Director, People Operations

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.

Since 2000, more than 5 million people and partners have contributed $1 billion to support 2 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. Projects range from art supplies to build the set for a school musical, to books and puzzles that affirm students' identities, to bird seed for an at-home science project. We proudly serve all US public schools, public charter schools, and Head Start centers, and we combat systemic inequity by driving a majority of donations to schools that have been historically underfunded due to economic and racial inequity.

DonorsChoose has been recognized as a best place to work by GOOD Magazine and the Nonprofit Times, while Fast Company named DonorsChoose one of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World—the first time a charity has made this list. Our dedicated team works from across the United States to bring classroom dreams to life.

DonorsChoose is also at an exciting and pivotal moment of growth and innovation, exploring and testing new ways - through both growth and new product offerings - to eliminate educational inequity for all students. To learn more about the organization - visit the website.

DonorsChoose is seeking a strategic, collaborative Director, People Operations (DPO) to design and manage its benefits, HR policies, compliance, payroll, and 401k administration. As a People and Talent team leader, the DPO will be responsible for ensuring that the HR practice is built to support the organization's 180+ employees across 24+ states by introducing best in class programs/policies and modern operational infrastructure that enable an expanding footprint to support organizational goals and a hybrid workplace. Additionally, the DPO will work closely with the broader people and talent team to uphold the organization's commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, embedding equitable processes and actions into the people operations function.

The Director will report directly to the Vice President, People and Talent and manage one direct report. The Director will lead strategic projects on behalf of the team, but the core work is detailed below.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Benefits Strategy and Execution

• Define and execute a strategy for all benefits and perks for a hybrid workplace (workplace flexibility, retirement plans, pay), and make recommendations to ensure DonorsChoose offers competitive, equitable, and innovative benefits that set it apart as an employer of choice
• Ensure the benefits strategy is in line with total rewards strategy including wellness, compensation programs, policies, and procedures
• Develop and implement proactive communication strategies to maximize the value of our benefits to the employees and organization
  
• Lead our annual renewals, evaluate provider performance and costs, and partner with our brokers to identify opportunities for improvement
• Manage the implementation of new benefits, and build effective communications and training that educate our team on how to leverage our benefits
• Manage benefits administration with an eye towards accuracy and efficiency
• Work closely with benefits vendors, brokers, and consultants to ensure a high degree of customer satisfaction and superior administration

HR Compliance and Policy Development

• Provide guidance on existing HR policies and play a lead role in developing new HR policies at DonorsChoose, in alignment with the function's overall goals
• Oversee the design, development, and integration of smart, scalable programs, policies, systems, and procedures for a distributed workforce that supports the employee lifecycle and the desired culture of DonorsChoose while ensuring legal and regulatory compliance
• Monitor and ensure multi-state compliance for all HR matters, ensuring we remain compliant with all federal, state, and local laws in all of our locations — e.g., employee leave programs, pay rules, time off, unemployment, health and safety standards, EEO/Affirmative Action, FLSA, Employee Handbook, Employment Agreements, etc.
• In partnership with the VP, People and Talent, develop and execute a state expansion strategy and remote work policies that are scalable and meet the organization's talent needs
• Connect with employees on disability, leave of absence, and accommodation-related questions

Multi-state Payroll

• Manage all aspects of payroll processing, ensuring that deadlines are met, and payroll is processed with a high level of efficiency and accuracy
• Manage, train, and coach People Ops team members on day-to-day payroll activities, taxation, and other related tasks, including prioritization, and resolution of complex processing issues
• Remain current on legislation and regulatory rulings impacting payroll. Review and analyze current payroll, benefits and tax procedures in order to recommend and implement required legislative changes

401k Administration in a Multi-state Context

• Develop and coordinate policies and processes that support DonorsChoose's status as a multi-state employer
• Ensure pre-existing 401k and retirement plans are in compliance following state regulations for the various states DonorChoose has employees in
• Ensure compliance with federal, state and local legal requirements

• You are committed to equity. You believe that advancing racial equity is one of the most important ways to make a difference in the world and have a track record of making sound decisions to advance racial equity goals. (Read more about our equity focus)

• You are a people operations leader and bring expertise in benefits, HR laws, and HR systems and processes. You have demonstrated experience managing vendor relationships.

• You are a critical thinker. You can assess any situation, seek out the root cause, factor in multiple perspectives and make sound recommendations in determining the best path forward. You can translate compliance, laws, and policies and the impacts on our team to a variety of audiences.

• You are a strong project manager. You have a track record of successfully driving complex projects forward, always keeping the end goal in mind.

• You think like an owner. You have an entrepreneurial spirit, you like to build, and you have sought out opportunities for your organization to shine.

• You are a team player and thrive when collaborating with colleagues; you are willing to be a hands-on contributor.

• You bring a creative lens to solutions. You are comfortable forging a path in the face of ambiguity and complexity; in fact, you view this as an opportunity for innovation.

• You use data and empathy to make decisions and can create scalable and customizable solutions grounded in both analytics and compassion. You have the ability to exercise discretion, judgment, tact and poise in handling highly sensitive and confidential information.

• You are a thought leader on people operations issues and the rapidly changing landscape of HR regulations; you stay abreast of trends and laws and take the lead in formulating responses. You have a fundamental understanding and experience in the administration of employee benefits and a working knowledge of compliance with ERISA, IRS laws, and current regulations pertinent to health plans.

• You have at least 7-10 years of relevant work experience of progressive people operations. 3+ years of experience leading and supervising others, including managing remotely.

Our compensation philosophy ensures that we are both externally competitive with tech-forward nonprofits of a similar size and internally fair in our pay practices. The following ranges represent the target offer range, given the scope and experience expectations for this role.

• The hiring salary range for this role is $120,000- $138,000 and will be commensurate with experience
• We have a hiring salary range of $130,000-$150,000 for specific higher cost of labor locations, which include New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

Once an employee is hired, the salary range for their role increases to ensure they are able to receive performance-based raises and grow in their role.

DonorsChoose offers full-time staff 25 paid vacation days per year and 11 paid holidays, a rich employer-paid individual and family health plan, a matching 401(k) plan (up to 5% of base salary), annual professional development stipend, and casual and flexible work environment. To learn more about what it is like to work for DonorsChoose, visit the careers page.

Location:

The majority of the DonorsChoose 160+ person team works a flexible hybrid to remote schedule from the NYC area, including from their office which is open for optional use. Strong preference for a candidate who is NYC-based or within a few hours by car/train to make use of the office when needed to support the team. States where employees currently can work: New York City or Remote in CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, TX, VA, WA, or WI. But DonorsChoose is open to talent across the US.

If a candidate is not based in NYC, they should be willing to travel on an as needed basis, at minimum 4-6 times a year.

DonorsChoose is an organization increasingly representative of the varied races and ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations, religious and political beliefs, and abilities that comprise our nation. DonorsChoose.org focuses on attracting, retaining, and advancing diverse talent because it makes us more effective, high-performing, creative, and resilient. If you are passionate about our mission, highly skilled in your field, and looking for a place where you can bring all of yourself to work, we want you.

On-Ramps is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe social change happens when people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities come together with a common purpose. We're working with DonorsChoose to build a diverse team that represents the communities it partners with. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

On-Ramps is committed to the inclusion of all qualified individuals in the hiring process, including but not limited to those with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the application or interview process, please contact info@on-ramps.com.