Peacehaven HR Manager/Sr HR Generalist Whitsett, NC · Full time Company website

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Peacehaven's mission is to connect people of all abilities through inclusive living, learning, work, and play.

HR Manager / Senior HR Generalist

Job Description  |  People & Culture

Whitsett, NC  •  Full-Time  •  Reports to: Vice President, Finance & Administration

About Peacehaven

Peacehaven Farm Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit building an 89-acre integrated residential campus in Whitsett, NC that serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Our mission is to connect people of all abilities through inclusive living, learning, work, and play. We are in an active growth phase, scaling programs and staff as we build toward full campus operations.

Our tagline is simple: Let's be different together. We operate shoulder to shoulder — no one above or below. We're looking for people who believe our differences are power and our challenges are opportunity.

Position Summary

This is Peacehaven’s founding HR role. The HR Manager/Senior HR Generalist will build the people function from the ground up — systems, processes, compliance, and culture. This person will be both strategic and deeply hands-on, owning everything from onboarding and benefits administration to compliance and staff retention. They will report directly to the Vice President, Finance & Administration and work closely with program leadership.

We're not looking for someone to manage an existing department. We're looking for someone who has built one — or has the experience and judgment to do it right the first time.

Key Responsibilities

Compliance & Risk

•     Ensure compliance with federal and North Carolina employment law, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, and regulations specific to I/DD residential and direct support settings

•     Develop and maintain the employee handbook and HR policy framework

•     Manage background check and credentialing processes, including state-required checks for staff working with adults with I/DD

•     Maintain accurate, confidential personnel records and HR documentation

Recruitment & Onboarding

•     Own full-cycle recruitment for all roles, with particular focus on building a sustainable pipeline for direct support professionals (DSPs)

•     Write compelling, values-aligned job descriptions and manage postings across relevant platforms

•     Design and deliver onboarding experiences that ground new staff in Peacehaven's mission, values, and the dignity of the people we serve

•     Partner with program managers to ensure role-specific training is integrated into onboarding

Compensation & Benefits

•     Develop and maintain equitable pay bands and compensation structures across staff types

•     Administer employee benefits enrollment, changes, and vendor relationships

•     Conduct periodic market benchmarking to ensure Peacehaven remains competitive, particularly for DSP and care roles

Performance & Development

•     Build and manage a performance review process that is clear, equitable, and values-aligned

•     Support managers in having effective performance conversations — including corrective action and documentation

•     Identify staff development opportunities that support growth and reduce turnover

Grievances & Employee Relations

•     Develop and maintain a formal grievance policy and procedure that ensures staff have a clear, accessible, and confidential pathway to raise concerns

•     Serve as the primary point of contact for employee complaints, conducting timely and impartial investigations in accordance with Peacehaven policy and applicable law

•     Document grievance cases thoroughly, maintaining confidential records and tracking outcomes and trends to inform policy improvements

•     Advise supervisors and leadership on appropriate responses to employee relations issues, escalating to legal counsel when warranted

•     Foster a culture where staff feel safe raising concerns without fear of retaliation, consistent with Peacehaven's values of dignity and respect

Offboarding

•     Own the full offboarding process for departing staff, ensuring a consistent, respectful, and legally compliant separation experience regardless of the reason for departure

•     Conduct exit interviews and synthesize themes to inform retention strategy and organizational improvement

•     Coordinate final pay, benefits continuation (COBRA), return of equipment, and access revocation in partnership with relevant departments

•     Maintain accurate separation records and ensure all required documentation is completed and filed appropriately

•     Ensure knowledge transfer plans are in place for critical roles before departure, in coordination with program managers

Culture & Staff Wellbeing

•     Act as a trusted resource for staff navigating workplace issues, concerns, or conflicts

•     Lead internal efforts to measure and improve staff engagement and retention

•     Model and reinforce Peacehaven's inclusive, peer-oriented culture — with particular sensitivity to the emotional demands on staff working in direct support roles

Qualifications

Required

•     5+ years of HR generalist or HR management experience, with demonstrated experience building or significantly rebuilding an HR function

•     Solid working knowledge of North Carolina employment law, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, and nonprofit HR compliance

•     Experience recruiting and retaining direct support professionals or comparable frontline, mission-driven staff

•     Strong interpersonal skills — this person will be a credible, trusted presence for staff at all levels

•     Comfort operating independently with limited administrative support

Strongly Preferred

•     Prior experience in a nonprofit, human services, or I/DD/disability services organization

•     SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification

•     Familiarity with NC DHHS Innovations Waiver requirements and DSP credentialing

•     Experience selecting or implementing an HRIS system

Position Details

Employment Type

Full-time, exempt

Location

Peacehaven Farm Inc. — Whitsett, NC (on-site with flexibility)

Reports To

Vice President, Finance & Administration

Compensation

Commensurate with experience; competitive nonprofit salary + benefits - targeting $60 to $75K.

Benefits

Health insurance, PTO, retirement, professional development support

What Success Looks Like

In the first year, a successful HR Manager/Senior HR Generalist will have:

•     Built a compliant, organized HR infrastructure — policies, personnel files, onboarding process, and an employee handbook — from the ground up

•     Established a reliable pipeline for direct support professional recruitment, reducing time-to-fill and improving early retention

•     Earned trust across the organization as a fair, approachable, and knowledgeable resource for staff and managers alike

•     Resolved employee relations issues and grievances promptly and equitably, with clear documentation and follow-through

•     Delivered a consistent, values-aligned offboarding process and used exit data to surface meaningful retention insights

•     Demonstrated measurable improvement in staff retention, particularly among DSPs and frontline program staff

•     Become a credible partner to the VP of Finance & Administration and program leadership in organizational decision-making