Specialist, People & Culture

About Oregon Humane

Founded in 1868, Oregon Humane is the Northwest's oldest and largest animal welfare organization with one of the highest adoption rates in the nation. We are working toward our vision of a world where all animals are treated with compassion, kindness, and respect. With campuses in Portland and Salem, Oregon Humane is an Oregon-based nonprofit that relies on donor support for its adoption, education, medical and humane law enforcement programs. Visit to learn more about how we’re creating an ecosystem where all of us – animals and humans – feel safe, valued and part of something bigger.

The Team

The People & Culture team is a multifaceted and dedicated group that plays a crucial role in shaping our organization's culture and ensuring the well-being of our employees, volunteers, and community. Comprised of experts in human resources, safety, emergency response, community education, volunteers, facilities, and learning and development, our team works tirelessly to foster a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for our organization, reflecting our core values and commitment to our community.

The Position

The Specialist, People & Culture is dedicated to creating a positive, engaging, and supportive employee experience beginning with day one. By leading wellness programs, enhancing onboarding, and strengthening communication across the organization, this role helps employees feel connected, informed, and set up for success. Working closely with leaders and teams across the organization, this position brings a thoughtful, people-centered approach to learning, development, and engagement.

This role will require frequent travel between campuses, working 3 days a week in Portland and 2 days a week in Salem, with the potential to work from home one day a week, after 90 days of employment.

Eligible Benefits

We are committed to creating a better future for pets, and we work hard to achieve our goals while offering a rewarding workplace including competitive benefit packages to our employees.

• Medical/Dental/Vision

• Paid Time Off + Sick Time + Holidays

• 401(k) with employer match

• Professional Development Opportunities

• One free Oregon Humane adoption / year

• Perks & Discounts

Essential Responsibilities

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP

• Consistently strives to exceed expectations; demonstrates flexibility, resilience, and the ability to maintain positive relationships and composure, even under difficult circumstances.

• Maintains high ethical standards, including exhibiting behaviors and actions that embrace and align to the organization and customer service values, while treating all people with respect and dignity.

• Demonstrates an awareness of individual personal strengths and development needs, modeling non-defensive behavior and openness to feedback; builds a culture of feedback and learning.

LEARNING

• Contributes to regular dialogue and accountability with the leadership team and across the organization to review progress and course correct if necessary.

• Utilizes data and insights to identify, understand and articulate the key inputs and metrics that tell the story of the organization/team strategy and its progress.

• Builds appropriate feedback loops to measure if we are meeting key milestones and if the impact planned is being felt across the organization.

• Assist in the development and maintenance of training for staff, including in-person and online trainings.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Communicate effectively to executive and other stakeholder groups to ensure they are informed and able to actively engage.

• Liaise with and maintain productive relationships with all stakeholders, including other departments, and donors; build mutually rewarding professional relationships inside Oregon Humane at all levels.

• Leverage our best practices externally and grow Oregon Humane’ reputation as a leader in the animal welfare space.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Employee Engagement

• Manages the day-to-day People & Culture wellness and wellbeing initiatives to support a positive and engaging work environment.

• Oversees the Second Growth partnership across both campuses, using feedback to continuously evaluate and improve the program; supports coordination, setup, and facilitation of sessions.

• Plans, implements, and promotes employee wellbeing initiatives, including recognition programs, educational opportunities, and signature events.

• Owns the annual engagement calendar, including planning, coordination, and execution of events.

• Manages the promotion, scheduling, and communication for all internal People & Culture–sponsored events.

• Serves as administrator for the Compassion in Balance program, including license management, reporting, and program integration.

• Manages internal People & Culture communications to ensure employees remain informed, connected, and engaged, including:

• Digital displays

• Internal newsletters

• Heritage and other People & Culture communications

• Support for external event communications

• Assists with the design and branding of internal People & Culture materials as needed.

Employee Experience

• In partnership with the Manager, People & Culture and other key stakeholders, assist in the development and deployment of an employee-led 90-day onboarding experience, assisting the enhancement of the orientation program for new hires and employees transitioning within Oregon Humane.

• In partnership with Coordinator, P&C, facilitate pre-employment and first day orientation on the Salem campus, fostering an inclusive, welcoming and informative experience for employees on day one.

• Work closely with the appropriate stakeholders to ensure all new staff have the learning courses they need to have a successful onboarding process.

• In partnership with Operations leadership, coordinate, maintain, and facilitate employee onboarding live classes.

• Gather information, create, and print new employee information cards.

• In partnership with Program Manager, Learning & Development develop and maintain Learning & Development compliance including: SOPs, procedures, staff attendance and the audit of L&D assets.

• Work with leaders across the organization to champion and ensure all required staff are engaged in trainings (e.g. scheduling, room reservations, registration, reminders, attendance).

• Facilitate learning engagements and/or upskilling programs, as well as other L&D initiatives in response to the changing needs of the organization.

• In partnership with key stakeholders, Support managers in developing team members through career pathing and development planning; help assess effectiveness and optimize learning opportunities.

Metrics, Data & Program Strategy

• As needed, support the Program Manager, Learning and Development in analyzing data to generate insights that inform decision-making and improve learning outcomes.

• Support and contribute to People & Culture strategic priorities related to employee engagement and wellness.

• Gather candidate experience feedback from new hires and provide alternative approaches to address feedback when relevant.

• Conduct follow-up evaluations to measure training effectiveness, impact, and return on investment.

• Implement and manage feedback mechanisms to continuously improve wellness programs and internal communication strategy.

• As needed, support the development and deployment of onboarding feedback tools and processes.

SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITY

Supervises: None

ACCOUNTABILITY

Reports Directly To: Manager, People & Culture

Often Engages Directly With: Program Manager, Learning & Development, People Partner Team, People and Culture teams, Operations staff, and others across Oregon Humane.