Job description
People & Culture Director
Salary: $90,000 - $105,000
This position is not in the bargaining unit
Middle Seat is the go-to digital powerhouse agency for progressive candidates and causes—and we’re looking for a People & Culture Director to lead the charge in taking and running our HR and people operations to the next level.
We’ve raised hundreds of millions of dollars for game-changing campaigns, and our 40+ strategists, creatives, and tech wizards are all in on creating a more just and equitable world. With a strong HR foundation already in place, Middle Seat is searching for a detail-oriented people leader to make sure our teams are supported, our systems are tight and our culture continues to thrive as we grow. Middle Seat is seeking its next People leader to continue our efforts in providing exceptional pay and benefits to our employees and to continue helping us build a diverse workforce and inclusive team culture.
About the Role:
We’re seeking an empathetic, self-sufficient, technically skilled Director of People and Culture to own all aspects of Middle Seat’s people and culture for our fully remote and unionized team. Operating as a department of one, your role will be responsible for designing and managing HR systems, ensuring compliance, leading recruitment, and driving initiatives that keep our team engaged and supported.
Reporting directly to the COO, this role is ideal for someone who has independent HR experience at a small-ish company, who thrives without heavy corporate infrastructure, and is excited to incorporate a strong equity lens to the business.
Key responsibilities
HR Operations & Compliance
- Manage all HR operations for a fully remote, majority-bargaining-unit team.
- Administer benefits and people systems, partnering with our PEO to ensure payroll, benefits, and compliance run smoothly.
- Maintain policies, the employee handbook, and compliance with federal and local regulations (FMLA, ADA, OSHA) and the collective bargaining agreement.
- Handle sensitive employee matters, investigations, and conflict resolution with discretion and professionalism.
- Maintain and build scalable HR processes for onboarding, offboarding, policy rollouts, and internal communications.
- Act as company point of contact for all employee communications
HR Systems & Operations
- Optimize the company’s HRIS, benefits, and engagement tools to make processes efficient and employee-friendly.
- Serve as the technical owner of all HR systems (PEO, payroll, benefits platforms, and HR processes).
- Manage company Google Workspace and compliance with IT security policy.
- Track and analyze workforce data for capacity planning, retention strategies, and diversity reporting.
Workplace Culture & Employee Success
- Embed diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into hiring, policies, and team culture.
- Foster connection and engagement in a fully remote environment through thoughtful communication, recognition, and team-building initiatives.
- Regularly assess team feedback and propose improvements to support a healthy, sustainable workplace.
- Serve as the lead point of contact on all new hire onboarding and orientation programs, setting up structures for people-focused areas including new hire onboarding, client onboarding, hiring, people-related process roll outs.
- Create professional development opportunities, leadership pathways and mentorship to help develop and retain staff, including managers
- Work with managers to refine, standardize, and manage performance review process and establish effective supervisory relationships and leadership skills
- Counsel the management team of different departments by providing advice on managing employees and cultivating better culture
- Strengthen working relationships between staff and help set successful culture of communication, including guiding Middle Seat culture as fully remote staffers
- Coordinate staff appreciation efforts including end-of-year gifts and organize staff bonding activities such as virtual happy hours, virtual game nights, etc.
- Plan team building activities and events, including annual in person and virtual retreats
Recruitment & Talent Development
- Lead recruitment efforts from job posting to offer letter, including front-facing salary negotiations.
- Build diverse talent pipelines through strategic sourcing and partnerships.
- Partner with managers to implement performance reviews, leadership pathways, and professional development plans.
- Lead team member orientation, including working with managers to ensure training is completed for all new hires
- Liaise with union representatives of plans to hire new staff or plans to engage with new independent contractors when appropriate
About You
You’re a hands-on HR leader who thrives in small, fast-moving organizations. You bring both the technical HR skills and the people-first mindset to build a workplace that works for everyone. Additionally you will possess:
- 7-10 years of HR experience working with 50–100 employee companies (bonus points if you are experienced with unionized teams and collective bargaining agreements. )
- Systems-builder mentality; you are someone who can implement and manage PEOs, HRIS, and benefits platforms yourself.
- Remote workforce expertise with experience applying HR policies and engagement strategies to distributed teams.
- An equity-driven mindset, with a track record of embedding DEI into policies, recruiting, and culture initiatives.
- Discreet and self-directed, equally comfortable writing policies, troubleshooting systems, and coaching managers through complex employee matters.
Why Middle Seat?
We’re values-driven, impact-obsessed, and committed to building a team that reflects the world we want to create. We lead with transparency, equity, and the belief that progressive work deserves operational excellence.
Perks & Benefits
- Profit-sharing + 401k match (6%—yes, really)
- Fully covered health, dental, and vision—100% employer paid
- 20 days PTO + your birthday + work anniversary off
- Unlimited sick leave + 12 weeks paid parental leave
- $350 mental health reimbursement + $100 student loan stipend + $50 cell phone stipend
- $1,000 professional development budget + remote coworking perks + commuter benefits
We don’t just want you to join our team—we want you to grow with it. Women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals are strongly encouraged to apply.
Compensation commensurate with experience and location: $90,000 - $105,000 annually
