Associate, People & Operations

Americans for Responsible Innovation • Washington, DC

19h • $80,000 - $95,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Operations Department owns the infrastructure that ARI is built on: finance, risk & compliance, IT, people operations, administration, workplace, and strategic planning. Over the past two years, the department has grown ARI from a handful of staff to 35+ today (with more growth to come) while building the systems from scratch to keep pace. The Operations Department works in a high-trust environment, with broad responsibilities and room to grow into more self-directed work designing forward-looking systems meant to scale in a rapidly growing organization. The Operations Department is hiring two associates to start this fall. This posting is for the Associate, People & Operations. The companion role, the Associate, Office & Operations, focuses on workplace, IT, and finance support, and its posting is available here.

Reporting to the Associate Director of People Operations, the Associate, People & Operations supports the employee lifecycle at ARI and organizational compliance for ARI and CRI. This is a hands-on, people-facing, systems-heavy role for someone who wants to build a career in people operations and learn how the function works from the inside. As the organization grows, the role will grow with it, with the opportunity to take on greater ownership over time.

Requirements

• 1+ year of experience in HR, operations, administration, or a comparable role.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities across multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace and LLMs, and comfort learning new systems quickly.
• Ability to work in person in our Washington, DC office Tuesday–Thursday.

Nice To Haves

• Integrity: you handle confidential and personally identifiable information with discretion and impartiality.
• A service mindset grounded in empathy: you notice what people need before they ask, consider the impact of decisions on multiple stakeholders, and take pride in a workplace that runs well.
• High standards in execution: you take pride in the quality of your work, continuously improve processes rather than reinventing each cycle, and maintain a high level of attention to detail even in dense spreadsheets.
• Proactive communication: you keep stakeholders informed, acknowledge requests promptly, clarify timelines as needed, and anticipate questions before they’re asked.
• Adaptability: you can balance focused work with unexpected interruptions, shift priorities when needed, and come back to keep your original task moving.
• Continuous growth: you seek and give feedback freely, share perspectives openly, and are curious about operations as a career path.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the first point of contact for employee questions on PTO, benefits, payroll, and policies, and route employee relations matters to the Associate Director.
• Coordinate hiring in Greenhouse, from posting through reference checks, and own candidate communications.
• Run onboarding and offboarding end-to-end for employees, interns, and contractors, from I-9 and benefits enrollment through final pay and records retention.
• Prepare employment documentation from approved templates, including offer letters and verification letters.
• Support payroll in Rippling, including cycle changes, stipends, and timekeeping for nonexempt employees.
• Administer benefits and leave day-to-day, and maintain data integrity in Rippling and Employee Navigator. Escalate leave requests involving accommodations or medical documentation to the Associate Director.
• Analyze and maintain the people data that ARI runs on, such as headcount, attrition, and hiring metrics.
• Support the logistics of people processes and systems, as well as other change management initiatives led by Operations.
• Support the development and implementation of new policies, processes, and systems.
• Own compliance tracking to ensure that ARI and CRI file required documents on time.
• Prepare state registrations and ongoing filings for review wherever ARI has employees, including payroll tax, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation.
• Support annual corporate filings, charitable registrations, registered-agent renewals, and insurance renewals, including document collection and application preparation.
• Support benefits compliance, including timely COBRA notices.
• Conduct I-9 audits, maintain required postings, track handbook acknowledgments, and track completion of required training.
• Collect documents and signatures from internal and external parties ahead of deadlines.
• Cross-train with the Associate, Office & Operations on first-line IT, device provisioning, and workplace operations, and provide backup coverage during absences and peak periods; train them in turn on onboarding, offboarding, and the people systems.
• Suggest, develop, and execute refined processes and systems to ensure a continuously better experience at ARI.
• Provide operational support for select internal and external events, including venue research, reception, and logistics.
• Take on strategic, logistical, or administrative projects as assigned and needed.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance: 85% of premiums are covered for employees, partners, and dependents.
• Discretionary PTO and ~20 office holidays, including all federal holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with 6% Employer Match.
• Professional Development Stipend: up to $2,500 annually to be used toward building new knowledge and skills.
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Dependent Care FSA, Medical FSA, Transit FSA, and Parking FSA.
• Basic Life, Basic AD&D, Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability: 100% employer-paid, with the option to elect employee-paid supplemental coverage.
• Wellness Benefit: $150/month taxable stipend to support physical and mental well-being.
• Internet & Utilities Reimbursement: $150/month taxable stipend to cover internet and utilities expenses from remote work.
• Home Office Expenses for New Employees: up to $500 for all new full-time employees for home office setup expenses.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed