Interim Human Resources Director (Contract)
Position Summary
Our client is seeking an experienced Interim Human Resources Director to provide senior-level HR leadership during a leadership transition. This individual will serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership while ensuring continuity across critical HR initiatives.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on HR leader who can quickly step into a complex environment, provide practical guidance on employee relations and organizational change, support active hiring efforts, and serve as an experienced thought partner on sensitive HR matters. This is not a role focused on building long-term HR infrastructure.
Instead, the emphasis is on maintaining momentum during a transition and preparing the organization for its permanent HR Director.
This position will work directly with the CEO and executive leadership team.
Key Responsibilities
Executive HR Partnership
- Serve as the primary HR advisor to executive leadership.
- Provide guidance on complex employee relations matters.
- Advise leadership through organizational changes and sensitive personnel decisions.
- Offer practical recommendations grounded in employment law and HR best practices.
Organizational Change Support
- Partner with leadership during an organizational restructuring.
- Advise managers through organizational transitions.
- Help ensure consistency, compliance, and effective communication throughout change initiatives.
Employee Relations
- Provide coaching and guidance regarding employee concerns, conflict resolution, investigations, and performance issues.
- Assist leadership in navigating sensitive personnel situations.
- Ensure HR decisions are legally compliant and aligned with organizational objectives.
Talent Acquisition Support
- Support ongoing recruitment efforts for several open positions.
- Advise hiring managers throughout the interview and selection process.
- Provide HR guidance during offers, onboarding, and hiring decisions.
Benefits & Open Enrollment
- Serve as an HR advisor during benefits renewal and open enrollment.
- Partner with finance and external vendors as needed.
- Support employee communications related to benefits.
HR Compliance
- Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.
- Review HR documentation and employee records as needed.
- Assist with I-9 compliance and other required employment documentation.
- Provide guidance on policy interpretation and risk mitigation.
Specialized HR Support
- Provide HR guidance regarding union-related employee matters.
- Partner with leadership on workforce issues involving represented employees.
- Support time-sensitive immigration or employment documentation matters as needed.
HR Operations
- Be available as an experienced HR sounding board for leadership.
- Help prioritize urgent HR issues while identifying projects best suited for the incoming permanent HR Director.
- Coordinate with outside HR vendors or service providers when appropriate.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.
- 10+ years of progressive Human Resources leadership experience.
- Experience serving as an HR Business Partner to executive leadership.
- Strong employee relations and organizational change management experience.
- Demonstrated knowledge of employment law and HR compliance.
- Experience supporting organizations through leadership transitions or organizational restructuring.
- Ability to quickly assess situations and operate with minimal onboarding.
Preferred
- Experience working in nonprofit, arts, education, healthcare, or other mission-driven organizations.
- Experience supporting unionized workforces.
- SHRM-SCP or SPHR certification.
- Experience serving in interim or consulting HR leadership roles.
Ideal Candidate
The successful candidate will be
- A senior HR leader who can immediately establish credibility with executives.
- Comfortable balancing strategic HR guidance with hands-on execution.
- Experienced navigating sensitive employee relations issues.
- Calm under pressure and adaptable in changing environments.
- Able to work independently with minimal direction.
- Skilled at prioritizing urgent business needs while avoiding unnecessary long-term initiatives that should transition to the permanent HR Director.
Assignment Details
- Contract / Interim Assignment
- Approximately 20–40 hours per week, depending on business needs.
- Hybrid work arrangement with regular on-site presence as needed.
- Occasional evening or off-site meetings may be required.
- Reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer.
- Expected to begin immediately and support the organization until a permanent HR Director is hired. The workload is intentionally focused on high-priority initiatives such as organizational change, hiring support, benefits, and executive HR partnership, while larger projects like redesigning performance management or rewriting HR policies will transition to the permanent hire.
