies that attract, assess, and hire mission-aligned, diverse talent.
• Directly lead or support critical searches and executive recruitment where needed.
• Oversee the contract Manager, Talent Acquisition, (and other HR contracted partners) providing strategic direction and support to meet hiring goals.
• Partner with external search firms and talent partners to ensure the organization has access to the right talent at the right time.
• Oversee a consistent and impactful onboarding experience that drives early engagement and belonging.
• Build infrastructure to support proactive talent pipelining and workforce planning.

Culture and Employee Experience

• Be a visible champion of TOU’s values, fostering a vibrant, inclusive culture through rituals, communications, and employee engagement initiatives.
• Embed belonging into every facet of the employee lifecycle—from hiring to development to offboarding.
• Lead initiatives to measure and improve engagement and culture health, including employee surveys and follow-through action planning.
  
  

About You

We recognize that candidates may not meet every listed qualification. Research shows that individuals from underrepresented groups are more likely to opt out of applying if they don’t meet 100% of the criteria. If you believe you meet many of the criteria and can succeed in this role, we encourage you to apply — we want to learn about your unique strengths and experiences.

Qualifications:

• You bring 10+ years of progressive HR/people leadership experience, with at least 3+ years in a senior or head-of-function role, and have a proven track record of designing and scaling inclusive, compliant people systems in growing or entrepreneurial environments.
  
  
• You are a mission-driven HR leader who thrives at the intersection of people, systems, and impact. You approach your work with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to grow alongside the communities we serve — always looking for ways to align people operations with Think of Us’ mission to drive systems change.
• You bring personal or professional experience with the child welfare system or other social impact work, or you are deeply committed to learning about these systems. You approach this work with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to grow alongside the communities we serve.
  
  
• You are passionate about driving systems change and bring a relentless, solutions-oriented mindset to your work. You thrive in fast-growing, evolving organizations and adapt quickly to new challenges, using change as an opportunity to learn, innovate, and make a greater impact.
  
  
• You are a strategic HR leader — you align people systems with long-term organizational goals, balancing vision with pragmatic action.
  
  
• You have a builder’s mentality — you thrive in early-stage and scaling environments, designing and iterating systems that grow with the organization.
  
  
• You are a hands-on leader — equally comfortable setting strategy and personally executing key initiatives when needed.
  
  
• You demonstrate influential leadership and business acumen — you connect people strategies to mission outcomes and business performance, and you influence without relying solely on authority or process enforcement.
  
  
• You are an inclusive culture steward — you embed equity, belonging, and inclusion principles into all aspects of culture, systems, and leadership development.
  
  
• You deliver operational excellence — you ensure HR operations are reliable, compliant, and efficient while optimizing for continuous improvement.
  
  
• You are committed to people development — you craft meaningful employee performance, learning, and succession systems that enable growth.
  
  
• You are innovation-forward — you proactively explore and adopt tools (including AI and automation) to elevate HR systems, increase efficiency, and build a future-ready workforce.
  
  
• You are a skilled communicator and relationship-builder who fosters trust at all levels, navigates ambiguity with confidence, and leads through influence.
  
  
• You are comfortable working in remote, distributed environments and leading teams through change with empathy and clarity.
  
  
• You are data-informed in your decision-making, using analytics to identify talent needs, risks, and opportunities — and to continuously improve people systems and culture.

Compensation & Benefits

At TOU, we believe that taking care of our people is foundational to the impact we aim to make. Our compensation philosophy is rooted in transparency and a holistic understanding of people’s needs. We believe fair, market-competitive pay is essential to attracting and retaining the exceptional talent needed to achieve our ambitious goals. As a not-for-profit organization, we design our compensation packages—including both salary and benefits—with care and in alignment with our financial sustainability.

The annual salary for this role is $150,000–$165,000. Starting salaries for new hires will be determined based on a combination of the new hire’s relevant experience and market demands.

TOU’S benefits go beyond the basics. They’re designed to support your well-being, growth, and sense of purpose at work and beyond. From comprehensive health coverage to professional development support and meaningful time off, our benefits reflect our commitment to nurturing a workplace where people can thrive, both personally and professionally.

Health & Insurance

• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees; 50% for dependents.
• Access to Talkspace for confidential therapy and mental health support.
• Short-Term Disability, Life, and AD&D Insurance included.
• Optional Long-Term Disability and Supplemental Life Insurance.
• Health Care and Dependent Care FSAs available.

Financial Benefits

• 401(k) Plan for pre-tax retirement contributions.
• Work-from-home setup stipend to optimize your workspace.

Paid Time Off

• Flexible PTO policy, plus sick leave and paid leaves of absence.
• 8 company holidays, plus three organization-wide seasonal breaks.

Learning & Development

• $1,500 annual stipend per employee.
• Regular organization-wide learning sessions on relevant and reflective topics.

Application Instructions

As part of your application, please submit a resume outlining your skills and experiences relevant to this role.

We are accepting applications through October 30, 2025 at 5pm ET. Applications submitted by that date will be reviewed, and candidates will receive updates on their candidacy by the week of November 17. Only complete applications will be considered. Please note: We do not accept phone inquiries about this position in order to ensure a fair and consistent hiring process for all applicants.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Think of Us is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome and value applicants of all backgrounds, knowing that diverse perspectives strengthen our work with children, youth, and families. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. We provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and for applicants’ religious practices as required by law.