The Senior People Business Partner is a skilled people advisor, focused on global talent management and integrating best practices for organizational development and change management into existing cultures and values systems. The best candidate for this role will be someone who loves to collaborate with others to solve problems large and small, and has an intrinsic drive for results and improving the status quo. We are looking for someone who will celebrate wins while learning from mistakes, and is comfortable sharing their knowledge and experience with a strong and close-knit team. The position requires both strategic vision and understanding, as well as comfort with being in the details of an organization.This position will report to the Senior Manager, People Experience and work in partnership with staff of the People department to ensure support, alignment and connection to the Wikimedia Foundation’s People Experience services and programs, as well as acting as a steward for the Foundation’s values and unique culture.
You are responsible for:
- Providing ongoing guidance, coaching, employee relations and overall HR support for respective client group(s). Inclusive of employee relations, talent review, organization design and performance management.
- This may look like regular manager coaching and follow ups, specialized program development based on the current and future needs of the client group and the Foundation, and/or targeted support for various employee relations concerns and issues, at any given time.
- Operating as a thought partner to managers and leaders, and being able to influence by presenting solutions in ways that are heard, understood and supported. Add insight that positively influences senior management decision-making. Communicate with clarity, conviction and confidence across regions/cultures, including upward when necessary.
- Working closely with leadership and staff as part of employee relations work to improve relationships, build morale, and increase productivity and retention, including mediating complex staff issues with compassion, active listening, and understanding, while maintaining confidentiality.
- Liaising with internal legal counsel, reducing legal risks and ensuring compliance.
- Tactfully facilitating and counseling leadership, managers, and employees on a range of performance related issues, providing guidance on corrective action.
- Consistently offering quality advice, counsel and insight within the client group. Engaging with honesty and integrity to constructively address issues, in order to create and maintain trust.
- Organizational Development and Design: builds and maintains strong relationships with teams and leaders as a foundation for diagnosing, designing, and implementing large and small scale solutions that improve employee engagement, retention, leadership development, org culture, and productivity.
- Conducting talent reviews to recommend staffing levels and skills for the department to achieve its goals, including troubleshooting and providing expert advice, ideas and creative solutions on how departments can be structured and staffed to achieve its goals in the coming years, including succession planning.
- Supporting managers and staff with changes that arise from recommendations.
- Providing day-to-day guidance to managers (i.e. coach, career development, disciplinary actions).
- Collaborating with other HRBPs and People Centers of Excellence (Recruiting, People Growth & Belonging, Learning & Development, Compensation and Operations), implementing solutions to meet changing business and talent needs to support the Foundation and team objectives, proposing plans which build capability, and delivering against the strategic initiatives of the People department.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in human resources or a related field and 5+yrs human resources experience, or equivalent experience/education.
- 5+ years of experience in employee relations, HR, or labor relations, including experience in managing complex employee relations issues in a global, multi-regional context, with the proven ability to provide expert Human Resources support that is normally obtained through progressively responsible HRBP experience.
- Strong understanding of international labor laws and hands on experience navigating the complexities of employee relations in different countries.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal skills and presentation skills, with a strong ability to influence and collaborate across a diverse, global workforce.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to manage sensitive and complex employee relations cases with discretion and professionalism.
- Excellent planning, time management, prioritization, and organizational skills. The ability to handle competing priorities calmly under pressure and within restricted timeframes is essential.
- Strategic acumen in order to implement solutions that creatively solve complex business challenges.
- Experience using a variety of technology platforms to operate efficiently; such as AI tools (ex: Gemini).
- Ability to maximize relationships, build trust, communicate effectively is required to analyze HR issues and provide information, direction and advice as described.
- Experience supporting fundraising, sales, marketing and/or technology groups in a HRBP role.
- Experience working in a not-for-profit or public sector organization.
- Experience working with diverse, multi-cultural teams and international environments.
Qualities that are important to us
- Resilience—we work on new and interesting problems in transparent and collaborative ways.
- Being open, curious, and inquiring in our work.
- Willingness to experiment with new ideas and solutions.
- Internal motivation and high standards of discretion, thoroughness and detail oriented.
- Working together for outcomes, and being willing to let go to scale or change course.
- Making lasting and supportive relationships with your leadership clients and employees.
- The ability to excel in a fast-paced, changing environment that often requires fast turn‐around and navigating ambiguous situations.
- Sharing a culture of constructive criticism and respect.
- A strong sense of caring, partnered with an excellent sense of humor.
- Experience with HR tools like Dayforce & Greenhouse are a plus.
About the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia free knowledge projects. Our vision is a world in which every single human can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. We believe that everyone has the potential to contribute something to our shared knowledge, and that everyone should be able to access that knowledge freely. We host Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects, build software experiences for reading, contributing, and sharing Wikimedia content, support the volunteer communities and partners who make Wikimedia possible, and advocate for policies that enable Wikimedia and free knowledge to thrive.
The Wikimedia Foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that relies on donations. We receive donations from millions of individuals around the world, with an average donation of about $15. We also receive donations through institutional grants and gifts. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA.
As an equal opportunity employer, the Wikimedia Foundation values having a diverse workforce and continuously strives to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. We encourage people with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate against any person based upon their race, traits historically associated with race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristics.
The Wikimedia Foundation is a remote-first organization with staff members including contractors based 40+ countries*. Salaries at the Wikimedia Foundation are set in a way that is competitive, equitable, and consistent with our values and culture. The anticipated annual pay range of this position for applicants based within the United States is $94,440 to $144,776 with multiple individualized factors, including cost of living in the location, being the determinants of the offered pay. For applicants located outside of the US, the pay range will be adjusted to the country of hire. We neither ask for nor take into consideration the salary history of applicants. The compensation for a successful applicant will be based on their skills, experience and location.
*Please note that we are currently able to hire in the following:
US States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico*, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming (*US Territory or Federal District)
Countries: Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya*, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore*, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Our non-US employees are hired through a local third party Employer of Record (EOR) and must have current work authorization in their location. (*citizens/permanent residents only)
We periodically review this list to streamline to ensure alignment with our hiring requirements.
All applicants can reach out to their recruiter to understand more about the specific pay range for their location during the interview process.
If you are a qualified applicant requiring assistance or an accommodation to complete any step of the application process due to a disability, you may contact us at recruiting@wikimedia.org or +1 (415) 839-6885.
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