Senior Manager, People Operations & Systems

Title: Senior Manager, People Operations & Systems

Department: People & Culture

Report to: VP, People & Culture

Compensation: $94,000 - $110,600

FLSA: Exempt

Location: Hybrid – 3 days/week in office

All candidates must be within commutable distance of SEO’s offices at 55 Exchange Place, New York, NY 10005, upon hire.

ABOUT SEO

Founded in 1963 during the Civil Rights Movement, SEO closes educational and career opportunity gaps for 7,000 ambitious young people annually.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Manager, People Operations & Systems will work closely with the VP, People & Culture to build capabilities and capacities on the People & Culture team to support organization-wide talent initiatives that will help achieve SEO’s mission and vision. Specifically, the role will be responsible for people operations, HR systems, and people data and analytics, which includes optimizing and automating HR workflows across Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, and Talent Management sub-teams, serving as the primary administrator of all HR systems, and sharing people analytics and insights to support employee attraction, engagement and retention.

People Operations

• Re-engineer and optimize HR processes and workflows, in collaboration with the VP, People & Culture, using centralized SOPs, training and technology solutions to gain efficiencies and reduce manual effort of People & Culture team members and other stakeholders.

• Manage the People Operations team member(s) to ensure day-to-day HR administrative tasks (e.g., HR billing, AMEX reconciliation, employment verification, employment record maintenance, new hire onboarding processing, etc.) are completed accurately and timely, and to provide in-person P&C or org-wide events support (e.g., panel interviews, manager training, SEO wellness days, SEO holiday parties, etc.) as needed.

• In collaboration with VP, People & Culture, develop and implement communications, customer service, and knowledge management initiatives across the P&C team to drive strong team effectiveness.

• Engage in cross-training to provide thought partnership and back-up, as needed, to the People & Culture sub-teams (e.g., talent acquisition, total rewards, talent management).

• Support VP, People & Culture on monthly budget reconciliation.

• Lead special projects or taskforces in support of People & Culture team priorities.

HR Systems

• Oversee optimization of various HR systems such as the HRIS (Paylocity), the Applicant Tracking System (Greenhouse), performance management platform (Lattice), employee relations case management platform (HR Acuity), employee recognition program (Awardco), HR customer service ticketing platform (Zendesk), including identifying system integration opportunities and troubleshooting issues.

• Assess the existing and new features of the current HRIS (e.g., headcount planning, self-service, position control, etc.) and lead the change management effort to roll out the most impactful features for the organization.

• Lead the management and execution of HR system enhancements, including project planning, requirements gathering, design, development, testing, documentation, risk assessment, and user support and training, in collaboration with SEO’s IT department and relevant vendors.

• Stay abreast of emerging workforce technology trends and identify necessary HR tools and systems to meet changing organizational needs and continue to move the People & Culture team towards greater automation and efficiency.

• Uphold the highest standards of data security with our employee files, which involves overseeing the approval processes for HR data credentials and managing user permissions across the organization.

• Oversee effective file feed management and integration with various HR systems as well as current file feed transcriptions with current and upcoming vendors.

People Data & Analytics

• Parter with VP, People & Culture to develop people analytics strategy that will drive key decision making and improve employee engagement and retention and gain buy-in from SEO’s senior leaders (e.g., launching annual employee engagement survey, analyzing retention data, etc.).

• In collaboration with the VP of People & Culture, develop and maintain a comprehensive People Analytics dashboard, providing senior leadership with a view of SEO’s talent trends over time.

• Work with VP, People & Culture to identify key success metrics to track to show People & Culture’s progress against goals.

• Create and maintain talent data sharing protocols, and provide guidance to the People Ops team member and other P&C team members on fulfilling talent data requests, including time-sensitive reports for VP, People & Culture and other senior leaders.

• Develop internal best practices for quality-control checking SEO’s HR data with various stakeholders across the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent working experience. A background in education or nonprofit programming preferred.

• 3-5 years of direct experience with people operations and HRIS required; experience with ATS and other HR systems (e.g., Lattice, Awardco, HR Acuity) and project management tools (e.g., Monday.com) preferred.

• Experience managing team members with a demonstrated track record of success.

COMPETENCIES & SKILLS

• Passion: A deep connection to and curiosity for SEO’s mission, vision, and core values.

• Customer Service Mindset: Responding to and partnering with end users to solve challenges.

• Continuous Improvement Mindset: Always seek out ways to improve our systems and processes.

• Data Analytics: Strong analytical and reporting skills, including advanced Excel. Ability to translate data analyses into a compelling narrative for stakeholders.

• Project Management: An affinity for strategic planning with the ability to break down issues into component pieces, build project work plans, manage timelines, lead cross-functional working teams, evaluate for continuous improvement, and navigate ambiguity all along the way.

• Change Management: Support leaders and teams through change management by providing facilitation, clear communication, and effective interventions to reach team and organizational objectives; react to and manage change over time with an empathetic and resourceful attitude

• Communication: Expert written and extemporaneous communications skills. Must be comfortable addressing and engaging with diverse audiences through different mediums, including in-person, email, messaging, and phone calls.

• Judgment & Decision Making: Practiced skills in leveraging available information to make effective decisions with limited time while planning for contingencies and persisting towards solutions that best serve SEO’s people and programs. A reputation for soliciting feedback, taking accountability for errors, and internalizing constructive feedback for continuous reflection and improvement.

• Growth Mindset & Accountability: A reputation for soliciting feedback, taking accountability for errors, and internalizing constructive feedback for continuous reflection and improvement.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

SEO offers a competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits plan including low-cost health, vision, and dental options, a generous holiday schedule and PTO policies, disability coverage, fully paid time off for new parents, and employer contributions to health reimbursement and retirement accounts. We are constantly working to improve our benefits each year based on the needs of our employees. We value wellness and strive to put people first and foremost.

The compensation listed in this posting reflects what SEO believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and SEO reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time.

EEOC Policy

At SEO we are committed to cultivating a team that embodies the backgrounds and experiences of the constituencies we serve and the communities we live in, and a workplace that reflects the impact we make in the world. Candidates from all communities – including people of color, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ Community, veterans, and people with disabilities – are strongly encouraged to apply.

Equal Employment Opportunity is not just the law, it is our commitment.

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer – M/F/D/V. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other legally protected status.

If you need accommodation while applying for a role with SEO, due to a disability, please email SEO Talent.

THE ORGANIZATION

Established in 1963 by Michael Osheowitz, SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity) is an educational non-profit founded on the belief that talent is everywhere; but opportunity is not. Our programs are designed to educate, train, mentor, and amplify the voices of our participants to give them a seat at the table – every table. We propel human potential.

SEO is an innovator in education, mentorship, and creating educational career opportunities that maximize the full potential of our participants. Each year SEO serves 7,000+ participants nationally, and the organization is widely recognized for developing best-in-class programs with exceptional results.

Not every SEO participant is on the same journey, but all are hungry for opportunity and SEO creates an ecosystem of excellence. Learn more about SEO's programs here: https://www.seo-usa.org/our-programs/.