Director, People Systems and Operations

KIPP•New York, NY

4d•$105,060 - $131,840•Hybrid

About The Position

KIPP NYC is seeking a Director, People Systems and Operations to lead the design, innovation, implementation, and maintenance of HR and People systems that are reliable, secure, integrated, and strengthen the organization’s people, payroll, and workforce operations. At KIPP NYC, we believe strong people systems create the conditions for our employees to do their best work in service of students and families. The Director, People Systems and Operations will play a critical role in building the systems, processes, and data infrastructure that support a seamless and high-quality employee experience across our schools and Shared Services Team. Reporting to the Managing Director, People Operations & Total Rewards, the Director serves as the organization’s architect and owner of the Human Capital Management (HCM) platform and related HR technologies, partnering closely with teams across People, Payroll, Finance, IT, and organizational leaders. This individual will bring strong project management, systems thinking, operational excellence, and employee-centered design to complex cross-functional workstreams. They will drive employee lifecycle governance, improve service delivery, strengthen operational handoffs, and create scalable processes that support employees across the network. This role is responsible not only for maintaining systems, but also for ensuring technology and business processes work together to deliver an accurate, efficient, compliant, and high-quality employee experience. The Director will also bring KIPP NYC’s People data to life—moving beyond reporting to interpret trends, surface insights, identify opportunities, and translate data into actionable recommendations that inform People Team strategy and broader organizational priorities.

Requirements

9+ years of progressively responsible experience in Human Resources, People Operations, Employee Experience, Organizational Effectiveness, Project Management, or a related field, including significant ownership of enterprise HR technology.
3+ years of experience leading complex HR technology projects, teams, or functions.
Deep experience with a major enterprise HCM platform; UKG Pro and UKG Workforce Management experience strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience with HRIS configuration, integrations, data governance, testing, reporting, and system controls.
Demonstrated experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives and operational improvements.
Demonstrated ability to diagnose complex system issues and translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions.
Strong project management and process improvement capabilities.
Exceptional stakeholder engagement, change management, documentation, and communication skills.
Strong systems-thinking, analytical, and problem solving skills.
Experience working in complex, multi-location organizations; experience in education, nonprofit, or other mission-driven organizations is a plus.
Strong understanding of HR and payroll business processes and the employee lifecycle.
Experience managing HR technology vendors, consultants, implementations, and Statements of Work.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment, and lead complex work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

UKG Pro and UKG Workforce Management experience strongly preferred.
Experience in education, nonprofit, or other mission-driven organizations is a plus.

Responsibilities

Serve as the systems leader and subject-matter expert for KIPP NYC’s HCM ecosystem, including Core HR, Payroll, Time & Attendance, Benefits, Recruiting, Onboarding, Compensation, Performance Management, and related People technologies.
Develop and execute a multi-year People technology roadmap aligned with organizational strategy, evolving business needs, and the employee and manager experience.
Lead the design, configuration, integration, testing, implementation, and ongoing optimization of People systems, workflows, and automation, ensuring technology solutions simplify and strengthen business processes rather than replicate inefficient legacy practices.
Oversee integrations across HCM, Payroll, Finance, benefits, recruiting, identity and access management, and other enterprise systems; diagnose and lead the resolution of complex system and integration issues.
Establish and maintain standards for system architecture, configuration, testing, documentation, release management, security, and ongoing system maintenance.
Establish and maintain People data governance standards, including data definitions, ownership, authoritative sources, role-based access and security, validation, quality controls, and recurring audits and reconciliations.
Ensure the accuracy and integrity of employee and organizational data across the employee lifecycle, including jobs, positions, compensation, locations, reporting relationships, and employment status.
Develop and maintain processes and controls that support data integrity and payroll accuracy, including appropriate segregation of duties, automation, reconciliations, documentation, and standard operating procedures; ensure the accurate preparation, review, and approval of required federal, state, local, and other regulatory People data reporting.
Develop scalable reporting, analytics, dashboards, and service metrics, and translate workforce and service data into actionable insights, identifying trends and areas of risk or opportunity, and using those insights to inform People Team priorities and broader organizational strategy.
Strengthen People service delivery and the employee experience through employee and manager self-service, workflow improvements, service metrics, and technology-enabled support, including the Payroll inquiry and ticketing strategy.
Lead complex, cross-functional People technology implementations, upgrades, integrations, and operational improvement initiatives from scoping through implementation and stabilization.
Establish disciplined project governance, including clear ownership, timelines, milestones, dependencies, risks, decision-making, implementation readiness, and measures of success.
Coordinate work across People, Payroll, Finance, IT, Communications, school-based teams, and other stakeholders to ensure clear accountability, effective handoffs, successful execution, and a seamless, high-quality employee experience.
Lead change management for significant system and process changes, including stakeholder engagement, communications, training, documentation, and post-launch support.
Select and manage technology vendors and consultants, including project scope, Statements of Work, deliverables, timelines, performance, costs, and escalation of implementation or service issues.