People and Culture, Lead

The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS) is a community-based client-centered holistic public defense office located in Harlem providing criminal civil and family representation to residents of Northern Manhattan who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. NDS clients are represented by multidisciplinary teams including attorneys advocates team administrators and social workers. NDS is accepting applications for a People and Culture Lead that will support all of NDSs core practices.

Overview:
As part of NDS Harlems national infrastructure People and Culture Lead Harlem plays a key role in shaping employee experience and strengthening organizational culture. This role bridges local national and external HR efforts by working closely with the Chief Administrative Officer People and Culture colleagues in other offices and the external HR firm that manages payroll compliance and process functions.

In Harlem the People and Culture Lead support staff by combining essential HR functions with initiatives that reflect NDSs values while supporting equity dignity and inclusion. This people-facing role balances recruitment onboarding professional development and performance management with efforts that foster engagement wellbeing and connection. By weaving NDSs values into daily operations and staff experiences the Generalist helps create a workplace culture in Harlem that is positive equitable and accountable while also contributing to shared efforts across the organization.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Talent Management

• Partner with hiring managers the HR outsourcing partner and Harlem leadership to oversee recruitment onboarding and orientation processes that reflect NDSs values and priorities.
• Support learning and development initiatives by coordinating training opportunities leadership development programs and skills-building workshops for Harlem staff.
• Manage annual performance management cycles including goal setting reviews feedback processes and coaching support for managers.
  

Fostering a Positive Workplace Culture

• Engage in and support conversations with a listening-first mindset rooted in curiosity helping to deescalate issues foster mutual understanding and work toward fair and constructive resolutions.
• Develop and coordinate staff engagement activities that strengthen connection motivation and retention.
• Partner with HR colleagues and national team to promote diversity equity and inclusion efforts and to ensure Harlem initiatives align with organization-wide goals.
• Support staff wellbeing by connecting employees with resources and ensuring policies are responsive to staff needs.

Operational & Strategic HR Support

• Serve as Harlems primary HR contact providing staff with clear consistent and compassionate guidance on HR policies procedures and workplace matters.
• Collaborate with the national HR team and external HR firm to ensure payroll compliance and HR processes are handled accurately and consistently.
• Participate in accommodation reviews grievance and conflict resolution processes supporting fairness accountability and alignment with NDSs values.
• Partner with the Chief Administrative Officer to align HR strategy with staff development goals and broader organizational priorities.
• Identify opportunities to integrate NDSs core values into daily operations and staff experiences strengthening culture and accountability across the Harlem office.

Skills & Qualifications

• At least 57 years of experience in human resources people operations or organizational development preferably in a mission-driven or multi-site environment.
• Demonstrated ability to balance functional HR responsibilities with people- and culture-facing initiatives.
• Strong conflict resolution and interpersonal skills with the ability to approach difficult conversations with empathy curiosity and fairness while guiding staff toward positive outcomes.
• Experience collaborating with external HR vendors or co-sourced providers to meet compliance and process needs.
• Strong knowledge of HR compliance and employment law with experience in recruitment performance management and policy implementation.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build trust and provide grounded guidance to staff at all levels.
• Experience coordinating training professional development or staff engagement initiatives.
• Comfort working in a matrixed organization and supporting a hybrid workforce.
• Commitment to advancing equity inclusion and staff wellbeing in every aspect of HR work.

Work Environment

This is a hybrid role based in Harlem. The People and Culture Lead is expected to work in the office 23 days per week or as needed to support in-person onboarding staff engagement activities grievance processes and other face-to-face responsibilities essential to building a strong workplace culture.

Compensation

Compensation is commensurate with experience.Full medical and dental benefits as well as retirement plan with company match robust time off perks paid parental leave and other benefits are provided. The salary range for this position is $75000 - $100000

How To Apply

Interested applicants are required to submit a cover letter and resumethrough NDSs website at Applicationswithout a cover letter will not be considered. Applications will be accepted until November 15 2025 and candidates will be interviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. For more information about NDS please visit our website at . Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Dont meet every single requirement Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At NDS we are dedicated to building a diverse inclusive and authentic workplace so if youre excited about this role but your experience doesnt align perfectly with every qualification in the job description we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

The Neighborhood Defender Service is committed to creating a diverse environment that reflects the community we serve. NDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race religion gender gender identity or expression sexual orientation national origin genetics disability age or veteran status. NDS encourages people with incarcerated loved ones formerly incarcerated people people of color women queer transgender gender non-conforming and gender fluid people to apply.