CastleOak Securities, L.P. ("CastleOak") is a premier boutique investment bank focused on providing capital markets services to a broad array of corporate, governmental and institutional clients. Headquartered in New York City, the firm specializes in primary and secondary sales and trading of fixed income, equity, and money market securities, as well as financial advisory (including M&A and private placements). Since its founding in 2006, CastleOak has assisted its clients on public offerings totaling over $4 trillion. CastleOak’s professionals average 20 years of successful Wall Street experience and ongoing working relationships with some of the largest global corporations.

We offer a competitive total rewards package including:

• Hybrid workplace: work from home 2 days per week!
• Health insurance: competitive medical, dental, and vision programs
• Commuter benefits
• 401(k) with a company match
• Charitable contribution match program for employees
• Company-paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Paid time off: vacation, personal days, sick leave, etc.
• Intentional culture celebrations and social outings

POSITION

The Vice President, Human Resources will have responsibility for the firm’s entire range of Human Resource (HR) programs, collaborating with senior leadership to develop, implement, and execute on people strategies that support business objectives. This role will be responsible for continuous improvement of the firm’s HR functions, including recruiting for all roles, managing the annual open enrollment process, handling employee relations issues, deepening learning & development paths for early-stage employees, spearheading the employee review process, running the summer intern program, and driving culture-building initiatives.
Reporting to the Chief of Staff to the CEO and operating as a department of one (with external support from the firm’s PEO), the successful candidate will take a hands-on approach, pivoting seamlessly between strategic and tactical activity to ensure that the firm adheres to all requirements and industry best practices, maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality. This person will interact with everyone at the firm and be the first face of the company to recruits and prospects. This role requires someone to pivot from collaborating with the Chief of Staff on the most strategic of HR issues to owning the most mundane of tasks like updating phone trees and organizational charts. The VP will need to operate as if in a start-up environment with a “no task is too small” approach, rolling up sleeves and having a servant leader, “do whatever it takes” approach to get a job done. Also, as with all jobs at a small company, this person will wear multiple hats within the HR world but also will cross-collaborate with others on the Chief of Staff’s team, including working hand in hand on marketing and communication projects from time to time, especially on those that touch on culture-building. The ideal candidate for this role is someone who has endless energy and is looking for a home to unleash their talents.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree
• 5-10 years’ progressive experience in HR within a financial services company, including exposure to recruiting, benefits, analyst programs, or HRBP work
• Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to multitask and ruthlessly prioritize
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with exceptional attention to detail
• Strong work ethic
• Resourceful and proactive, with the ability to complete a high volume of tasks and project independently
• Knowledge of HR best practices and federal, state and local laws
• Experience managing employee relations, performance, engagement, and broad HR functions in a professional services environment
• Willingness to complete any HR-related task, from the mundane to the strategic
• Proficient in using productivity tools and software, including MS Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Professional discretion to handle confidential information, highest levels of integrity, discretion and the ability to maintain strict confidentiality
• Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and work in a fast-paced, deadline-focused environment
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with individuals at all levels of the organization
• Strong work ethic coupled with a sense of urgency around completing tasks
• Thick skinned and open to continuous and direct feedback
• Collaborative spirit with a willingness to learn and grow
• A “can do” attitude
• Prioritize requests as they come in, and respond to inquiries with a sense of urgency

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience with more than two functions with the HR world
• Project management experience

• Partner with hiring managers to recruit and hire new employees, from development of job descriptions through onboarding
• Liaise with the firm’s PEO (ADP TotalSource) to resolve all employee questions and concerns
• Manage all aspects of the annual open enrollment process for benefits
• Regularly communicate HR information to all stakeholders
• Manage the firm’s annual and mid-year performance review processes
• Address and document performance issues
• Resolve and investigate employee concerns
• Own and manage the firm’s summer internship program, including posting for the role, recruiting, onboarding, running the day-to-day program, and partnering with external clients to provide cross-training opportunities
• Create learning & development opportunities for all employees across the firm, but especially for those in the two year analyst programs (Capital Markets, Sales & Trading, and Financial Advisory)
• Proactively foster a positive culture through programming, recognition, and communication, collaborating with partners across the firm to develop and execute meaningful touchpoints while looking for ways to achieve high ROI without significant spend
• Develop tools and communication materials that increase employee engagement
• Proactively keep tabs on current trends within HR across the financial services industry, including Return to Office policies, D&I changes, compensation bands, and other programs
• Maintain the employee handbook and HR related policies, including annual review and attestation
• In conjunction with the firm’s PEO, ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws
• In conjunction with the firm’s PEO, maintain HR files and complete periodic requirements (ACA reporting, annual poster refresh, etc.)
• Engage with vendors that support the firm’s HR functions