Seeking Assistant Director, Human Resources & Operations

About Common Ground

Common Ground is a center for environmental learning in New Haven, Connecticut.  “Farm meets forest meets city” on Common Ground’s 20 acre campus at the base of West Rock Ridge. The site abuts the 1800 acre West Rock State Park, sharing hiking trails, wildlife, and diverse natural habitats with the surrounding forests. Common Ground’s urban farm produces sustainably grown food for programs and our community and is home to friendly farm animals. Common Ground’s Charter High School uses the site as an organizing principle of its curriculum which is guided by an ecological framework highlighting the connection and interdependence of all living and non-living things. Each year, more than 10,000 community members participate in festivals, field trips, after-school programs, and other educational opportunities on site. For more information visit www.commongroundct.org.

About the Position

To fill this unique position, Common Ground is looking for an experienced and strong systems thinker and problem solver who can manage Human Resource tasks and create and oversee operational and tracking systems to ensure our work is efficient, on budget, and aligned to our priorities. The Assistant Director of HR & Operations will report to the Executive Director.  It is a 12-month full-time position.

Common Ground offers full time employees a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision and life insurance, 25 days of Paid Time Off Per Year and 13 paid holidays. The salary range for this position is $65,000 to $71,000 per year. This position is not represented by Common Ground’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with UAW Local 2110. The person in this position is a confidential employee of New Haven Ecology Project (Common Ground). 

The duties of the Assistant Director of Human Resources and Operations will include:

Human Resources 

• In cooperation with Program Directors, designs the hiring processes for employees and teachers of New Haven Ecology Project and Common Ground High School to assure consistency and ensure compliance with state and federal law and contractual provisions. 
• Develops and leads the onboarding (including but not limited to preparing offer letters, reference and security checks when required) and new orientation program for new employees of New Haven Ecology Project and Common Ground High School.
• Provides information and training for all employees to ensure that personnel policies and procedures are understood and implemented fairly and appropriately. 
• Works with the Executive Director and Program Directors on employee relations issues including investigations. 
• Assists in the preparation of pulling personnel files for the annual audit. 
• Manages Workers Compensation for all staff
• Manages all Staff Leave of Absences/Parental Leave, etc. 
• Supports the Executive Director with representation to UAW Local 2110 and maintains a clear understanding of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between NHEP and UAW Local 2110 

Campus Health and Safety

• Responsible for the vendor relationship with the alarm company and assure that all security systems are operating

• Responsible for the oversight of contracted security guards

• Organize staff training for emergency and crisis response plans
• Maintains a safe and healthy work environment by adhering to guidance from OSHA, CDC and the CT Health Department and other regulators as needed.
• Supervise and support the School Nurse, assure that the nurse’s office is in compliance with State Health Department regulations

Organization Wide Operations

• Act as the primary point of contact for general campus contractors and vendors (e.g., copy machine leases, floor mats, etc.) 
• Manage the IT contractor who is responsible for org-wide IT needs including hardware and network maintenance
• Provide or arrange training for internal organization-wide aspects related to operations. 
• Coordinating campus-wide facility reservations
• Support the Business Office with regular audits of vendor services for better rates and service

Charter School Operations

• Oversee the vendors that provide services to the High School including but not limited to: communications services, classroom clocks and bell schedules, and the student service portal
• Supervise and support the school’s Cafeteria Staff and School Lunch Program
  • Ensure compliance with state and federal food safety regulations and the State of CT School Nutrition Program
  • Utilize Titan School Solutions program to keep kitchen records and documentation up to date 
  • Support the Kitchen with procurement and purchasing as required by state mandates and grants. 
• Support the main office with procuring bus and transportation services

Qualifications:

• Proven track record of developing and executing effective human resources and operational systems at a comparably sized organization
• Must have prior experience with complex organization-wide project management
• Strong working knowledge of computers and computer systems and the ability to use Google Office Suite in daily work
• Strong decision making and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated success in a role that requires autonomy and independent work
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with staff and outside vendors
• Preferred prior experience with a cafeteria or food service system in a school, hospital, or state regulated environment
• Preferred prior experience with supervising direct reports
• Preferred experience with Titan School Solutions Point of Service

Educational Background and Work Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum 3 years of operations and human resources management experience at a comparably sized organization

Application Instructions:

Please submit your cover letter and resume to applications@nhep.com.  Please specify the job you are applying for in the subject line of your email. This opportunity will be posted internally from 9/8 to 9/15, and then may be posted externally based on the hiring manager’s discretion.  

Equal Opportunity Employer

Common Ground is particularly eager for candidates who can help us to fulfill our commitment to building a racially and culturally diverse faculty and staff. Common Ground has a commitment to examining the intersection of social, environmental, and food justice issues; how systems of oppression, including white privilege, impact the organization’s work; and how resistance to those systems can offer windows into a more sustainable society.

Common Ground is committed to the recruitment and retention of staff that is reflective of the communities we work with. We strongly encourage applicants from people of color, immigrants, women, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, people whose native language is something other than English, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.

It has been the policy and will continue to be the strong commitment of the Common Ground and all contractors and subcontractors who do business with Common Ground to provide equal opportunities in employment to all qualified persons solely on the basis of job-related skills, ability and merit. Common Ground will continue to take Affirmative Action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, mental disorder (present or past history thereof) age, physical disability (but not limited to blindness), marital status, intellectual disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and criminal record. Such action includes, but is not limited to, employment, promotion, demotion or transfer; recruitment or recruitment advertising; layoff or termination; rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and selection for training, professional development, attendance at conferences or other opportunities for advancement. Common Ground, its contractors and subcontractors will continue to make good faith efforts to comply with all federal and state laws and policies which speak to equal employment opportunity. The principles of Affirmative Action are addressed in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the United States Constitution, Civil Rights Act of 1866, 1870, 1871, Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VI and VII of the 1964 United States Civil Rights Act, Presidential Executive Order 11246, amended by 11375, (Non-discrimination under federal contracts)

Discrimination against Criminal Offenders (46a-80), definition of Blind (46a-51(1)), definition of Physically Disabled (46a-51(15)), definition of Intellectual Disability (46a51(13)), cooperation with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (46a-77), Sexual Harassment (46a-60(a)-8), Connecticut Credit Discrimination Law (360436 through 439), Title I of the State and Local Fiscal Assistance Act of 1972. This Affirmative Action Policy Statement re-affirms Common Ground’s commitment to equity in the workplace and the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity.