DonorsChoose · 12 hours ago
Senior Director, People Operations
United States
Full-time
Remote
Director/Executive
$135K/yr - $165K/yr
10+ years expDonorsChoose is a nonprofit organization that connects donors with teachers in need to provide essential classroom resources. The Senior Director, People Operations will lead the people operations function, focusing on payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR policies to support a distributed workforce across the United States.
CharityEducationHumanitarianNon Profit
Responsibilities
Own the organization’s payroll and benefits strategy as a core operational capability, ensuring compliance, equity, scalability, and team efficiency and accuracy for a distributed, multi-state workforce; serve as the final decision-maker and approver for payroll
Set the strategic direction for payroll operations, anticipating regulatory, organizational, and workforce changes; translate complex legislative and regulatory developments into clear operational requirements and lead the team in org-wide implementation
Assess and make recommendations to ensure DonorsChoose maintains competitive, equitable, and innovative benefits that set it apart as an employer of choice
Lead benefits renewals and vendor strategy, including evaluation, selection, and negotiation, balancing cost, impact, employee experience, and organizational priorities in line with organizational goals
Own employee-facing benefits and payroll communication strategy, ensuring clarity, transparency, and trust, and enabling leaders and managers to confidently communicate changes and tradeoffs
Build and lead the operating model for payroll and benefits execution, setting clear expectations, decision rights, and accountability for all members of the team and related partners
Own DonorsChoose’s HR policy and compliance strategy as a core organizational capability, serving as the final decision-maker on policy interpretation and application, and direction in collaboration with the VP
Accountable for enterprise-wide compliance across all jurisdictions as a multi-state employer, proactively identifying risk and leading org-wide implementation of required changes — e.g., employee leave programs, pay rules, time off, unemployment, health and safety standards, EEO/Affirmative Action, FLSA, pre-existing 401k and retirement plans, Employee Handbook, Employment Agreements, etc
In partnership with the VP, People and Talent, develop and execute remote work policies that are scalable and meet the organization’s talent needs
Define the organization’s leave and accommodation philosophy and standards, ensuring competitive, equitable, and consistent application
Establish decision rights and escalation paths for complex or precedent-setting cases, coaching the Senior Manager while retaining accountability for high-risk decisions
Own and evolve DonorsChoose’s compensation philosophy and framework, ensuring pay practices are equitable, market-informed, sustainable, and aligned with organizational strategy and values
Lead the annual compensation cycle end to end, working with the VP and COO to set strategy, then delivering on timelines, decision rules, and governance, and ensuring transparency, equity, and organizational alignment
Work closely with the Learning & Development team during annual performance review and promotion cycles to mitigate bias and ensure consistency and transparency in communication
Work closely with Recruiter and Hiring Managers to ensure job descriptions and offers are aligned with our compensation framework; generate compensation quotes for new hires
In partnership with People Team leaders, design and evolve a People Data Dashboard and underlying data strategy, defining what is measured, why it matters, and how people data is used to inform org-wide decision-making and monitor organizational health
Own the long-term vision, roadmap, and governance for Rippling and the broader HR systems ecosystem, leveraging technology to build integrations, automate work, and scale People Operations enabling the team to work faster, smarter and more efficiently; lead decisions on configuration and integrations
Set standards for people processes across the employee lifecycle, ensuring consistency, and scalability through system-enabled workflows
Evaluate our HR tech stack and recommend changes that strengthen data integrity, streamline processes, increase efficiency and improve employee experience
Build and sustain a high-performing, inclusive team culture that reflects our values and is grounded in trust, accountability, and shared purpose
Set clear goals and success metrics for each team member aligned to org priorities, ensuring clarity of ownership, accountability, and impact
Monitor progress toward goals and ensure the team delivers high-quality work on time
Empower your staff to lead through delegation, ownership, coaching, and celebration
Invest in your staff’s development through timely feedback, regular coaching, and stretch opportunities
Qualification
Required
You have at least 10 years of relevant work experience of progressive people operations
3+ years of experience leading and supervising others, including managing remotely
You are committed to equity and centering the perspectives of those most impacted in decision-making
You have a track record of making sound decisions to advance equity goals
You are a people operations leader and bring expertise in payroll, benefits, compensation, employee leaves, multi-state HR laws and compliance, people data and HRIS systems (Rippling experience a plus)
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 knowledge of compliance with ERISA, IRS laws, and current regulations pertinent to health plans
You are a strategic 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 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 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
Preferred
New York and East Coast based preferred
Company
DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose is a nonprofit classroom funding site for public school teachers.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$7.1MKey Investors
Donaldson FoundationChan Zuckerberg InitiativePNC
2024-07-17Grant· $0.1M
2020-05-07Grant· $1.2M
2017-04-04Grant· $5M
Leadership Team
Oliver Hurst-Hiller
CTO & Head of Product
Abby Feuer
Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer
Recent News
2025-10-13
Company data provided by crunchbase