Director of People Operations

Constructive Dialogue Institute • New York, NY

3d • $120,000 - $140,000 • Remote

About The Position

The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) is seeking a Director of People Operations to support its rapid growth. CDI is a non-profit organization focused on equipping Americans with communication and collaboration skills across differences, working with colleges and universities. The organization has grown to 30 employees and expects to reach 50 within the next year. This role is crucial for scaling CDI’s people systems, maintaining its culture, and supporting employee experience, organizational culture, manager effectiveness, and the systems that enable a growing organization to function effectively. The Director will manage and support a People Operations Generalist, partner on talent strategy, and report to the VP of Operations. This is a collaborative role for someone who enjoys building relationships and supporting organizational growth.

Requirements

• 7+ years of progressive HR or People Operations experience, including at least 3 years in a senior generalist or leadership role.
• Experience supporting organizations through significant growth and increasing organizational complexity.
• Strong generalist experience across core HR disciplines, including employee relations, performance management, compensation, benefits, compliance, and talent acquisition.
• Experience directly managing and developing employees or small teams.
• Ability to build trust and relationships quickly and navigate sensitive situations with strong judgment, maturity, empathy, and discretion.
• Proactive, systems-oriented, and highly organized; ability to anticipate challenges and help build processes and practices that scale effectively.
• Must be based in the U.S.

Nice To Haves

• Deep care for employee experience, organizational culture, and helping managers and leaders build strong teams, especially during periods of rapid growth.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with practical execution and are comfortable moving between organizational planning and day-to-day people operations.
• Energized by CDI’s mission and aligned with its values: Embrace our Common Humanity, Practice Intellectual Humility, Prioritize Research, Deliver Excellence, Keep Improving, Stay Adaptable.

Responsibilities

• Build strong relationships across the organization and maintain a deep understanding of employee experience, organizational health, and team dynamics.
• Lead initiatives that strengthen CDI’s culture and employee experience, including onboarding, trainings, team gatherings, and org-wide rituals.
• Build and evolve the systems, feedback channels, and people practices that help CDI maintain a strong, connected, and mission-driven culture as we scale.
• Lead all-hands meetings and internal communications that build clarity, alignment, and connection across the organization.
• Serve as a trusted thought partner to staff and managers by helping navigate team dynamics, challenges, and complex people situations before they become larger organizational issues.
• Coach managers on feedback, communication, accountability, and difficult conversations.
• Build and improve performance and development practices that support clear expectations, strong feedback, accountability, and employee growth.
• Partner with managers and leaders to strengthen leadership effectiveness and team health across CDI.
• Own CDI’s compensation framework and annual compensation review processes, ensuring practices are equitable, competitive, and aligned with organizational values.
• Oversee CDI’s core HR operations, systems, and compliance processes across a multi-state workforce (in partnership with our PEO, JustWorks).
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and evolving HR best practices.
• Develop and maintain HR policies, employee handbook materials, and internal practices that reflect CDI’s values and operational needs.
• Evaluate and manage HR vendors, benefits brokers, and external service providers.
• Manage and support the People Operations Generalist, including coaching, prioritization, professional development, and partnership on recruiting strategy and complex hiring processes.
• Help evolve CDI’s hiring practices, candidate experience, and talent systems as the organization grows.
• Partner with leadership to strengthen organizational planning, team structure, capacity planning, workflows, and people systems that support sustainable growth.

Benefits

• Compensation — $120,000 - 140,000 annually
• A Mission-Driven Culture
• Remote-First
• Unlimited PTO
• 13 company holidays
• Remote Work Support — up to $500 reimbursed for home office equipment (like desks, chairs, or webcams)
• Up to $50/month reimbursed for home internet or cell phone expenses
• Employer-supported health, vision and dental plans
• Subsidized parental leave
• 3% 401k match
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Life and AD&D insurance
• $1,000 annual professional development budget

What This Job Offers

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