The Walton Family Foundation (WFF) is seeking a skilled, highly motivated and entrepreneurial individual to join the foundation as a Deputy Director, People (DD). This role will work closely with the people director to drive initiatives and projects focused on employees and creating an engaging, innovative culture that attracts and retains top talent. This position will work across functional areas including, but not limited to, professional development, performance management, DEI, and recruitment and onboarding. Specific duties include the following:
Professional Development – Develop and scale the foundation’s professional development and learning programs
• Facilitate the program design and framework, including planning the curriculum, coordinating with internal leaders and SMEs to plan learning events, identifying relevant external learning opportunities
• Serve as resource for supervisors and employees on establishing professional development goals
• Collaborate with internal communications to promote and advertise internal and external learning opportunities on the Walton Wire, Walton Weekly, etc.
• Research best practice and innovative approaches to learning
• Create system for tracking and measuring effectiveness of the program
Performance Management – Direct the successful execution of the foundation’s annual performance management cycle
• Manage annual timeline and plan for performance evaluations including mid-year check-in and year-end evaluation
• Serve as an advisor to supervisors dealing with performance management issues (coaching, counseling, career development, disciplinary actions, etc.); focus on addressing and resolving performance and/or behavior issues fairly, consistently and expeditiously
• Design training content focused on successful performance management principles, goal-setting, and using the online evaluation system
• Act as system administrator for the online performance evaluation system – liaise with vendor, keep license updated, manage user profiles
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative
• Work with the people director to develop, implement and monitor internally focused DEI goals and objectives
• Promote and develop trainings and initiatives that help create and foster an open and inclusive working environment
• Establish system for measuring and tracking progress toward DEI goals and objectives
Recruiting/Onboarding – Partner with HR Shared Services team to implement effective recruitment and onboarding strategies for the foundation
• Develop and enforce recruitment strategies that are consistent, streamlined, and targeted toward attracting a competitive, diverse talent pool
• Serve as consultant to senior leadership on recruitment strategies to help produce an optimal applicant pool
• Enhance the current onboarding process to help new employees better integrate into the foundation
• Streamline onboarding workflow, looking for opportunities to automate processes and improve coordination between departments
• Develop onboarding toolkit to serve as a resource for departments
• Build out the onboarding platform of the Walton Wire (intranet)
Other Duties
• Drive people-related projects and initiatives from start to finish
• Maintain knowledge of HR trends, relevant national and local employment legislation and ensure the foundation's compliance
• Policy and procedure development
• Serve as thought partner to the people director, promoting efforts to make the Walton Family Foundation an employer of choice
• Other duties as assigned based on department and/or organizational needs
Who we are looking for
Personal attributes that support your success
• “Can do” attitude; willingness to help out where there is a need
• Strong interpersonal skills; able to connect with people; someone that people find easy to engage and interact with
• Self-directed and takes initiative
• Good judgement, especially when dealing with sensitive situations; problem-solver
• Comfortable facing/managing change and working in fast-paced, demanding environments
• Able to maintain composure in high-pressured, stressful situations
• Poise and presence to engage with executives and senior leadership and handle difficult conversations when required
• Willingness to travel up to 20%
About the Walton Family Foundation
The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. The children and grandchildren of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. The Foundation’s giving is focused on three areas: improving K-12 education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. The Foundation also invests in areas of deep personal interest to individual family members.
Headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, with offices in Washington, D.C., Jersey City, New Jersey and Denver, Colorado, approximately 130 staff conduct the day-to-day operations of the foundation.
The Walton Family Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building and maintaining a culturally diverse workplace. We encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status of protected veteran, among other things or status as a qualified individual with a disability.
Basic Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in related field
• 7+ years of broad HR knowledge and expertise
• Solid project management experience, with proven ability to develop and execute cross-cutting organizational initiatives
• Comprehensive knowledge and comfort with technology, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, and video-conference systems
Preferred Qualifications
• HR certification strongly preferred (SHRM or HRCI)
• Foundation and/or non-profit experience a plus
