Application Guide
How to Apply for Head of People/HR Executive
at Turning Tides Strategies
🏢 About Turning Tides Strategies
Turning Tides Strategies is a mission-driven organization focused on helping kids develop life skills through play by partnering with schools and communities nationwide. What makes this company unique is its commitment to creating safe, inclusive environments where every child can thrive through structured play programs. Someone would want to work here to contribute to meaningful social impact while being part of a distributed team that values both professional development and work-life balance.
About This Role
As Head of People/HR Executive at Turning Tides Strategies, you'll serve as the strategic HR leader reporting directly to the CEO, integrating people strategy into organizational goals for a multi-state, distributed workforce. This role involves overseeing all HR functions from talent acquisition to employee relations while leading the People Team through mentorship and development. Your work will directly impact the organization's ability to scale its mission by ensuring staff have the support and resources needed to help children thrive through play.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might begin with a strategic planning session with the CEO about scaling people operations to support new school partnerships, followed by reviewing multi-state compliance updates with your HR team. Afternoon could involve analyzing engagement survey data from distributed staff, then developing remote onboarding enhancements for new hires joining from various locations. You'd likely end the day mentoring a People Team member on complex employee relations while ensuring all initiatives align with the organization's mission of creating inclusive play environments for children.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Turning Tides Strategies Is Looking For
- A senior HR leader with 10+ years progressive experience including 7+ years in nonprofit HR leadership roles, ideally in youth development or education organizations
- Someone who has previously served as strategic HR partner to a CEO or executive team in a distributed workforce environment, with demonstrated HRIS and people analytics expertise
- A leader experienced in managing multi-state HR compliance while fostering inclusive, mission-aligned cultures in remote settings
- A professional who can balance strategic vision with hands-on execution across the full employee lifecycle in a mission-driven organization
📝 Tips for Applying to Turning Tides Strategies
Quantify your nonprofit HR leadership impact with specific metrics (e.g., 'reduced turnover by X% in distributed teams' or 'implemented HRIS system serving X employees across Y states')
Explicitly connect your experience to youth development or education sectors, even if indirectly (e.g., 'While at [Organization], I supported programs serving children...')
Demonstrate remote workforce management expertise by highlighting specific tools, policies, or programs you've implemented for distributed teams
Tailor your resume to show progression from HR generalist to strategic leader, emphasizing CEO/executive partnership experience
Include examples of how you've integrated DEI principles into HR practices, particularly relevant for an organization focused on inclusive play environments
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Your strategic partnership experience with CEOs/executive teams in nonprofit settings, with specific examples of how you've aligned people strategy with organizational goals", 'Your track record with distributed, multi-state workforces including HRIS implementation and remote culture building', "Your passion for Turning Tides Strategies' mission of helping children through play, connecting your HR philosophy to their work", 'Your approach to mentoring and developing HR teams while balancing hands-on execution with strategic leadership']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Explore Turning Tides Strategies' specific school partnership models and geographic reach to understand workforce distribution
- → Research current trends in nonprofit HR, particularly for distributed organizations serving youth/education sectors
- → Investigate the organization's public values statements, annual reports, or leadership communications to understand cultural priorities
- → Look into the specific HRIS platforms commonly used by similar-sized nonprofits with distributed workforces
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Presenting only corporate HR experience without demonstrating understanding of nonprofit sector constraints and opportunities
- Failing to show specific multi-state HR compliance knowledge or distributed workforce management experience
- Using generic HR language without connecting strategies to youth development or mission-driven work environments
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Turning Tides Strategies!