Overview

Since 1972, Covenant House has served and advocated for youth and young families experiencing homelessness, human trafficking, and exploitation. Our overarching goal is to end homelessness among youth and young families by helping them achieve housing stability, heal from trauma, tap into their innate resilience, and hone their interests and skills to forge new pathways to independence. This work is carried out across Covenant House sites in 34 cities in the US, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

About the Role

Reporting directly to the VP, Community and Culture, the People & Culture Generalist is responsible for supporting all aspects of the People & Culture (P&C) function. In this role you will have both administrative and strategic responsibilities and will help with important initiatives and programs such as new hire onboarding, policy administration, employee experience, benefits administration, people analytics, Community and Culture initiatives and performance management. You will play a key role on the P&C team at Covenant House International (CHI), serving as a primary point of contact for employees and providing critical support for the P&C function. In addition, you will provide support to Covenant House sites across our federation, as needed. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Community and Culture

• Assist in the administration of Community and Culture programs such as Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), training programs, recruitment strategies and other related programs to promote an inclusive workplace

• Support in creating a culture of feedback through an innovative performance management system, employee check-ins, surveys, listening sessions, and town halls.

• Help launch the Rewards and Recognition program

P&C Administration & Compliance

• Support the administration of HR processes and policies, including performance management, employee data management, reporting, organizational charts, policy updates and compliance tracking

• Organize and schedule meetings for P&C team and other departments, including preparing agendas, sending invitations, taking detailed notes and ensuring timely follow-up.

• Respond to P&C-related inquiries and provide administrative support to employees and managers

New Hire Onboarding & Recruitment Support

• Prepare paperwork, schedules and 30-60-90-day plans for a smooth new-hire onboarding process, coordinating with cross-functional departments to deliver an exceptional first-day experience and provide a structure for the first three months at CHI

• Organize and facilitate Day-1 onboarding sessions, effectively communicating company policies, procedures, and job expectations.

• Conduct 30-60-90-day check-ins with new hires, gathering feedback and addressing any concerns to enhance their experience and engagement.

• Assist in coordinating recruitment efforts, including job postings, candidate communications, and interview scheduling

Employee Experience & Engagement

• Assist and provide support to develop and implement employee engagement initiatives such as recognition programs, team bonding activities, social events, etc. to enhance morale, satisfaction, and retention

• Support employee relations efforts by assisting with investigations, documentation, and follow-up on employee concerns

• Build and maintain strong relationships with employees at all levels to promote a culture of Inclusivity, Joy, Courage, Accountability and Ambition (Our Values) across the organization

Benefits & Payroll Support

• Assist with the administration of day-to-day benefits programs, including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, 403(b), Flexible Spending Accounts, STD/LTD Plans, and Voluntary Plans

• Assist payroll in maintaining accurate employee records and ensuring the timely processing of benefits-related updates

People Analytics & Reporting

• Assist in tracking key HR metrics, such as employee retention and satisfaction, and support leadership with data-driven insights to help refine workplace policies and programs

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as comfortability presenting or hosting trainings for groups

• Ability to effectively prioritize and manage multiple projects with a strong attention to detail

• You are a team player and able to work with all levels of an organization, from interns up to C-suite

• Must possess high ethical standards, ability to exercise good judgment and excitement to utilize creative problem-solving skills

• You are mission driven and passionate about advancing Community and Culture efforts within an organization

• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and confidentiality

• Creative problem solver with the ability to think outside the box; you bring an innovative mindset to the People/HR space

Minimum Qualifications

• 3+ years of relevant experience in a People/Human Resources role

• General working knowledge of HR laws and guidelines at Federal, State and local levels

• Demonstrated experience with project managing, both autonomously and collaboratively with teams

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Qualifications

• HR certification such as PHR, SPHR, SHRM-SCP or SHRM-CP

• Bachelor's or master's degree in human resources or related field

• Knowledge of HRIS and ability to learn new technical systems, when necessary

• Prior experience working with our tools; Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Office Suite, Asana, Culture Amp and Trinet PEO

• Bilingual in Spanish with strong written and verbal communication

Location Requirements

• This role is based in New York City. This is a majority-remote hybrid role, with most day-to-day work being remote. However, you will occasionally be required to be onsite at our New York City office and/or at event spaces in New York City.

Our Community

Our critical mission demands that we have all voices at the table. A team of diverse people, perspectives, and experiences is smarter, stronger, and more effective for our young people. At Covenant House, every team member is valued, respected, heard, and supported, and we welcome honest and courageous self-reflection on any aspects of our work that are based on biased or outdated viewpoints. We deliberately create opportunities for our staff to grow and thrive.

Covenant House International is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind: CHI is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at CHI are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, family or parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. CHI will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics and encourages all qualified applicants to apply.

If you have a disability or medical condition and need an accommodation, such as an ASL interpreter or a different interview format, or if you have physical accessibility needs, let us know. Contact us at 1-800-388-3888, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time or email us at chipeopleandculture@covenanthouse.org.