Human Resources Associate Jobs in Baltimore, MD

Position Summary

Thread is a community impact organization that leverages the power of relationships to support students through graduation and beyond. Thread enrolls the lowest-performing ninth-grade students at the lowest-performing schools who face an abundance of challenges in and out of the classroom. We connect them with small groups of volunteers from diverse backgrounds and experiences to build relationships and support one another in achieving their academic, professional and personal goals. Thread's extensive network of programs and partnerships help our community overcome barriers, creating a layered system of support. Together, we're creating a more equitable city where everyone can thrive.

The Director of Human Resources leads Thread's day-to-day human capital strategy and operations — the systems, policies, and practices that help every member of the Thread community do their best work. Reporting to the Executive Vice President, Enterprise Operations (EVP), the Director owns human resources end to end: talent acquisition, organizational development, compensation and benefits, employee relations, performance management, coaching, and HR compliance and risk management. The EVP provides executive sponsorship, connects HR priorities to Thread's broader enterprise strategy, and serves as an escalation point for significant or high-risk people matters, while the Director retains ownership of Thread's people system and day-to-day HR leadership.

This role is a deliberate blend of strategic and hands-on HR. The Director sets direction for Thread's people programs and advises the EVP and managers on organizational health — and is equally comfortable running a recruiting search, processing a benefits change, or coaching a manager through a difficult conversation personally. Managing a small team of HR professionals, the Director builds authentic relationships across the organization and brings a deep understanding of Thread's needs to talent planning, performance management, and workforce development, while modeling Thread's core competencies: showing all the way up, failing forward, treating relationships as wealth, and learning from all voices.

Consistent with Thread's FY27–29 back-office priorities — stabilizing and modernizing systems, strengthening internal controls and risk management, and transforming back-office functions from process-focused to strategic, value-driving partners — the Director brings the same discipline to HR. That means using workforce data, not just anecdote or precedent, to inform hiring decisions, policy updates, and process design, and building the HR systems and reporting that let Thread manage its people function with the same rigor it expects of Finance.

Key Responsibilities

Talent Acquisition

• Own full-cycle recruiting for Thread staff and internship positions, from job posting through offer.
• Build and maintain a strong, diverse pipeline of candidates that supports a diverse and inclusive workforce.
• Develop, document, and continuously refine recruiting strategies and processes; identify and resolve recruiting challenges in partnership with the EVP.
• Partner with hiring managers throughout the recruitment process, ensuring a clear, consistent, and timely experience for applicants and internal staff.
• Lead recruitment for senior or specialized roles in close partnership with the EVP and CEO.

Organizational Development & Workforce Planning

• Lead the annual workforce planning process in collaboration with team leads to identify functional needs and assess current capabilities, partnering with the EVP to align the process with the annual budget.
• Maintain Thread's staffing plan and organizational charts; flag staffing gaps and needs to the EVP and leadership.
• Support career-pathing conversations with high-potential employees and their managers.
• Develop tools, presentations, and communications that strengthen connections across the Thread community.
• Use workforce data (headcount, span of control, tenure, promotion and attrition trends) to inform staffing plans and structure recommendations, rather than relying on anecdote alone.

HR Data & Analytics

• Build and maintain core HR metrics and dashboards — time-to-fill, turnover and retention, engagement, pay equity, and training/compliance completion — that give the EVP and managers a clear, current view of the workforce.
• Use data to evaluate the effectiveness of HR policies, programs, and processes, and recommend changes grounded in evidence rather than precedent.
• Track recruiting funnel and source-of-hire data to identify what's working and where the pipeline is breaking down.
• Partner with the EVP and Finance/Data functions to align HR reporting and systems with Thread's broader move toward integrated, reliable back-office data.
• Ensure HR data is accurate, consistently maintained, and appropriately confidential across HRIS and related systems.

Compensation & Benefits

• Recommend and maintain a competitive, equitable total compensation and benefits program (salary, health benefits, retirement, parental leave, PTO, wellness, and beyond).
• Administer employee benefits, payroll inquiries, status changes, exit interviews, and termination processes.
• Ensure compensation and benefits practices support Thread's recruitment and retention of high-performing staff.

Employee Relations, Performance Management & Retention

• Own Thread's performance management process, including skills-gap analysis and evaluation cycles.
• Counsel and advise managers and staff on sensitive personnel matters (discipline, performance improvement, promotions, return to work, and beyond), escalating significant or high-risk issues to the EVP.
• Design and lead employee appreciation, engagement, and retention programs and team-building activities.
• Partner with the Practice, Learning and Quality team on staff onboarding.
• Act as a steward of Thread's culture, ensuring alignment between the day-to-day work environment and Thread's values.

Coaching & Professional Development

• Directly manage HR team members, coaching them toward continual growth and progress against key metrics.
• Coach managers across Thread through the evaluation and feedback process.
• Build tools and processes that grow the capacity of managers and team members organization-wide.
• Cultivate feedback and feed-forward loops that encourage open, honest, and constructive contribution to individual and team development.
• Design and lead a system for identifying, coaching, and developing high-potential employees so they are prepared to grow into manager and director roles at Thread, in partnership with their current managers.
• Design and administer a training program for managers and above — covering core coaching skills, effective performance management, and accountability practices — so every Thread leader manages people to a consistent standard.

HR Compliance & Risk Management

• Manage HR information systems, employee records, organizational charts, the employee handbook, and related documentation.
• Ensure compliance with employment law, EEOC regulations, and funder or partner requirements pertaining to personnel matters.
• Lead Thread's approach to community safety, with particular attention to child safety, background checks, and crisis-related HR protocols.
• Partner with the EVP, outside counsel, and consultants on employment-related legal matters.
• Ensure required compliance and safety training is assigned, delivered, and tracked for all staff.
• Maintain an HR risk-assessment process — documenting and monitoring the people-related risks (compliance gaps, single points of failure, turnover concentration) that most affect Thread — consistent with Thread's enterprise-wide approach to risk management.
• Lead an annual process to review and re-certify position descriptions, the employee handbook, and other required HR policies — ensuring each is current, and that every employee reviews and signs off on the applicable documents each year.

Partnership & Escalation

• Partner with the EVP on organizational health, structure, and budget decisions that affect the people function.
• Bring recommendations and options — not just problems — when escalating significant or high-risk people matters.
• Represent Thread's HR function with the Board committee focused on people and culture, as directed by the EVP.
• Review and advise on the personnel-related terms of site-based and city/state-wide partnership MOUs — background-check and safety requirements, staff conduct expectations, and training obligations for Thread staff working at partner sites — so agreements reflect workable, reciprocal commitments for both parties.

Measures of Success

• Thread's HR programs — talent acquisition, compensation & benefits, performance management, engagement — run reliably and improve year over year.
• Managers and staff experience HR as responsive, consistent, and trustworthy.
• The EVP and CEO receive timely, accurate information and recommendations on workforce and people matters.
• HR compliance, records, and risk practices meet or exceed legal and funder requirements.
• The HR team is staffed, coached, and performing at the standard Thread's growth requires.
• HR decisions, policies, and process changes are visibly grounded in workforce data and metrics, not just anecdote — with dashboards and reporting the EVP and managers actually use.
• A manager-training system is in place and in use, and a growing bench of employees are developing the skills to move into manager and director roles at Thread.

Required:

• 7+ years of progressive HR experience, with a track record that blends strategic HR leadership and hands-on ownership of core programs (recruiting, compensation & benefits, employee relations) rather than strategy alone; nonprofit or mission-driven experience preferred.
• At least 2–3 years directly managing HR staff, with demonstrated ability to also roll up their sleeves and do the work personally when needed.
• High level of discretion and judgment; able to handle highly sensitive and confidential information.
• Working knowledge of labor and employment law, EEOC regulations, and HR best practices.
• Hands-on experience with HRIS and performance management tools.
• Comfort working with HR and workforce data — building simple reports or dashboards, analyzing trends like turnover or time-to-fill, and using findings to inform recommendations, policy, and process changes.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with strong attention to detail and compliance.
• A decision-making style that is both inclusive and resolute.
• A relational leadership orientation that builds commitment, cohesion, and a collaborative culture.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple, competing priorities in a fast-moving environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to Thread's mission and vision.
• Commitment to giving and receiving direct, constructive feedback that supports accountability and growth.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (including Excel) and willingness to adopt new technology.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources or a related field required; Master's degree a plus; SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP or PHR/SPHR certification preferred.

Preferred, Not Required

• Prior HR experience at a nonprofit or mission-driven organization of similar size (roughly 50–150 staff).
• Direct experience with an HRIS/payroll platform such as Paycom, CultureAmp, Paycor, ADP, or BambooHR.
• Experience supporting an organization through growth, restructuring, or a workforce-planning cycle.
• Background or training in child safety, background-check protocols, or youth-serving compliance requirements.
• Familiarity with grant-funded or restricted-funding environments and how they affect compensation, staffing, and reporting.

Thread Benefits Full-Time Employees

• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• Competitive salaries, meaningful equity; 403(b) plan
• 100% employee coverage of medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• 10 paid holidays
• 4 weeks of PTO in year 1, increasing to 5 weeks in year 2
• 5 days of sick and safe leave
• 3 floater holidays
• Annual health and wellness reimbursement
• Access to counseling/therapy at no cost
• Paid sabbatical after 6 years of employment

Equal Opportunity & Accommodations

We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture, and encourage applications from all interested persons, including, but not limited to, people of color, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Thread will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or an employee, unless undue hardship or a direct threat would result from the accommodation. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact HR@thread.org.