Director of People

Mission of Austin Street Center: Founded in 1983, Austin Street Center provides emergency shelter and meets the basic need of the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness in Dallas.

Core Values: Kindness, Trustworthiness, Empowerment, Determination

Position Purpose

The Director of People serves as a strategic and operational leader responsible for overseeing all human resources functions at Austin Street Center. Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer, this role partners closely with organizational leadership to develop and execute people’s strategies, policies, and practices that support our mission, values, and workforce. The Director of People directly supervises the HR Generalist.

• Partner with leadership to develop and implement short and long‑term people strategies aligned with organizational goals.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership in employee relations, performance management, and organizational culture.
• Supervise, coach, and develop the HR Generalist.
• Oversee full‑cycle recruitment, including job postings, sourcing, screening, interviews, and hiring.
• Partner with hiring managers to attract and hire qualified, diverse candidates.
• Manage external recruitment efforts, including career fairs, presentations, and community events.
• Oversee and conduct onboarding (when needed) to ensure a positive, consistent new‑hire experience.
• Support managers with employee relations matters, performance improvement plans, and conflict resolution.
• Oversee termination processes, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely communication with Payroll and IT.
• Conduct exit interviews and share insights and trends with leadership.
• Manage all core HR functions, including personnel records, leave administration (FMLA, personal leave, and other leave types).
• Ensure compliance with state and federal employment laws and internal policies.
• Act as a liaison with the Texas Workforce Commission, managing unemployment claims and required documentation.
• Maintain and audit the Employee Management System and time‑off tracking to ensure accuracy.
• Maintain accurate HR analytics and reporting, including turnover, retention, and file audits.
• Maintain and annually review the Austin Street Center Personnel Manual; recommend and draft policy updates as needed.
• Organize, develop, and facilitate staff trainings and development initiatives.
• Manage employee benefits programs in partnership with the Chief Administrative Officer, including enrollment, changes, and terminations.
• Assist with the development and administration of HR‑related office systems and procedures.
• Assist with special projects and additional responsibilities as assigned.

This role is grounded in a commitment to:

• Kindness, trust, determination, and empowerment for those we serve
• Respect for diversity of culture and background
• Professionalism, discretion, and strict confidentiality
• Flexibility, resilience, patience and sound decision‑making in a fast‑paced environment
• Collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning

Your role will support the mission thorough the following actions:

• Support organization with a mindset of kindness, trustworthiness, determination and empowerment for those that we serve
• At times require you to be resourceful and have the ability to make decisions in a timely efficient manner using the training and guidance you have been given.
• Recognize that diversity of culture, personality, and life experience are ingredients for a better world.
• Demonstrate experience with sensitivity to varying cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds, values, and attitudes
• Communicate with Client(s) and team member(s) with a positive and willing attitude to help
• Flexibility to learn at all times and recover with poise and ease from setbacks.
• Understand and abide by the confidentiality standards of the organization.
• Ensure that all health and safety standards are followed and corrected when needed
• Provide a safe environment, shelter and meet the basic needs of most vulnerable homeless
• Independently manage time with little supervision.
• Ability to multitask, handle on-site crisis and adapt to the changing needs of the clients.
• Acceptance of agency philosophies of providing hope, support and the resources needed to transition out of homelessness.
• Able to develop and maintain positive working relationships with clients, staff and community contacts and able to effectively address and resolve conflict as needed
• Ability to work respectfully with diverse teams, build consensus, and motivate change

Qualifications/ Requirements:

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in HR management or three (3) years in a senior HR leadership role.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred.
• Nonprofit experience, particularly working with vulnerable populations, is desirable
• Strong working knowledge of employment law, HR best practices, and compliance requirements.
• Proven experience in project management, process improvement, and organizational development.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present and facilitate training.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Outlook.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities independently in a fast‑paced, mission‑driven environment.
• Must be comfortable with public speaking and developing and conducting training.

Strong applications will include a cover letter which details how the applicant demonstrates the character qualities required for excellent performance in this position.

Please ensure to include in the application your most recent three professional positions and at least three references.