Director of People & Culture

About Builders

Builders is a civic movement founded to combat the toxic polarization threatening our democracy - and to help Americans rediscover what it means to work together across differences. Launched by KIND Snacks founder and social entrepreneur Daniel Lubetzky, Builders is rooted in the belief that courageous citizenship, constructive disagreement, and shared responsibility are essential to a thriving, pluralistic society.

At Builders, we believe the real divide isn’t left versus right - it’s between solving problems and fueling division. We’re a cross-partisan non-profit initiative working to move beyond “us vs. them” thinking and solve problems together. We help people build the mindset, skills, and relationships needed to become Builders - citizens equipped to create real, lasting solutions that reflect the will of the broad majority. Working across media, civics, and education, our goal is clear: leadership that’s accountable to the people, and a country where problem-solving -not extreme partisanship - leads the way.

The movement is powered by a network of more than 300 influential civic, business, and cultural leaders, including Adam Grant, Katie Couric, José Andrés, Liev Schreiber, and Jonathan Haidt. With the reach of these partners - and a growing media presence - Builders brings both credibility and national resonance to the work of civic renewal.

With a growing team, a strong national network, and an urgent mission, Builders is entering a pivotal phase. The organization is actively building the blueprint and imagination for how to move the country beyond polarization, and seeks an experienced people leader to hire exceptional talent, foster a positive organizational culture, and optimize HR systems and processes.

To learn more, visit buildersmovement.org

Position Summary

Builders is entering an exciting period of growth and expansion and seeks a Director of People & Culture to help shape the organization’s next chapter. With significant hiring planned in the year ahead, this newly created leadership role offers the opportunity to build a people function that supports both rapid scale and long-term sustainability. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of People & Culture will serve as a trusted partner to leadership - laying the foundation for how Builders attracts, develops, and supports talent while strengthening the culture of a growing, mission-driven organization.

As the sole owner of the people function, this leader will manage and execute the full employee lifecycle, including recruiting, onboarding, performance evaluation, employee relations, and offboarding, while enhancing systems and practices that can scale with the organization. They will personally lead hiring during a high-growth phase, partner closely with leadership on workforce planning, and oversee all core HR responsibilities. The Director of People & Culture will also manage external partners, including the organization’s PEO, to ensure payroll, benefits, and HR administration are executed smoothly and consistently.

Beyond people operations, this role plays a central part in shaping Builders’ culture - helping create an environment rooted in trust, accountability, and shared purpose while navigating the realities of a fast-growing organization. This is an exciting opportunity for a hands-on, nimble leader with an entrepreneurial approach and flexible mindset to evolve the people function and directly influence how Builders attracts, supports, and retains the talent needed to advance its national mission.

Candidate Profile

Strategic Talent Builder and Experienced Full-Cycle Recruiter

The Director of People & Culture will lead the organization’s talent acquisition strategy, ensuring the nonprofit attracts, hires, and onboards exceptional talent aligned with its mission and values. The ideal candidate is confident and experienced in leading full-cycle recruiting, from role design and sourcing through interview management, candidate experience, and offer negotiation. They are comfortable personally owning the recruitment process in a high-growth environment, ensuring a thoughtful, inclusive, and well-run experience for candidates while helping leadership hire the right talent at the right time.

Trusted People Operations and HR Leader

The Director will oversee HR compliance and operational excellence, ensuring that foundational people systems run smoothly, accurately, and in alignment with regulatory requirements. This leader brings strong, hands-on expertise across core HR and people operations, including onboarding, employee relations, performance management, offboarding, and compliance. They are detail-oriented and disciplined in overseeing payroll, benefits, and PEO partnerships, while also forward-looking - comfortably leveraging technology and AI to streamline workflows, automate manual processes, and continuously improve systems, templates, and practices for greater efficiency and scalability.

Culture Architect and Change Champion

This leader serves as a steward of Builders’ values - Lead with Integrity, Be Entrepreneurial, and Strengthen One Another - helping ensure they guide decisions, behaviors, and how people work together as the organization grows. They are comfortable being direct and constructive, offering thoughtful pushback when needed to keep the organization aligned with its values. In a fast-growth environment, this leader supports retention and morale by helping teams navigate change with clarity and care. Through intentional learning and development efforts - such as leadership development, role-specific skill building, and meaningful connection points like retreats and team gatherings - they foster engagement, belonging, and long-term team success.

Key Responsibilities

Talent Acquisition

• Lead and oversee all full-cycle talent acquisition efforts, including sourcing, screening, interviewing, offer negotiation, onboarding, ensuring a consistent and high-quality candidate experience.
• Proactively source and attract diverse, high-quality candidates using a mix of relationship-based outreach, technology, and AI-enabled recruiting tools.
• Partner closely with organizational leaders to assess current and future resourcing needs and align hiring strategies with organizational goals.
• Continuously evaluate and improve hiring processes, including managing external search partners, to enhance efficiency, quality, and the candidate experience.

Employee Lifecycle & People Management

• Lead the full team member lifecycle, including onboarding, performance management, professional growth, offboarding and exit interviews.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employees on day to day people matters, ensuring responsiveness, discretion, and sound judgement.
• Design and maintain effective performance management and feedback processes, while supporting leaders and staff through performance conversations, growth planning, and ongoing coaching.

Employee Relations, Culture, & Development

• Serve as a trusted, confidential advisor to team members and leadership, managing complex employee relations matters with sound judgment and discretion.
• Foster and sustain a professional, healthy, and accountable workplace culture aligned with organizational values.
• Design and lead organization-wide learning, development, and leadership programs that support individual growth and organizational effectiveness.
• Strengthen connection and engagement through intentional culture-building initiatives, including an annual in-person retreat, quarterly virtual gatherings, bi-weekly team check-ins, recognition programs, and key employee milestones.

HR Compliance & Operations

• Oversee core HR operations, including bi-weekly payroll, benefits administration, and management of the organization’s PEO partnership.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local employment laws by maintaining up-to-date HR policies, documentation, and recordkeeping practices.
• Manage HR systems, data, and personnel files to support internal operations, audits, and organizational transparency.
• Leverage systems, automation, and CRM tools to streamline HR processes, improve data accuracy, and support organizational scalability.

Location, Compensation & Benefits

Builders operates with a fully remote team, and this role can be physically located anywhere in the United States.

The salary range for this position is $120,000–$150,000, commensurate with experience. Builders offers a competitive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) with employer match, generous paid time off, and wellness and professional development support.

About Maneva Group

Maneva Group is a leading woman and minority-owned executive search firm dedicated to connecting exceptional talent with organizations committed to making a meaningful impact. Through a consultative and client-focused approach, Maneva Group partners with mission-driven organizations to build transformative leadership teams.

Our name, Maneva, comes from the combination of two Sanskrit words: “Mānav” meaning mankind & “Sevā” meaning service. We are driven by the ideal of our name - service to humanity.