Vice President, People & Culture

Elm City Communities | New Haven, CT

Lead with Purpose. Shape the Future of People & Culture.

Elm City Communities (ECC) is seeking a visionary Vice President, People & Culture (VP-P&C) to join our executive leadership team. This is more than a senior HR role—it’s an opportunity to design and champion strategies that empower people, strengthen culture, and create lasting community impact.

As the VP-P&C, you will serve as a trusted advisor and change leader, aligning workforce strategy with ECC’s mission to create thriving communities. You’ll drive talent management, organizational culture, labor relations, and compliance, while fostering an inclusive environment where every employee feels valued, supported, and equipped to thrive.

What You’ll Do

• Shape People Strategy: Lead workforce planning, talent development, and organizational effectiveness efforts that align with ECC’s goals.

• Champion Change: Guide the people side of organizational change, ensuring communication, readiness, and sustained adoption.

• Develop Talent: Build a holistic talent strategy covering recruitment, onboarding, career development, succession planning, and performance management.

• Foster Culture & Belonging: Create a workplace where care, accountability, collaboration, and innovation drive everyday practices.

• Advance Labor Relations: Partner constructively with unions, negotiate agreements, and resolve grievances while ensuring fairness and compliance.

• Lead People Operations: Oversee payroll, benefits, HRIS, vendor partnerships, and the People & Culture team with a focus on access and equity.

About You

• Experienced Leader: 15+ years of progressive HR/People leadership, with at least 5 in a senior role.

• Union-Savvy: Skilled in labor relations, collective bargaining, and employee relations in both union and non-union environments.

• Inclusive Strategist: Proven success designing equitable, innovative people practices that center fairness, accountability, and belonging.

• Change Navigator: Adept at guiding organizations through transformation with clarity and empathy.

• Trusted Partner: Strong communicator and collaborator with executive teams, staff, and external partners.

• Credentialed Professional: Bachelor’s degree in HR, business, or related field (advanced degree or certifications preferred).

Why Join Us

At Elm City Communities, people are at the heart of our mission. We don’t just build housing—we build opportunity, belonging, and pathways to success. As our VP of People & Culture, you’ll have the chance to:

• Drive Impact: Shape strategies that directly influence organizational effectiveness and employee well-being.

• Champion Equity: Lead initiatives that ensure fairness, access, and representation at every level.

• Lead Boldly: Join a collaborative executive team committed to innovation, accountability, and community transformation.

• Grow with Purpose: Advance your leadership in a dynamic, mission-driven environment.

How to Apply

If you are a strategic, values-driven leader ready to align people and culture with mission and impact, we invite you to apply.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Nonprofit HR is committed to fostering and maintaining a work environment where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are fully integrated into everything we do for the benefit of our employees and the clients that we serve. To fully realize our goal, we prioritize our understanding of the complexities of DEI within our workforce to inform our approach to talent management. We believe that this guides how we do our work, advise our clients to operationalize DEI and position our content and educational opportunities help strengthen the talent management capacity of the social impact sector.

Continue reading our about our commitment at nonprofithr.com/deinow.