Manager, People Experience at Project 180 – Los Angeles, California

Title: Manager, People Experience
Division: Project 180
Pay Scale: $85,000 - $110,000
Location: Los Angeles, CA

The Organization

SSG-Project 180 turns lives around through innovative, wraparound services that keep people out of institutions and in their communities. Project 180 is a leader in the forensic treatment space, offering high-quality, specialized treatment programs that serve thousands of justice-involved individuals. Our programs span criminal justice intercepts and include pre-arrest interventions, court-based diversions, jail in-reach, and intensive post-release services. Project 180 operates in partnership with County agencies including the Department of Mental Health (DMH), the Department of Health Services (DHS), and the Justice, Care and Opportunities Department (JCOD). Annually, we serve over justice-involved 1,500 individuals.

Position Summary

Project 180 (P180) seeks an experienced and thoughtful people leader to serve as the Manager of People Experience. This role is responsible for fostering a positive, accountable, and values-aligned workplace culture by supporting employees and leaders through performance management, coaching, investigations, and consistent application of people policies and practices.

The Manager of People Experience is energized by interpersonal engagement and serves as a trusted advisor to staff and supervisors across the organization, providing guidance on complex employee relations matters, performance concerns, corrective action, and professional development. This role requires sound judgment, discretion, emotional intelligence, and the ability to navigate sensitive situations with fairness, consistency, and compassion.

P180 is housed within the nonprofit Special Service for Groups (SSG), which oversees and implements all administrative aspects of HR on behalf of P180. This position sits on the People & Culture team, reports to the Senior Director of People & Culture, and works closely with program leadership, the SSG HR team, and employees directly.

The ideal candidate is deeply committed to advancing organizational culture, equity, accountability, and staff growth in a mission-driven, high-impact environment.

Employee Relations, Culture & Performance Management (~70%)

• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee relations matters, providing guidance and support to employees and supervisors on workplace concerns, performance issues, and conflict resolution.
• Partner with supervisors to address performance concerns through coaching, feedback, and development-oriented interventions.
• Advise and support supervisors in the application of performance management processes, including performance improvement plans, corrective action, and disciplinary actions, ensuring alignment with policy, best practices, and equity principles.
• Conduct or support workplace investigations related to employee complaints, policy violations, or misconduct, ensuring timely, thorough, and unbiased processes and documentation.
• Apply and interpret organizational people policies consistently, providing clear guidance and education to leaders and staff.
• Partner with the Senior Director of People & Culture to identify patterns, risks, and opportunities related to culture, engagement, and performance.
• Support organizational culture initiatives that promote accountability, inclusion, psychological safety, and staff well-being.
• Maintain accurate, confidential employee relations documentation and records in partnership with SSG HR.
• Lead the organization’s annual performance evaluation processes and administrative responsibilities related to employee compensation updates.
• Serve as P180’s point of contact for employee leave administration (core processes owned by SSG).
• Serve as a lead administrator in P180’s human resources information system (HRIS), Paycom, responsible for ensuring employee compliance with accurate timekeeping.

Leadership Coaching & Professional Development (~20%)

• Serve as a thought partner and coach to supervisors on people leadership skills, including communication, feedback, performance management, and navigating difficult conversations.
• Support supervisors with professional development planning for their teams, including identifying learning opportunities and growth pathways.
• Contribute to the design and facilitation of trainings related to people management, performance management, policy application, and employee relations best practices.
• Partner with People & Culture team members to align employee relations practices with broader talent, engagement, and retention strategies.

Collaboration & Continuous Improvement (~10%)

• Collaborate closely with the SSG HR team to ensure compliance with employment laws, internal policies, and organizational procedures.
• Facilitate exit interview conversations with transitioning staff members to capture quantitative and qualitative data regarding the employee experience.
• Monitor trends and data related to employee relations, performance concerns, and disciplinary actions to inform continuous improvement.
• Contribute to the refinement of people policies, tools, and resources to support supervisors and staff.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong judgment and discretion when handling sensitive and complex employee relations matters.
• Demonstrated experience coaching leaders through performance management and difficult conversations.
• Ability to conduct or support fair, thorough, and timely workplace investigations.
• Commitment to cultivating an inclusive, respectful, and accountable workplace culture.
• Professionally mature, calm under pressure, and solution-oriented.
• Strong understanding of people policies, employment practices, and risk mitigation.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex or sensitive issues clearly and compassionately to colleagues at all levels of an organization.
• Unwavering integrity
• Strong organizational skills with impeccable attention to detail and follow-through.
• Ability to build trust and credibility quickly across all levels of the organization.
• Experience applying an equity-centered lens to people practices and decision-making.

Minimum Qualifications

• Required:
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
  • 4–6 years of experience in employee relations, HR, or People & Culture roles.
• Preferred:
  • Experience supporting managers in performance management and investigations.
  • Experience in a mission-driven non-profit or human services organization with a diverse workforce.
  • Experience as an administrator within human resource information systems (HRISs).
  • Valid CA driver’s license, auto insurance, and
• Commitment to P180’s mission and strong diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) values.
• Verification of Employment Eligibility and Background Check.

Compensation & Benefits

• The salary range for this position is $85,000 - $110,000, depending on experience
  • A note on our salary: we are committed to pay transparency and internal equity, which is why we openly share the salary range for this role and do not negotiate compensation. New hires are typically assigned compensation in the bottom half of the range to allow for growth and in alignment with internal equity of compensation. Initial assignment in the top half of the salary range, which is reserved for candidates who exceed the required qualifications and possess specialized expertise relevant to our current strategic goals, is rare.
• Paid sick leave
• Paid vacation time
• Excellent health, vision, dental benefits package with employer contribution to benefits
• Medical Claims Funding benefit
• 403(b) retirement plan

Environmental Conditions (Working Conditions)

The Manager will be based in the P180 office in downtown Los Angeles and will need to perform job duties across sites. This role is predominantly an on-site position but is eligible for a hybrid work structure where the Manager may work remotely for one day per week.

Physical Requirements

It is preferred that the Manager can drive. Otherwise, they will be responsible for arranging transportation between the office and sites, at their own cost. They must be able to listen and speak in order to complete job requirements.

Mental Requirements

The employee must be able to do any/all of the following: perform complex and varied tasks such as synthesizing information and making evaluations or decisions without immediate supervision; relate to other people beyond giving and receiving instructions; effectively influence people on a consistent basis; accept and carry out responsibility for direction, control, and planning; interact professionally and diplomatically in high-stress situations.