HR Director

Garten is excited to offer an opportunity to join our hardworking and mission-driven team as the HR Director. As a not-for-profit organization focused on hiring people with disabilities, we are dedicated to providing high-quality services that make a meaningful impact in the community. For over 55 years, we have operated with a strong commitment to excellence, adapting and growing through changing times. This role provides the chance to contribute to a well-established organization that values dedication, innovation, and service.

Position Summary

The Director of Human Resources leads the HR function in support of Garten’s mission of providing meaningful employment opportunities, with a special focus on employees with disabilities. The role is responsible for setting HR team objectives, establishing clear KPIs, and ensuring compliance with disability employment ratios and other workforce requirements tied to key contracts. Reporting to the CFO and leading a team of three, the Director works with the Executive Team to design and deliver HR initiatives and programs that strengthen recruiting, retention, manager effectiveness, and governance. The Director builds trust in HR by ensuring reliable processes, timely support, and clear, data-informed guidance for leaders and employees.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities

1. HR Strategy, Structure & Leadership

• Set clear annual and multi-year strategic objectives and KPIs for the HR team aligned with Garten’s mission, strategic plan, and financial goals.
• Develop and execute an HR roadmap that supports meaningful employment for individuals with disabilities and sustainable growth of Garten’s programs and contracts.
• Design and maintain an HR organizational structure that clearly assigns ownership for talent acquisition, HR generalist/employee relations, and benefits/HR operations across three direct reports.
• Clarify HR vs. line-leadership responsibilities (e.g., recruiting, onboarding, performance, corrective action, leaves) and document standard Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for HR services.
• Partner with the Executive Team to design, pilot, and scale HR programs and initiatives (e.g., manager capability, engagement, performance, recognition) based on organizational needs and HR data.
• Provide clear, technically sound guidance to executives and managers on people, culture, and organizational design, including reorganization, succession planning, and leadership development.
• Build HR’s credibility by ensuring responses to managers and employees are timely, accurate, and grounded in strong technical HR and compliance knowledge.

2. Talent Acquisition, Onboarding & Workforce Planning

• Own the strategy and execution for recruiting and onboarding, with emphasis on:
  • Direct labor roles (e.g., janitorial, production, landscaping)
  • Maintaining required disability ratios (e.g., AbilityOne, Oregon Forward) in partnership with Operations and Contract Management
  • Improving time-to-fill and candidate experience for both Salem and Eugene operations.
• Move from primarily passive to more proactive recruiting approaches, including outreach to communities of individuals with disabilities and community partners.
• Standardize requisition, screening, interview, and selection processes, including defined hand-offs between hiring managers and HR.
• Ensure that every new hire has a structured and consistent onboarding experience, including HR-led orientation and documented 30/60/90-day check-ins to reinforce mission, vision, values, and role expectations.
• Implement and monitor Talent Acquisition KPIs such as:
  • Time-to-fill by role/site
  • Offer acceptance rate
  • New hire 30/60/90-day retention
  • Percentage of hires who self-identify as having a qualifying disability (where legally permissible)
  • Manager and candidate satisfaction scores with the hiring process.

3. Performance Management, Employee Accountability & Development

• Design and implement a consistent performance management framework, including:
  • Annual review cycle and calibration
  • Clear rating scales and documentation standards
  • Integration of job descriptions and KPIs into goal-setting.
• Ensure that performance reviews and development conversations are completed on time for all employees, with completion rates tracked and reported as a key HR KPI.
• Provide policy, tools, and training to managers for progressive discipline, Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), and documentation of corrective actions.
• Partner with senior leaders to implement succession planning and development plans for key roles, especially for emerging managers and critical operational positions.
• Coordinate with internal and external learning resources to align training offerings with identified skill and compliance gaps (e.g., supervision fundamentals, disability awareness, safety, harassment prevention).

4. Employee Relations, Compliance & Risk Management

• Oversee employee relations (ER) intake, investigation, documentation, and resolution processes; ensure consistent application of policies, timely case closure, and appropriate escalation.
• Maintain and update HR policies, procedures, and the Employee Handbook in partnership with the CFO and legal counsel as needed.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, including but not limited to: ADA, FMLA/OFLA, Paid Leave Oregon, wage & hour requirements, EEO, and recordkeeping.
• Partner closely with Payroll and Finance to ensure clean handoffs for leaves of absence, status changes, terminations, and other actions that impact pay.
• Design and track ER and compliance KPIs such as:
  • ER case volume and closure time
  • Percent of ER cases documented per standard
  • On-time completion of required trainings (e.g., harassment prevention, safety).

5. Total Rewards, Benefits & Leaves

• Provide leadership and governance for compensation and benefits consistent with Garten’s financial capacity, regulatory obligations, and pay equity requirements.
• Maintain job architecture and pay ranges; partner with Finance to ensure ranges are market-informed and periodically refreshed; guide managers on hiring and promotion decisions within ranges.
• Oversee benefits administration, including health & welfare, retirement plans, and leave programs (e.g., Paid Leave Oregon, short-term and long-term disability), ensuring employees understand available benefits and eligibility.
• Improve the clarity and communication of leave processes, including roles of employee, manager, HR, Payroll, and any third-party administrators.
• Track and report Total Rewards KPIs such as:
  • Benefits participation and eligibility (especially for direct labor and employees with disabilities)
  • Pay equity/compression exceptions and resolution rates
  • Leave-related pay errors and corrections (with a goal of continuous reduction).

6. HR Operations, Systems & Data Integrity

• Own the integrity of HR data and workflows in the HRIS (currently Paycom) and related systems; reduce reliance on manual and paper processes where automation is possible.
• In partnership with IT, support a secure, organized digital repository for HR documents with appropriate access controls and retention practices.
• Standardize and streamline forms, templates, and workflows (e.g., pay and status changes, terminations, I-9 and E-Verify processes, leave documentation).
• Ensure timely and accurate completion of HR compliance reporting (e.g., ACA, EEO, OSHA logs, disability certifications and ratios).
• Partner with Payroll to eliminate recurring rework and miscommunications at hand-off points (e.g., new hire setup, leaves of absence, terminations).

7. HR KPIs & Reporting – Primary Accountability

• Design, implement, and continuously refine an HR KPI and dashboard framework that is reviewed regularly with the Executive Team and Board. At minimum, this framework should include:
  • Talent Acquisition & Onboarding
    • Time-to-fill by role/site
    • Offer acceptance rate
    • 30/60/90-day new hire retention
    • Disability ratio performance against contract requirements (where applicable and lawful)
  • Workforce Stability & Experience
    • Annualized turnover and voluntary/involuntary turnover
    • Turnover by tenure band and location
    • Engagement/experience indicators (e.g., survey results, exit interview themes once implemented)
  • Performance & Accountability
    • On-time completion rate for performance reviews
    • Number and type of corrective actions/PIPs (trend-based, not punitive)
  • HR Service & Operations
    • HR email/Teams ticket response and closure times
    • Accuracy/timeliness of HRIS data entries and changes
    • Number of payroll or benefits corrections attributable to HR process gaps
  • Compliance & Risk
    • Completion rates for required trainings
    • Leave administration timeliness/accuracy metrics
• Translate HR data into clear narratives and recommendations for executives and the Board; identify leading indicators (not just lagging measures) to inform proactive decision-making.
• Build HR staff capability in data literacy so KPIs, reports, and dashboards are consistently understood and used to make improvements.

Perks Include:

• FREE Kaiser Permanente Health Insurance
• FREE Dental Insurance
• FREE Vision Insurance
• FREE Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Garten Retirement Plan
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays and one paid floating holiday

Statement for all Job Postings:

Garten believes in fostering a workplace that recognizes talent, encourages innovation, and celebrates achievement. We are proud to focus on hiring people with disabilities. We also strive to ensure a welcoming and fair process for all qualified applicants. Our mission is to empower every employee to succeed and contribute to our organization’s achievements. If you need assistance or accommodations during the job application or interview process, please contact our Recruitment team at recruitment@garten.org.