Our Purpose:
We are building a championship organization that serves our fans, community and business partners through world class sports and entertainment. We believe that Winning Matters, our Fans come first, with risk comes reward, great teams can achieve unimaginable results, honoring the Pacific Northwest is our duty and driving the business is our responsibility.
Climate Pledge Arena, a $1.15 Billion redevelopment of the facility formerly known as KeyArena and built originally for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, has been transformed into a world class, state-of-the-art City jewel and destination. Located at Seattle Center in the heart of Seattle’s Uptown Neighborhood, the new venue offers a truly unique and intimate experience for the newest NHL franchise, the Seattle Kraken, WNBA’s Seattle Storm, concerts and other entertainment events, while preserving the historic nature of Seattle Center and its surroundings. This project is a completely new arena beneath its existing historic-landmark roof. Climate Pledge Arena opened October 22, 2021.
Position Summary:
The Vice President of People & Culture will plan, develop, and implement strategic direction and business plans for all part-time and full-time Arena employees. This position reports directly to the EVP, Arena General Manager and is a member of the arena executive team. This role will oversee all aspects of people and culture including labor relations, recruitment, salary administration, benefits, job evaluation, training and development, performance management, maintenance of employee information records and systems, and for the provision of advice and guidance to management and staff on people and culture matters.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
- Participates as a member of the Arena’s Executive Team and an active member of the shared Senior Leadership Team with the Seattle Kraken.
- Provides sound professional advice to all team members, including the Senior Leadership Team (VP and above positions), managers and employees throughout the organization.
- Ensures that the Arena General Manager and Arena Assistant General Manager are kept up to date on all people and culture matters.
- Develops and implements an annual people and culture business plan with specific goals and objectives that are aligned with the Company’s strategic plan.
- Directs, administers, leads the development of HR policies, programs, and initiatives in all areas of people and culture including recruitment (part-time and full-time), HRIS, employee retention and recognition, compensation, benefits administration, training and development, performance management and organizational development.
- Directs the day-to-day operations of the People and Culture Department, fostering an environment that is conducive to a high-performance team, quality initiatives and continuous improvement.
- Provides advice and guidance to People and Culture Team and managers regarding the administration, interpretation and compliance of the Event Staff Collective Agreement. Coordinates and directs the preparation of employer proposals and responses for collective bargaining. Represents the Company on labor/management committees, in late-stage grievance resolution, labor arbitration cases and other related labor relations matters.
- Develops and maintains harmonious union/management relations.
- Develops and manages an annual budget for People and Culture operating and capital expenditures.
- Builds and participates in employee engagement opportunities, DE&I initiatives, and training efforts.
- Keeps informed of trends and developments in the HR field through participation in various organizations and committees and ongoing learning.
- Participates in other duties and special projects as required.
Required Experience & Qualifications:
- A proven and progressive Human Resources professional with a minimum of 10+ years’ related experience.
- Experience within a unionized environment, directly managing labor relations issues.
- Expertise in all aspects of HR including labor relations, compensation, benefits, training & development, job evaluation, HR Information Systems and recruitment.
- Solid interpersonal and communication skills with an ability to interact effectively with diverse client groups.
- A high degree of personal integrity, sound judgement in decision-making, discretion with confidential matter and sensitive information, and consistently puts the interests of the organization first.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, with an expert ability to present and communicate new ideas and concepts.
- Must be a fierce communicator and cross-organizational collaborator.
Preferred Experience & Qualifications:
- Current or previous sports and entertainment and/or hospitality industry experience.
- Current or previous experience in high volume hiring and support a large part-time staff pool.
- Current or previous experience in a union environment.
- Current or previous experience with UKG and/or ABI Mastermind.
Working Conditions:
- Minimal Travel (<10% travel): May be required to travel. Trips may require air travel and/or overnight stay away from home for one or more nights.
- Must be able to work a flexible schedule inclusive of weekends, nights and holidays required.
- Frequent bending, lifting 15-20 pounds, sitting, exposure to multiple external elements, extensive walking through the building including inclines and stairs.
Compensation:
- In accordance with the Washington State Equal Pay and Opportunity Act, the expected base pay range for this position is $175,000 – $247,000 annually. Actual base pay will depend on employee’s experience and other job-related factors permitted by law.
- This role is classified as an exempt role
- We believe it takes a great team to build an award-winning organization. As an impactful member of the team, this role is bonus eligible
Benefits & Perks:
- Company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, including premiums for eligible dependents enrolled in the plans
- Company-paid life insurance and short- & long-term disability insurance
- 401k (pre-tax and Roth) with Company match up to 4%
- Kraken ticket stipend and employee only pre-sale opportunities to non-Kraken events
- Monthly cell phone stipend
- Annual wellness stipend for mental & physical health
- 15 vacation days, 3 personal holidays, and accrued sick time
- Minimum 11 paid holidays per year
- Paid parental leave
- Company-paid Orca, local transit card
- Corporate office located at Climate Pledge Arena; complimentary garage parking offered
- Employee meal perks
- Company-paid employee assistance program and Headspace subscription
- Company-wide recognition platform
- Flexible spending accounts and voluntary accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity insurance available
- Discounts at the Kraken Team Stores, Kraken Community Iceplex, 32 Bar & Grill, and other partners
Climate Pledge Arena requires all employees to be fully-vaccinated from COVID-19, with limited exceptions as required by law. Proof of Vaccination will be asked at the start of employment.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Hiring:
Climate Pledge Arena aspires to write a new playbook in sports and entertainment that includes everyone. In alignment with this vision, if you don’t meet every job requirement listed-or if you haven’t worked in the industry or are still learning about the industry-we still encourage you to apply. We understand you may bring other relevant experiences and expertise to help us become the highest performance organization we can be. One of our core values is ‘Make Us Better’ and we recognize diversity, equity and inclusion as a critical business strategy.
If you’d like to request an accommodation in the application or interview process, please let us know by emailing:jobs@climatepledgearena.com
Seattle Hockey Partners, LLC and Seattle Arena Company, LLC are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We do not discriminate on basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, parental status, military service, or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.