Human Resources Manager

Human Resources Manager

Department: Human Resources

Reports To: Executive Director

FLSA Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Location: Asheville, North Carolina

Supervision: HR Operations Specialist

Anticipated Start Date: Fall 2025

Organizational Summary

Since 1967, North Carolina Outward Bound School (NCOBS) has delivered challenging wilderness adventures that teach more than outdoor skills. Our wilderness courses, from the mountains of North Carolina to the shores of south Florida to the peaks of South America, deliver on our mission "to change lives through challenge and discovery."

Essential Functions

• Leads HR strategy and goal setting initiatives, ensuring alignment with the school's culture and strategic plan while being financially sound managing the HR budget.

• Provides consultation to school leadership on strategic staffing, compensation, benefits, training and development, organizational culture, and personnel relations.

• Manages the onboarding process for full-time and seasonal staff to ensure compliance with OBUSA, NCOBS, and external obligations.

• An authentic individual with impeccable integrity whose personal and professional values are consistent with NCOBS mission, vision, and values.

• Detailed oriented, self-starter who thrives in an environment that privileges action, outcomes, and collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership

• Serves as a member of the NCOBS Leadership Team

• Manages the HR team to ensure hiring, recruitment, training, and performance goals are met.

• Develops and implements recruitment and hiring goals and strategies to ensure program and administrative positions are filled and meet hiring and diversity criteria.

• Works with the NCOBS Executive Director to facilitate cultural excellence principles for both NCOBS staff and Board.

• Works with department heads to ensure administrative hires are timely, align with strategic hiring goals, and well oriented to NCOBS.

• Supervises seasonal staffing process to ensure high-quality instructional teams on all NCOBS courses.

• Manages and oversees the execution of the performance management system and succession planning process for NCOBS employees.

• Maintains clear and compliant policies and procedures for conducting investigations and managing employee grievances with support from the NCOBS Leadership team and legal counsel as necessary.

• Collaborates with staffing manager and program department to ensure employee training is implemented, documented, compensated, and meets OB, NCOBS, and industry standards.

• Oversees all new staff onboarding programs.

• Oversees all terminations, disciplinary plans, and demotions. In conjunction with NCOBS Executive Director (ED) or designee, oversees severance related issues.

• Represents NCOBS HR and staffing with Outward Bound nationally and externally.

Administrative

• Ensures NCOBS practices comply with all HR laws, standards and regulations.

• Reviews personnel policies regularly and updates as necessary.

• Develops and manages HR budget.

• Develops and administers long and short-term compensation and benefits strategies and policies.

• Manages all administrative and seasonal staff benefits, including benefits renewals, to attract and retain top talent.

• Oversees all internal HR processes, including timesheets, sick/vacation accruals, bonuses, and reimbursement programs.

• Updates benefit booklets (Full-time and Seasonal) annually and ensures benefit programs are effectively communicated to all staff.

• Manages 403b retirement plan communication, enrollment, and compliance.

• Manages the NCOBS HRIS database, IHire & ISolved, and all corresponding partner benefits and payroll databases.

• Completes ACA reporting and the accurate issuing of IRS forms and medical and dental benefits to qualifying variable employees.

• Manages the NCOBS Workers' Compensation program and works with the COO to ensure accurate audits and renewals.

• Manages the J1-Visa process and serves as a liasion helping international employees successfully onboard to NCOBS.

• Oversees all employment agreements for all employees.

• Ensures all employee screening and personnel records remain current and confidential.

• Oversees school-wide employee appreciation and recognition programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required and a minimum of 10 years total professional experience, at least five years of HR experience.

• Deep knowledge of current best practices and trends in HR and management in nonprofit organizations.

• 5+ years with Employee Relations work; including Performance Improvement Plans; conflict resolution; and facilitating difficult conversations with a balance between compassion and accountability.

• PHR/SHRM certification is desirable.

• Prior history working with a seasonal staffing pool.

• Prior experience with employment law & compliance.

• Prior experience conducting formal investigations into employee grievances.

• Demonstrated personal and professional commitment to and experience in advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion

• Strong computer competency and ability to pick up new software quickly; familiar with Human Resources related databases. Experience with ISolved, IHire, and Sales Force is preferred.

• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office Suite of applications: Outlooks, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.

• Adept at managing projects and setting up efficient systems, processes, and procedures.

• Supervisorial experience

• Promotes teamwork among staff members, works well as a member of a team, and relates well to all types of people.

• Ability to combine analytical reasoning, creativity, compassion, and judgment

• Able to deal effectively with strategic issues as well as tactical operational details.

• Strong project and time management skills.

• Strong results orientation with experience making data-driven decisions.

Working Conditions

• Hybrid work environment, minimum 2 days per week at office

• Dog-friendly office

• Travels up to 10% of work time, with occasional irregular work schedule.

• Must be able to lift 40 pounds.

• Must be comfortable in an office setting, 60-80% of time on computer and in office.

• Travel to base camps as , this includes overnight stays from a couple of days to 1-2 weeks.

Compensation and Benefits

• Annual salary is $75,000, working 4 days per week

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Plan, Accident, Group Term Life, Long Term Disability and 403(b) Retirement Account

• Professional development allowance

• Generous paid time off policy including Vacation Time (20 days/year) and Sick Time (10 days per year with roll-over option)

• 13 Paid Holidays

• Hybrid work environment

• One free, domestic, Outward Bound Course

North Carolina Outward Bound School prohibits discrimination against, and harassment of, any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, age, religion, sex, gender, pregnancy, genetic information, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, military or veteran status, qualified individuals with a disability on the basis of the disability, or any other category which may be protected under applicable local, state or federal law. NCOBS promotes respect for all people and will not tolerate harassment based on any of these characteristics nor on differences based on gender identity or expression.