Director of People & Culture

Director of People & Culture What if Human Resources could be more than a function, and instead be one of the places where an organization's deepest values come to life? At the Fetzer Institute, we believe the way we work together matters as much as the work we do in the world. That means our approach to people cannot be separated from our mission our culture, or our commitment to transformation.

The Director of People & Culture sits at the heart of that intersection. Human Resources is situated within Fetzer’s Organizational Culture function because we understand people practices as culture-shaping practices. How we hire, develop, compensate, support, evaluate, organize, and care for people is one of the primary ways our mission and values become embodied in organizational life.

This is a deeply relational and intentional leadership role—one that holds both the needs of individual staff members and the well-being of the organization as a whole. It requires someone who can listen deeply, navigate complexity, create thoughtful structures, and recognize when care for one person must be balanced with care for the larger community.

You’ll bring the grounding and judgment of an experienced HR leader, but you’ll also be asked to think beyond traditional HR. You’ll help braid together people practices, organizational culture, and mission, shaping how we hire, develop, support, compensate, hold accountable, and care for the people who make our work possible.

The role works across three interconnected dimensions of people and organizational practice: Human Resource Management, ensuring excellent and trusted HR systems and practices; Human Resource Development, supporting the ongoing growth, formation, learning, and development of people and leaders; and Organization Development, strengthening the systems, relationships, structures, and conditions that enable the organization and its people to flourish.

Some days that will mean advising a leader through a difficult employee situation. Other days it may mean reimagining a policy, thinking creatively about how we develop our people, wrestling with questions of equity and organizational stewardship, or simply creating the conditions for an honest and meaningful conversation.

We’re looking for someone who is comfortable holding both people and systems, compassion and accountability, individual needs and collective responsibility, structure and possibility. Because at Fetzer, HR isn’t simply about supporting the organization. It’s about helping us become, internally, the kind of organization our work in the world calls us to be.

This is an onsite role in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with flexibility for hybrid work. We believe meaningful relationships and a strong staff community are built through time together, while also recognizing the value of flexibility in how and where we work. The position offers a salary of $165,500 along with a generous benefits package designed to support your whole life—not just your work.

Benefits

include medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage; a 401(k) plan; generous paid time off; and an extensive wellness package that supports your physical, emotional, and overall well-being. People Strategy & HR Leadership Lead the Institute’s human resources strategy and ensure HR programs, policies, and practices align with organizational priorities, culture, and workforce needs.

Partner with the VP of Organizational Culture and colleagues across the Institute to cultivate a sacred-centered organizational culture, translating Fetzer’s mission and sacred worldview into people practices, policies, systems, structures, and ways of working. Serve as a strategic advisor to the VP, Org Culture, President, senior leaders, and supervisors on complex people, organizational, and workforce matters.

Supervise and develop the Human Resources Manager, establishing clear accountability while building the Manager’s independent ownership of assigned HR functions. Evaluate organizational and workforce needs, identify emerging people risks and opportunities, and translate them into HR priorities and recommendations. Partner with Organizational Culture colleagues and Institute leadership on organizational effectiveness, culture, leadership, and people strategy.

Help imagine, design, test, and learn from emerging approaches to HR and organizational life that support human and spiritual development, belonging, mutuality, shared flourishing, and mission alignment. Bring a reflective, inquiry-based orientation to HR practice drawing on evidence and professional knowledge while remaining willing to question assumptions, experiment thoughtfully, learn from experience, and evolve practices in response to what we are learning.

Compensation, Benefits & Talent Strategy Own compensation philosophy and strategy, including job classification, pay structures, internal equity, market positioning, and significant or precedent-setting compensation decisions. Lead the Pay Philosophy Committee and advise senior leadership on executive, complex, or high-impact compensation matters.

Set benefits strategy and evaluate major financial, organizational, and workforce implications of plan design and significant plan changes. Own talent acquisition strategy and advise on executive, highly sensitive, leadership-level, or strategically significant searches. Connect recruiting priorities, staffing decisions, and talent needs to broader workforce planning and organizational strategy.

Employee Relations, Policy & Compliance Own complex employee relations matters, including investigations, significant disciplinary actions, performance concerns, terminations, and other high-risk or precedent-setting matters. Coach leaders and supervisors through complex employee concerns, organizational dynamics, conflict, and performance decisions.

Own HR policy strategy, interpretation, and governance, including development of new or materially revised employment policies. Interpret employment law, assess organizational risk, determine when legal counsel is needed, and ensure HR practices remain compliant with applicable requirements. Lead or approve sensitive, executive-level, or significant organizational HR communications.

Organizational Development & Workforce Planning Own organizational development strategy, including leadership development, coaching, performance and development philosophy, and organizational effectiveness work. Advise leaders on development needs and support the design of approaches that strengthen leadership capability and employee growth.

Shape approaches to human resource development that support the ongoing professional, personal, relational, and developmental growth of staff and leaders, recognizing the workplace as an important context for human formation and development. Own workforce planning, succession strategy, organizational design, capability planning, and alignment of talent needs with organizational strategy.

Use HR data, organizational insight, and workforce trends to inform leadership decisions and long-term people strategy. Contribute to Fetzer’s broader learning about sacred-centered organizational culture by helping document, reflect on, and harvest learning from our evolving people practices in partnership with Organizational Culture colleagues.

Learning, Inner Work and Community Fetzer aims to “be” the change we want to see in the world, which is to help build the spiritual foundation for a loving world. Therefore, each staff member is expected to have a commitment to nurture their inner life, continual learning, and be active in the community. Attend the Tuesday morning Community of Freedom Gatherings from 9:00 a.

m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT each week. Optional 2:00 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. EDT meditation time, every day. Independently directed professional and spiritual development built into your work plan. Professional Experience and Qualifications: Master’s degree in organizational development, human resources, or other related field. Seven years of progressively responsible human resources experience, including responsibility for employee relations, compensation, benefits, talent, policy, and organizational development.

Demonstrated experience advising senior leaders and navigating complex or sensitive employee and organizational matters. Strong knowledge of employment law, HR risk, compensation strategy, and people practices. Ability to translate organizational strategy into practical, mission-aligned people practices and workforce priorities.

Exceptional judgment, written and verbal communication, analytical thinking, and ability to manage a complex and varied workload. Ability to work collaboratively and independently, make sound decisions, and recognize when consultation or escalation is appropriate. Comfort with ambiguity, deep listening, diverse religious and spiritual approaches, and multi-cultural environments.

Demonstrated self-awareness and reflective capacity, including the ability to examine one’s own assumptions, patterns, and positional authority with humility and openness to learning. Commitment to own personal growth and spiritual path. In accordance with our core values of love, trust, authenticity, and belonging, the Fetzer Institute affirms that every person has inherent value and purpose, and that we belong to a sacred community that includes all people and all of creation.

The Institute welcomes candidates from all backgrounds who are inspired to contribute to our mission of helping build the spiritual foundation for a loving world. Your unique voice is valued, and we are excited to hear from you!