People Operations Lead

Climate Justice Alliance•,

4d•$75,000 - $89,999•Remote

About The Position

CJA is hiring a People Operations Lead to serve as the operational driver of our People & Culture function. This role manages a broad range of HR responsibilities in a union environment, including benefits administration, HRIS management, compensation processing, and hiring and offboarding coordination, while serving as a trusted first point of contact for supporting staff with routine HR inquiries. The ideal candidate is a super-detail-oriented HR generalist with a strong commitment to CJA’s values, excellent independent judgment, and the ability to manage concurrent projects and interpersonal dynamics in a virtual environment. The People Operations lead will report to the Director of Human Resources, and function as a key member of CJA’s Human Resources team.

Requirements

3–5 years of experience in HR generalist, people operations, or HR coordinator roles, with demonstrated experience across multiple HR functions
Experience managing employee relations matters, including documenting concerns, conducting initial assessments
Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, with the ability to build trust across a diverse staff, hold space for employee concerns without judgment, and communicate with candor and compassion in equal measure
Working knowledge of federal and state employment law, including FMLA, ADA accommodations, COBRA, and multi-state payroll compliance
Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to draft clear staff-facing communications, policy documentation, and process guidance
Ability to analyze and improve upon existing systems and workflows
An orientation towards learning and development. Willingness to learn from mistakes, receive feedback, and give feedback to others
Practiced in self-organization and prioritizing. Ability to be self-directed and proactive in a collaborative virtual work environment

Nice To Haves

Previous experience with full-time remote work
Experience with provision of HR services in a union environment

Responsibilities

Receive, document, and conduct initial assessment of employee concerns, conflicts or disagreements and grievances, and manage resolution of routine matters independently
In partnership with employee supervisors and the Director of Human Resources, ensure consistent application of progressive discipline processes and performance improvement plans when needed
Conduct initial intake of employee accommodation requests
Process benefits enrollments and qualifying life events, and oversee COBRA administration
Serve as primary contact for benefits vendors and employee inquiries
Manage leave of absence administration (FMLA, disability, parental leave)
Coordinate open enrollment process and employee communications
Serve as primary administrator of HRIS system
In partnership with the Compliance Lead, ensure accurate multi-state tax set up and reporting within our payroll system.
Receive and review employee change requests and forms, and manage related employee data changes and system updates
Serve as secondary payroll approval and ensure accuracy of employee adjustments and documentation
Own related systems, and recommend improvements where needed to ensure accuracy, efficiency, clarity, and impact
Train employees on CJA’s hiring processes as needed
Draft staff-facing monthly staffing and hiring updates
Post positions and manage applicant tracking system during recruitment cycles
Support the Director of Human Resources with initial screenings for non-leadership roles
Manage background checks and reference verifications
Coordinate new hire preboarding and onboarding processes
Process employment verifications
Coordinate offboarding process and ensure HR systems and employee are updated in accordance with policies and data retention requirements
Support performance review administration and tracking in partnership with the Director of Human Resources
Coordinate employee recognition programs
Own day-to-day maintenance and version control of the employee handbook and HR policies; flag needed substantive updates to Director of Human Resources for approval; coordinate compliance-related policy language with CJA’s Compliance Lead.
Present and/or provide trainings on key workflows in monthly supervisor meet-ups as needed, to ensure aligned use of systems and HR procedures across management
In partnership with the Director of Human Resources and Compliance Lead, review quarterly KPIs and feedback surveys for HR function and propose adjustments to systems, guidance, or approach to support employee wellbeing.
If assigned to discrete projects or initiatives, oversee dedicated project roll-outs, financials, and/or consultant support.
Along with all other staff, this position contributes to CJA’s culture of innovation, teamwork, and continuous learning. They work diligently to collaborate and support each other within and across teams and excel in an environment where every member takes care of their own basic administrative needs and participates in regular all-staff learning and development spaces.
These tasks represent baseline responsibilities for this position. As CJA grows, there will be possibilities (and sometimes the need to) move into new accountabilities and areas of work.

Benefits

20 days vacation leave per year
15 standard holidays per year
12 sick days per year
3 months paid family leave per year pending application approval
3 month sabbatical leave after 5 years of continuous Full-Time employment
Medical, vision, dental for employees and dependents (requires 30 day waiting period)
100% employer sponsored basic life, short-term and long-term disability insurance coverage
Access to FSA Benefits
Employer-funded HRA
Employer-sponsored 401k