Executive Director, Human Resources
The Organization (Confidential Senior Living Nonprofit)
Our client is a mission-driven, nonprofit senior living and aging services organization based in southeast Michigan, dedicated to nurturing a vibrant, inclusive community for older adults. For more than a century, our organization has enriched the lives of older adults by offering a range of living options—from independent living to assisted living and specialized memory care—designed to promote dignity, well-being, and connection. Our residential community spans multiple campuses and provides a supportive environment where residents can remain active in mind, body, and spirit through wellness programs, educational and social activities, and meaningful traditions grounded in heritage and values. We embrace diversity and welcome individuals of all backgrounds, fostering a culture of respect, compassion, and belonging. As a nonprofit, we prioritize the well-being of our residents and program participants above all else. Our dedicated team works collaboratively to deliver high-quality, person-centered care and services that help older adults live fulfilling and purposeful lives.
Organization Overview
Our client is a well-established, mission-driven nonprofit organization serving older adults through a comprehensive continuum of senior living, healthcare, and community-based services. With multiple campuses, a diverse workforce, and a long-standing presence in the region, the organization is recognized for its commitment to dignity, quality of life, and person-centered care.
Rooted in strong values and a culture of compassion and respect, the organization fosters an inclusive environment for residents, clients, employees, and volunteers of all backgrounds. Its programs and services are designed to support older adults holistically—addressing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being—while adapting to the evolving needs of an aging population.
As a complex nonprofit enterprise, the organization employs a broad range of clinical, operational, professional, and support staff to deliver our mission in independent and assisted living facilities for older adults. It is committed to being an employer of choice, investing in talent development, leadership growth, employee engagement, and equitable people practices. Human Resources plays a critical strategic role in advancing organizational effectiveness, regulatory compliance, workforce sustainability, and cultural alignment.
The organization is entering a period of continued evolution and growth, offering an exceptional opportunity for a senior HR leader to shape strategy, strengthen systems, and partner with executive leadership to ensure the workforce is prepared to meet future challenges while staying grounded in mission and values.
Organization Profile:
· Team members: 200 full-time equivalents (350 employees total)
The Opportunity: Executive Director, Human Resources
The Executive Director, Human Resources is a key working leadership role with strategic reporting relationship to the Chief Executive Officer, and serving as a member of the organization’s Executive Team. This role has accountability for all strategic HR topics, including: talent acquisition/recruitment, compensation philosophy, rewards programs, compliance, employee relations and succession planning.
The role has responsibility for developing and executing human resource strategy and systems in support of the organization’s strategic plan, values and goals. Leading a team of two full-time and two part-time HR staff, the Executive Director will develop key performance indicators (KPI) for the HR function, and cultivate strong working relationships with leadership team members and employees.
The Executive Director will provide strategic leadership and oversight in the areas of workforce development, employee relations, benefits, compensation, payroll, organizational and performance management, training and development, talent attraction (recruitment), and retention. The Executive Director provides strategic leadership by translating goals, values and vision into operational programs and strategies. In addition, the Executive Director nurtures and crafts human resource culture, creating people processes that support all team members, inspiring trust and transparency.
Success measures for the role will include:
· Organizational Results (attainment of strategic plan objectives)
· Resident Satisfaction & Employee Engagement Data
· Employee Retention/Turnover
· Performance Management Scores
· Internal Promotions
Key Performance Measures/Deliverables:
Leadership & Career Development:
· Instill development programs to build and drive a culture of accountability.
· Create leadership development tools to support identified succession needs, and the execution of strategic plans.
· Develop team members by building expertise and fostering professional growth through adaptive and current learning and development strategies.
· Assess workforce needs and continuously develop and deliver strategies to assist the success of the team.
· Defining clear career paths and progression opportunities within the organization, helping employees understand how they can grow.
Talent Management & Engagement:
· Create, promote and implement systems and strategies to maximize retention of valued team members.
· Design and launch programs and policies to develop team members for promotion-readiness, thereby creating career paths and increasing retention.
· Promoting employee engagement by fostering open, honest, and frequent communication channels.
· Designing, implementing, and managing the overall cycle of performance reviews (annual, quarterly, or continuous), and coaching leaders on compliance.
· Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting performance data (e.g., performance ratings distribution, goal attainment rates, feedback scores) to identify trends and improve talent effectiveness.
Talent Attraction:
· Create strategic recruitment strategies to ensure the availability of talent for employment vacancies and projected growth.
· Develop branding and networking activities to position the organization as an “employer of choice."
· Define proactive and reactive talent attraction programs and tactics.
· Building a pipeline of talent by continuously identifying, engaging with, and nurturing potential candidates (both active and passive) in talent pools or communities, even when there are no immediate openings.
· Gathering and leveraging data on the external labor market, including competitor compensation, talent availability, and industry trends, to inform recruitment strategies and gain an edge in the "hunt" for talent.
Alignment of People Practices with organization mission and vision:
· Implementation of technology and HRIS optimization through hands-on leadership and coordination.
· Ensure consistency of operational practices with mission, vision and guiding principles.
· Partner closely with Executive Team members to ensure complete alignment of HR activities with strategic plan objectives.
· Developing clear, structured processes and support systems for managing employees who consistently do not meet expectations.
Reward Systems:
· Through job analysis, ensure the creation of job descriptions to understand the core requirements, duties, and context of each position as well as ensuring job descriptions align with organizational goals and legal/regulatory requirements (e.g., ADA, FLSA compliance).
· Establishing and managing regular processes for compensation analysis, salary surveys, base pay adjustments, and developing and maintaining a formal pay structure with defined grades and salary ranges.
· Evaluate and implement recognition strategies to acknowledge employee contributions, fostering a positive work culture and boosting engagement, including Peer-to-Peer Recognition to foster a culture linked to core values.
· Managing comprehensive benefits and perks programs, and administering policies for vacation, sick leave, parental leave, and holidays.
· Managing retirement savings plans, such as 401(k) or 403(b) plans, including employer matching contributions and annual reporting requirements.
The Qualified Candidate
Our client seeks a strategically focused partner who has proven experience leading an HR service delivery team focused on internal customer satisfaction, and providing trusted, valued counsel and support to all team members. The successful candidate will have a minimum of 5-10 years of proven executive level experience. Prior experience within a healthcare or senior living setting is desirable. The selected candidate will be service-oriented, collaborative, innovative and a strategic thinker with impeccable credibility.
Specific requirements include:
· Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in business administration, human resources, organizational psychology or closely related field; Master's degree is strongly preferred.
· Certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) or SHRM-SCP is preferred.
· A minimum of 5 years prior management experience, leading an HR/OD team
· Personal competencies:
o Relationship and trust building skills
o Highly credible with personal integrity
o Proactive and highly responsive
o Solution-oriented/Identifies new opportunities
o Results and goal oriented
o Excellent communications skills
o Ability to add value to the collective intelligence of the executive team
This position is based in Southeast Michigan. (The exact details and location will be provided upon qualification review of resume submission and receipt of a signed confidentiality agreement.) The salary range is $135,000 - $165,000; excellent benefits are included.
To Apply
This search is being managed by Karen F. Andrews, SHRM-SCP, of The Andrews Group. To apply, candidates should submit their cover letter, resume and application on our website: karenandrewsgroup.com