Vice President of Human Resources
Hybrid/Los Angeles
Wellnest Celebrates 102 Years
ABOUT WELLNEST
Founded in 1924, Wellnest has always been on the leading edge of mental health and supportive services for children and families. Wellnest helped to pioneer early intervention programs for the 0-5 population, intensive services for at-risk children and families, skills-based mental health services for young adults 16-25, and an inventive collaboration with primary care providers, bringing mental health professionals on-site in community settings. Wellnest’s Socially Integrated Service Model is designed to address the whole child, from 0-25, the entire family, and their communities. We blend evidence-based clinical practices to address the effects of trauma; youth development programs and TAY housing to enable children and youth to develop coping skills, self-esteem, and stability; and family support services to build on family strengths to promote thriving futures. We work in partnership with the family and engage the larger community—particularly schools and other youth service providers—because we recognize that children need functional families and healthy communities to thrive.
Charlene Dimas-Peinado joined Wellnest in 2016 as its new President and CEO to lead Wellnest into its next growth phase. Through her tenure to date, she has broadened the organization’s financial health to $43 million annually with $63M in assets. She has successfully leveraged her expertise in securing public contracts and private donations to expand Wellnest’s best-in-class, compassionate, trauma-informed care and housing services.
Under Dimas-Peinado’s leadership, the organization created a new brand identity, mission, and core values – Wellnest Emotional Health & Wellness; achieved CARF Accreditation; completed new construction for the state-of-the-art Life Learning Center (Summer 2019); expanded core services to include transitional and permanent supportive housing for transition age youth (TAY); completed Wellnest’s first Permanent Supportive Housing Development project – The Nest on Florence (July 2022); completing its second Supportive (Interim) Housing Development project – The Nest on Exposition (Fall 2026); and, third construction development project – a Community Wellnest Center to provide integrated care to children and families.(Summer 2026).
The Opportunity
The new Vice President of Human Resources will build upon Wellnest’s momentum as a cutting‑edge employer of choice, deepening the organization’s commitment to talent development, employee relations, and strengthening the skills of its growing workforce. Over the past two years, staff retention has improved significantly, with the vacancy rate dropping from 15 percent to 8 percent. This is also representative of the progress already being made toward strengthening their employer brand.
Significant progress has also been made on compensation, including the completion of a recent study, though continued work is needed to update and refine salary bands. The organization has also placed strong emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and leadership is encouraged by the progress to date.
This role offers a seasoned Human Resources executive the chance to serve as a key member of the senior management team, shaping organizational culture and leading the full spectrum of HR functions. It also provides meaningful influence at the strategic decision‑making table of one of the most innovative organizations in the mental health and housing sectors in the greater Los Angeles region.
Role Summary
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, with a coordinate reporting relationship to the President and CEO, the Vice President of Human Resources is a key member of the executive leadership team, responsible for shaping and executing people-centered strategies that support the organization’s mission, values, and long-term goals. This role serves as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to senior leadership, driving organizational effectiveness through inclusive culture-building, talent development, workforce planning, and operational excellence in HR practices. Rooted in a deep commitment to the employee experience, the VP of HR champions a people first approach that fosters engagement, growth, and belonging across all levels of the organization. The VP of HR leads with empathy, drives innovation in people practices, and strives to enhance leadership capability that promotes an organization of excellence.
Essential Responsibilities
Serve as a functional expert and strategic advisor to the executive leadership and senior leadership teams on people-related matters and initiatives.
Develop and implement short and long-term HR strategies that align with organizational goals.
Ensure compliance with state and federal employment laws and regulations, accreditation standards (i.e., WASC), and HR best practices.
Partner with senior leadership to implement robust organizational development strategies such as employee engagement, workforce diversity, retention initiatives, succession planning, and performance management systems.
Design and implement system-level protocols to ensure all HR operations provide exceptional experiences for staff while aligning and complying with Wellnest policies, state and federal labor laws, and ensuring consistent, fair, and equitable application of policies and procedures that support ethical and legal practice while promoting trust.
Lead workforce planning and development to support the organization’s mission, service goals, and projected growth.
Oversee the organization’s compensation strategy and benefits program, including health and welfare, retirement, and leave benefits.
Lead efforts in organizational risk mitigation, including workplace safety, employee relations, and crisis response.
Lead the organization through necessary changes to maintain ongoing compliance including updating policies and procedures, training staff and supervisors, and consulting with legal counsel as necessary.
Direct the ongoing design and implementation of a scalable performance management framework that promotes a culture of feedback, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Oversee the design and implementation of training and development initiatives that support employee growth and leadership development.
Collaboratively develop and implement strategies that promote Wellnest’s commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at all levels of the organization.
Ensure DEI principles are embedded across the employee lifecycle, from hiring to promoting to retention.
Oversee HRIS systems and develop and implement innovative HR technologies that support hybrid/remote work, streamline processes, and data-driven decisions.
Manage HR data analytics to monitor and report on key HR metrics to the executive team, senior management and the Board of Directors.
Lead, develop and evaluate a high-performing HR team by fostering a culture of collaboration, responsiveness and continuous improvement.
Model and facilitate “best in class” culture practices and customer service standards aimed at delivering high-quality support to staff and leadership.
Evaluate and improve HR procedures to streamline operations, reduce administrative burden, and enhance data management and reporting.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Education and Experience:
A bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, organizational psychology, or other related fields from an accredited college or university. Graduate degree preferred.
Ten (10) years of progressive HR experience is required. At least five (5) years in a senior HR leadership role within a non-profit, community mental health, or mission driven organization is highly desirable.
Human Resources certification is preferred but not required.
Certificates, Licenses, and Registrations:
Must possess and maintain a valid CA driver’s license and insurable driving record.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
A strong commitment to advancing Wellnest’s mission.
Thorough knowledge and understanding of state and federal labor laws and employment regulations.
Demonstrated expertise in strategic HR leadership, change management, DEI initiatives, and talent development.
Strong conceptual and analytical skills, with a proven ability to interpret data, inform goals and strategy development, and lead implementation/execution.
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build and cultivate effective relationships with diverse stakeholders.
Proven ability to lead through influence, empathy, and innovation.
Demonstrated ability to navigate complex issues and drive organizational change.
Proficiency in HRIS systems, data analytics, and using metrics to inform people-related decisions.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey information to a variety of audiences.
Familiarity with DEI frameworks and embedding equity in organizational systems.
Demonstrated cultural humility and sensitivity with diverse groups across lines of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, class, ability, gender, and other identifiers.
Strong self-awareness, empathy, and ability to navigate sensitive conversations with discretion and care.
Ability to handle complex employee relations matters and facilitate resolution while maintaining trust and compliance.
Ability to remain flexible in the face of competing demands and demonstrate comfort with ambiguity and change.
Ability to be proactive and capable of resolving complex problems expeditiously in support of the organization’s strategic goals.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (i.e., MS Word, Excel, PPT, and Outlook).
Compensation
Annual Salary Range: $150,000 - $200,000
Wellnest offers a personalized benefits package from available medical, dental, and vision coverage plans and employer-paid life insurance.
Wellnest employees benefit from an employer-sponsored 401(k) company match of up to 4% and profit-sharing contribution benefit of up to 5%. .
Please contact Sarah Agee for a confidential conversation and to learn more about this opportunity.
Phone:(949) 903-2891
Email: Sarah@SterlingSearchInc.com
Please direct all correspondence, emails, and telephone calls to Sterling Search, Inc. Any communication with Wellnest will be redirected back to Sterling Search.
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