People Operations Manager

Join a mission-driven team supporting and empowering future college graduates!

Who We Are

At Steppingstone, our mission is to prepare students from under-resourced communities to access, navigate, and graduate from college. 

• Through the Scholars Program in Boston, we provide academic, social-emotional, and college readiness programming from as early as fifth grade and continuing through college graduation.
• Through the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA), we connect the people, practices, and innovations essential for eliminating barriers to college and career success.

Who You Are 

The People Operations Manager role is a strong fit for someone with a deep knowledge of functional HR areas such as benefits administration, compliance, employee onboarding and offboarding, and recruitment. The ideal candidate will be highly detail-oriented, and adept at communication, collaboration, and problem solving.

Start Date: February 2026

Salary: $70,000

Responsibilities: 

Candidate Recruitment and Hiring

• Lead recruitment and hiring efforts for permanent staff; follow recruitment and hiring processes to ensure an equitable hiring process for all candidates; ensure that all permanent positions are filled with qualified candidates within the target time to fill;
• Effectively coordinate with all individuals participating in recruitment and hiring-related activities; hold participants to deadlines and standards of quality;
• Complete all administrative functions related to recruitment and hiring for permanent staff on time and accurately. This includes but is not limited to:
  • Search Opening
  • Applicant Tracking
  • Candidate Communication
  • Search Closing
  • Collecting Candidate Feedback
  • Extending and Communicating Offers

On and Offboarding

• Lead the onboarding process for new employees, ensuring:
• Accurate and timely collection of all employee information and documentation required for regulatory compliance and maintaining accurate employee records, such as tax withholding, employment agreements, and benefits enrollments;
• New hires receive the foundational information necessary to successfully integrate into the organization; 
• Collecting feedback from new hires on the onboarding process;
• Using new hire feedback to recommend process improvements;
• Lead the offboarding process for departing staff, ensuring:
• Accurate and timely collection of all necessary information and documentation;
• Accurate and timely calculation and/or communication of final pay, benefits termination, and unemployment paperwork;
• Compliance requirements related to the exit process are met;
• Recovery of company property, files, and knowledge transfer;
• Termination of access to company systems, networks, and software;
• Exit interviews are conducted;
• Coordinate with hiring managers, the Business Operations Associate, Netlogix, and all other team members who play a role in new hire onboarding and onboarding; hold team members accountable to completing their responsibilities on time and accurately, escalating to the Director of People Operations as appropriate.

Compensation and Benefits

• Ensure employee data that impacts payroll (start dates, term dates, leaves of absence, changes in benefits, changes in employment status) are promptly updated and are accurate in Paylocity;
• Monitor paid time off balances and respond to staff inquiries regarding their paid time off;
• Ensure employee benefits (including health insurance, retirement plans) are administered in accordance with Steppingstone's benefits policies; field all employee questions related to benefits; ensure benefits changes flow through to the vendors' systems and to payroll on time and accurately;  
• Perform internal audits and provide data necessary to fulfill reporting requirements related to employee compensation and benefits, identifying and correcting any issues;
• Support Open Enrollment for the organization under the direction of the Director of People Operations; coordinate with HR Knowledge to provide open enrollment information to staff; serve as the internal point person for all employee questions related to open enrollment; facilitate open enrollment benefit elections; ensure open enrollment benefits elections flow through on time and accurately to Paylocity and vendor systems;
• Support leave administration as directed;
• Update and send annual benefits survey; analyze results and share key takeaways with upper management to inform decision making.

Internal Communications and Knowledge Management

• Manage the People Ops team email inbox; provide proactive and timely responses to employee questions and concerns, encouraging use of self-service resources (SteppingZone); reroute inquiries to other team members in line with roles and responsibilities;
• Communicate organizational news and updates (i.e. new hires, staff changes, policies, process deadlines, weekly updates, and key recruiting announcements)
• Promote a knowledge-sharing culture: Foster an environment where employees know what information is available to them, understand how to find it, and are encouraged and incentivized to utilize the knowledge-sharing tools that are in place. Support the development of communication and training programs to raise awareness of knowledge management initiatives and encourage participation.
• Create and maintain knowledge management resources (e.g. HR content on SteppingZone).

Staff Engagement, Development and Retention

• Support the implementation of programs to promote employee engagement and the professional development, retention, and satisfaction of staff;
• Participate in programs and committees to promote employee engagement including but not limited to facilitating All-Staff meetings and leading GLEE (Steppingstone's committee focused on nurturing connection and positive organizational culture)

General HR Administration and Systems

• Work closely with the Director of People Operations and Chief Finance & Operations Officer to ensure successful implementation of HR processes, and to support a positive and welcoming organizational culture;
• Create and maintain accurate and current paper and electronic personnel files and ensure that all employee status updates are processed and accurate through Paylocity and any other HR systems.
• Support the organization’s efforts related to inclusion and belonging through recruitment efforts, employee engagement activities, and participation in the Inclusion & Belonging (I&B) activities.
• Report any concerns related to the organization’s compliance with applicable employment laws to the Director of People Operations and CFOO.
• Serve as the main point of contact for employment verifications.
• Rerouting all employee relations issues to the Director of People Operations; supporting employee relations inquiries as directed;
• Support the Director of People Operations with the administration of staff surveys according to the annual survey calendar;
• Create and maintain accurate, detailed, internal process documentation for this role.

 Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Demonstrated commitment to educational access and success;
• Experience working with individuals with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences;
• Demonstrated excellence in effective communication (verbal, written, listening skills); communicates in a timely manner and adapts communication style to fit the audience and situation;
• Ability to effectively manage own time, energy, growth, and resilience in ways that sustain individual performance and contribute positively to team and organizational success; adapts to changing circumstances and new information with flexibility and resilience;
• Ability to translate ideas and plans into effective action that delivers results aligned with organizational goals;
• Approach to challenges that aligns curiosity, critical thinking, and resourcefulness in order to generate effective, mission-aligned solutions; analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of options, evaluates potential solutions, and proposes recommendations.

Education and Work Experience:

Required

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field;
• Demonstrated commitment to educational access and success;
• 3+ years of progressively responsible People Operations experience;
• Experience across the various HR functional areas named as essential functions of the role above;
• Familiarity with employment-related laws and regulations including EEOC and compliance;
• Strong technical skills and general comfort with technology;
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace 
• Experience with Human Resources technology and databases; 

Preferred

• Related Professional Certifications such as SHRM-CP, SPHR, PHR;
• 5+ years of progressively responsible People Operations experience;
• Familiarity with Paylocity and/or Culture Amp;
• Experience in the non-profit or education field.

This position is a hybrid role with three days per week in office with some flexibility around work hours. A $500 home office set-up stipend will be provided upon hire, followed by quarterly stipends of $50. Laptops are provided to each employee to enhance the hybrid experience.

Physical Demands:

• Lifting up to 20 pounds, standing, walking, sitting, reaching, operating computer and office equipment 
• Pursuant to the ADA, Steppingstone will provide reasonable services and accommodation(s) to employees with qualified disabilities in order to perform the essential functions of their employment, except when doing so would be unduly disruptive and/or result in undue hardship to the organization.

Employee Benefits:

• Generous paid time off (over 8 weeks total, as outlined below)
• 15 days PTO
• 2 days Discretionary Time Off
• 5 wellness days
• 12.5 holidays
• 2 weeks paid office closure (the weeks before Labor Day and New Year’s Day)
• $500 Home Office Set-up Stipend; plus $50 quarterly
• Health, Dental and Vision coverage
• Life, Short-Term and Long-Term disability insurance
• Healthcare Reimbursement Account Plan (HRA)
• Pet Insurance
• Flexible Schedule     
• Retirement Plan
• Tuition & Professional Development reimbursement
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health and Dependent Care
• Pre-tax Transportation Plan (Transit & Parking)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Membership to the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA)

Steppingstone Core Values

Mission First - Keep Scholars front and center in all we do.

Lead with Inclusion - Elevate every voice, consider every perspective. 

Stronger Together - Team up and trust each other.

Own It - Act with integrity, stay accountable, and be transparent. 

Learn. Grow. Innovate. - Embrace change, drive creativity, and never stop learning.

A candidate will be found unsuitable for employment with Steppingstone and automatically disqualified if they use threatening language or behavior either written, verbal, or physical during any phase of the interview process.

Steppingstone is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any individual, employee, or application for employment in accordance with law.