Manager, People Strategy

Overview

The People Strategy Manager is a strategic HR leader and trusted advisor who partners with senior leaders to shape and execute people strategies that drive organizational performance, workforce effectiveness, and business success. Operating in a fast-paced, complex, and matrixed environment, this role integrates strategic workforce planning with hands-on leadership to deliver high-impact HR solutions that strengthen employee engagement, talent capability, and organizational outcomes.

This role partners closely with business and HR leaders to align workforce strategies with organizational priorities, support organizational design and transformation initiatives, and enable effective change across the enterprise. Leading a team of People Strategy Partners, the Manager provides consultation and coaching to senior leaders on talent strategy, organizational effectiveness, employee relations, performance management, compensation, policy interpretation, and regulatory compliance.

As a key HR leader, the People Strategy Manager builds strong cross-functional partnerships across HR centers of expertise and business functions to deliver integrated, data-driven people solutions. The role is also responsible for developing and mentoring People Strategy team members, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and service excellence while ensuring consistent and effective delivery of HR programs and initiatives across the organization.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Strategic Partner and Advisor : Operates with both a strategic mindset and a hands-on approach, supporting leaders as coach, consultant, and change agent in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. Partners closely with business leaders to align people strategies with business objectives, organizational design, workforce planning, and transformation initiatives, building a culture of accountability, performance, and engagement while creating tailored solutions to enhance organizational effectiveness across diverse employee populations. Provides expert guidance on employee relations, compensation, and policy interpretation, ensuring compliance with applicable employment laws, and regulations, as well as collective bargaining agreements, institutional governance structures, appointment processes, and workforce-specific requirements where applicable.
• Relationship Building & Institute Collaboration : Builds and sustains trusted partnerships across leadership teams, stakeholders, and HR functions to drive aligned, business-informed people strategies. Fosters collaboration across diverse client groups and enterprise partners to support organizational effectiveness, workforce engagement, and strategic priorities.
• Assessment and Analysis : Conducts assessments to understand needs or situations, analyze data, develop talent management plans, recommend training programs, evaluate employee engagement and performance, and advise on HR policies. Identifies trends, risks, and opportunities through qualitative and quantitative analysis, and translates findings into actionable recommendations that support workforce planning, manager effectiveness, and organizational performance.
• Team Management : Supervises staff. Hires, develops, and manages staff to achieve organizational goals. Sets clear expectations, delivers feedback, and monitors performance for quality, efficiency, and compliance with policies and procedures. Mentors staff, fosters career growth, and cultivates a positive and productive work environment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Comprehensive Human Resources Expertise : Advanced knowledge of employment laws, regulations, labor relations, compliance requirements, workplace policies, and HR best practices across talent management, employee engagement, performance management, learning and development, succession planning, workforce planning, retention, and talent acquisition.
• Strategic Business and Organizational Acumen: Strong understanding of business operations, financial principles, organizational design, change management, and the alignment of human resources strategies with organizational goals and priorities.
• Leadership and Influence : Demonstrated ability to lead teams, influence leaders at all levels, inspire organizational change, and drive initiatives that support employee engagement and organizational effectiveness.
• Communication and Relationship Management: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to build trusted relationships, collaborate effectively with employees, managers, executives, and stakeholders, and foster productive partnerships across multiple HR disciplines.
• Analytical Thinking and Data-Driven Decision Making: Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, assess complex situations, identify trends, and make informed recommendations that support business outcomes.
• Project and Change Management : Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and initiatives simultaneously while adapting to changing business needs, maintaining focus on results, and ensuring successful implementation of organizational and HR strategies.
• Conflict Resolution, Inclusion, and Collaboration: Ability to effectively mediate workplace issues, promote an inclusive and equitable work environment, and work collaboratively across functional HR specialties including talent management, compensation, organizational development, learning and development, and talent acquisition.

Minimum Job Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree In Human Resources, Organizational Psychology, Business Administration, or related field required.
• 5+ years of experience partnering with senior business leaders to drive talent or people initiatives and demonstrated success in a strategic HR partner role in a complex, matrixed environment required.
• Demonstrated experience in a leadership role focused on people strategy or human resource management required.
• Experience i n sectors such as higher education, academic medicine, research, health care, biomedical/pharma, research, or government or in management consulting to organizations in these sectors preferred.

License/Certification/Registration Required: None

Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes

• Manages a small team of 1-3 People Strategy Partners

Patient Contact: No

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

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Pay Transparency Statement

The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.

For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

$134,300.00 - $148,300.00