Vice President of Talent, Rare

The Organization

Rare is a fast growing, leading social enterprise that uses private sector marketing and strategy techniques to change the behaviors of communities that live in and around areas of important biodiversity. In the past five years, Rare has tripled its staff and quintupled its budget – a result of burgeoning demand throughout the sector for more innovative methods to engage local communities, and change the way that they relate to dwindling natural resources. Rare searches the globe for replicable, sustainable environmental success stories, and then trains conservation leaders to develop and promote these proven practices to benefit both community livelihoods and biodiversity.

To date, Rare has trained over 200 local leaders in the developing world, whose campaigns have influenced more than 6.8 million people living in 2400 remote communities across the globe. Together with its various partners, Rare has created new protected areas and better reserve management; reduced forest fires, illegal logging, destructive fishing and unsustainable agriculture; and saved multiple species on the brink of extinction. Currently, Rare employs 75 people, with expectations of ongoing growth.

The Position

The Vice President of Talent will lead Rare’s global strategy to attract and retain top talent. H/She will serve as a senior business partner and member of the global Leadership Team, and will design and deliver innovative talent management practices that are aligned with strategic objectives, values, and a multi-cultural workforce.

The VP of Talent will have the following specific responsibilities:

Global Talent Strategy:
• Lead organizational planning activities that evaluate departmental/team structure, job design, and human capital needs throughout the organization;
• Oversee and annually review Rare’s personnel policies to ensure that they are competitive and equitable;
• Analyze and report key metrics to senior leadership team including those relating to employee turnover, performance appraisal, professional development, and organizational culture;
• Create a formal, internal communications system focused on transparency that provides regular updates to staff regarding organizational decisions and strategies.

Talent Acquisition:
• Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to build Rare’s recruitment brand;
• Develop active pipelines of talented candidates with a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences;
• Leverage Rare’s relationships with peer organizations and key external stakeholders to build an effective network for sharing best practices and identifying high potential candidates;
• Effectively oversee the search, selection, and hiring processes throughout the organization, including refinement of the job definition and search strategy, alignment of all participating staff on required skills, development of core competency screening models, creation of interview guides and exercises, and coordination of the offer process;
• Work closely with hiring manager(s) to ensure positive and successful on-boarding process;
• Oversee the continued operation and growth of Rare’s international fellows and intern program.

Talent Development:
• Develop dynamic, organization-wide competency models that reflect the continuous progression of key behaviors, knowledge, and skills required for successful performance at Rare;
• Continuously identify skill gaps across the organization and work cross-functionally with other departments to design training and development solutions;
• Ensure that Rare’s performance management program serves to send clear signals to staff about performance and motivates the intended behaviors;
• Provide managers with the tools, coaching, and processes to identify, develop, and track high-potential employees;
• Develop and manage policies and programs to ensure effective succession planning.

Culture Evangelist:
• Promote and protect Rare’s unique culture and heritage, including the core values, positive work environment, and a deep respect for the communities they serve
• Continuously assess and develop improvements relating to employee concerns, morale, job satisfaction and work climate;
• Develop a global diversity program which focuses on issues such as cultural diversity, work style preferences, and team dynamics;
• Develop, implement and manage a variety of employee relationship programs including Rare’s annual all-staff retreat.

Human Resource Team Management and Operations:
• Build and develop a team of Human Resource professionals focused on providing superior client services to local and global managers and staff;
• Develop and manage the HR team’s annual work plans and budgets;
• Support the HR team’s day-to-day activities involving compensation, benefits, risk management, and regulatory compliance;
• Ensure that Rare’s global human resource infrastructure, policies and training for managers and staff are appropriate to support continued growth and ensure compliance

Candidate Qualifications & Style

• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to collaborate, influence, negotiate, resolve conflicts, and effectively coach employees, managers, and executives;
• Knowledge of employment law and HR best practices around organizational development, compensation/benefits, recruiting, training & development, and employee relations;
• Business acumen and the ability to think analytically;
• The ability to think strategically and broadly, while at the same time possessing a productive work ethic and acting as a hands-on manager when needed;
• Strong project management and change management skills with a proven track record of leading and managing a team of individual contributors in the implementation of a multidisciplinary plan;
• A keen sensitivity, and demonstrated ability to establish respect, credibility, and trust at all levels of the organization including staff, executive colleagues, and Board members;
• Strong problem solving and creative thinking skills;
• Ability to multi-task and work effectively in a rapidly growing, entrepreneurial environment with shifting priorities;
• Enthusiasm for Rare’s mission and respect for its core values;
• A high level of personal and professional integrity;
• Possess multicultural experience and cross-cultural perspectives;
• Willingness to travel based on the needs of the position

Education & Experience

• Graduate degree (MBA, MA, or equivalent experience), preferably in organizational development, business, international development, HR, communications, organizational psychology or a similar field;
• Minimum of 10 years professional experience in a senior human resources role, preferably in a complex, global organization;
• Written and spoken fluency in English required; proficiency in other languages a plus, especially Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese or Bahasa Indonesia;
• Technical fluency in relevant IT and other systems as needed

To Apply:

Please email a resume and cover letter, both in Word format, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity to gatti_response@gattihr.com. The subject line of the email should include the words “Job # 4950” Please indicate current salary and salary expectations. Rare is an Equal Opportunity Employer.