Human Resources Specialist

 
HR SPECIALIST
 

About Young Community Developers 

Established in 1973, YCD is a nonprofit organization who serves residents of all ages living in the most historically underserved communities of San Francisco. YCD takes a holistic approach via a delivery eco-system of services designed to empower residents in achieving economic mobility, in turn building and sustaining a positive community by providing them with education opportunities, workforce development training, and social services. YCD’s philosophy is that every individual should have the right to sustainable and generational economic mobility, aiming to break the cycle of poverty. Each year YCD provides around 1,200 community members with employment and training services through their programs and partnerships. YCD is also proud to share that they have been voted by Non-Profit Times as one of the top 50 best nonprofits of its size to work for in the United States! 

POSITION SUMMARY 

The HR Specialist plays a pivotal role in shaping and executing positive candidate and employee experiences across the organization. As the face of HR, this individual will be in the office five days a week, serving as a visible and accessible resource for staff serving as a point of contact to help share messages, questions, and updates between the Director of HR and the broader team.Reporting to the Director of HR, the HR Specialist will help build and implement strategic recruiting and retention programs, foster a culture of transparency and inclusion, and ensure compliance with employment laws and organizational policies. They will be instrumental in designing and evaluating workplace recruitment strategies, supporting relationship-building efforts, and proactively addressing employee relations with empathy and fairness.  

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and is passionate about YCD’s mission and impact in the community. The HR Specialist will mediate conflicts, facilitate open communication, and promote a healthy work environment where all voices are heard and respected.  

The ideal candidate is both strategic and hands-on—comfortable navigating ambiguity, confident in their expertise, and eager to learn and grow. They bring creativity, analytical thinking, and a collaborative spirit to every challenge. This is an opportunity to join a high-performing, warm, and diverse organization that includes individuals indigenous to the community and those deeply committed to social change. The HR Specialist’s work will directly contribute to building a resilient, engaged workforce aligned with YCD’s values and vision.  

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Partner with hiring managers to assess staffing needs, create and refine job descriptions, and ensure alignment with organizational goals and values.
• Manage the full-cycle recruitment process, including job postings across multiple platforms, candidate sourcing, phone screening, reference checks and interview scheduling.
• Foster a positive candidate experience through timely, service-oriented communication and continuous improvement of recruitment practices.
• Maintain our applicant tracking system integrity and log all appropriate information into the system to help track candidate progress from initial contact to offer.
• Draft employee lifecycle documentation, including promotion notices, internal memos, and resignation acknowledgements, ensuring accuracy and consistency with HR policies.
• Conduct check-ins with new hires, develop retention presentations, and facilitate engaging trainings and workshops to support employee integration and development.
• Maintain confidential integrity of employee personnel records, medical records, and departmental records.
• Conduct confidential meetings with employees to listen to concerns, document discussions accurately, and ensure timely follow-up aligned with organizational policies and values.
• Collaborate closely with the Director of HR and our ADP HR Business Partner to evaluate employee relations matters and develop ethical, compliant and people centered solutions.
• Develop effective working relationships with key internal stakeholders to identify and implement retention strategies, processes, and procedures to drive operational efficiency, employee satisfaction and retention.
• Maintain knowledge of trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and new technologies in human resources, talent management, and employment law.
• Carry out other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING

A successful candidate will possess: 

• B.A./B.S. degree in related field with a minimum of 3+ years of HR experience in staffing, employee relations, and HRIS management, preferably with ADP. 
• Highly motivated, self-directed, team player with a commitment to delivering high touch, world class service to internal and external candidates and employees. 
• Strong calendar management skills and attention to detail with a sense of urgency in juggling multiple priorities.
• Excellent cross-cultural communication skills and the ability and willingness to work with economically and culturally diverse clientele from various professional and ethnic backgrounds.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, written communications, patience, diplomacy, and high level of customer service skills.
• Ability to think critically, problem solve and be resourceful. 
• Embraces cultural differences and willing to foster diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Must have proven ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Strong commitment to the mission of Young Community Developers Inc. and to individuals from diverse populations.
• Continuous commitment to improve occupational knowledge.
• Demonstrate competency with using Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Suite, ADP TotalSource and Windows operating system.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
 

To best mitigate the spread of disease and protect our staff, it is a condition of employment that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Because YCD prioritizes the health and well-being of employees, proof of vaccination will be required upon hire and be kept on file for each employee.

LOCATION: 150 Executive Park San Francisco, CA  

JOB TYPE: Full Time – Exempt 

SUPERVISORY: No 

COMPENSATION: $68K -$75K  

Final offer amounts are based on multiple factors such as the specific role, hiring location, as well as the individual's skills, experience and qualifications. 

BENEFITS PACKAGE 

We recognize there are many factors that influence your overall satisfaction both at work and in your personal life. Under our Total Rewards Package, we provide an integrated mixture of compensation, benefits, company culture, and resources to our employees that help you reach a happier, more balanced life. Our work environment is built around collaboration and partnership, teamwork, community, diversity and inclusion. Some of these offerings include: 

• Competitive compensation to reward you for your hard work every day.
• Generous zero to low-cost Medical, Dental, Vision premiums, and Life insurance 
• Free life insurance and long-term disability insurance
• Employer-sponsored Health Spending Account with eligible plans
• 2 weeks of vacation accrued annually for the first 2 years of employment
• Accrued paid sick time; 96 hours max
• 15 paid holidays annually 
• Personal Birthday Holiday
• End-of-Year paid respite days
• Employee Assistance Program
• Mental Health & Wellness services for all employees
• 4% company 401K contribution after one year of service and 21 Years of Age
• Professional development program to promote career advancement
• Discounts in retail, travel, and entertainment
• A fun, purposeful, and inclusive culture through in-office events, volunteerism, and community-based networking opportunities.

Young Community Developers is an “at-will” and Equal Opportunity Employer.
 

Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance. 

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.