People Operations Manager

Children’s Museum of Manhattan•New York, NY

2d•$80,000 - $90,000•Onsite

About The Position

The People Ops Manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day people operations of an organization of approximately 85 employees. This role partners closely with the Director of Operations, Finance, and COO/CFO to ensure smooth HR processes, compliance, payroll coordination, performance management, and employee experience initiatives. This position balances operational execution with employee relations leadership, serving as a trusted resource to managers while maintaining consistent and compliant HR practices across the organization. The ideal candidate is hands-on, organized, confident navigating employee matters, and comfortable working cross-functionally in a lean environment.

Requirements

5+ years of progressive HR / People Operations experience
Experience leading employee relations matters, including investigations and terminations
Experience partnering on payroll processes
Strong understanding of NYC and NY State employment laws
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable operating independently
Strong interpersonal skills and sound judgment

Nice To Haves

Experience working with a PEO preferred
Experience working with both non-exempt (hourly/front-of-house) and exempt staff populations preferred

Responsibilities

Oversee onboarding and offboarding processes
Maintain HRIS accuracy and employee records
Partner with PEO on benefits administration, leave tracking, and compliance updates
Ensure consistent and compliant application of policies across exempt and non-exempt staff
Maintain required employment documentation and labor law postings
Improve and streamline HR workflows and internal processes
Partner with the Finance Department to support biweekly payroll processing, including timesheet review, status changes, and reconciliation
Serve as internal point of contact for payroll-related questions and issues
Collaborate with Director of Operations and Director of Building Operations to support workplace safety initiatives, incident reporting, and trainings
Advise managers on performance concerns and employee conduct matters
Draft and administer written warnings and performance improvement plans
Lead workplace investigations in partnership with leadership
Manage employee separations, including terminations, ensuring compliance and proper documentation
Support consistent and fair application of organizational policies
Support the design and rollout of an annual performance review process
Provide managers with tools and guidance for goal setting and feedback
Track review cycles and ensure timely completion
Support full-cycle recruitment processes
Coordinate interviews and candidate communications
Ensure a structured and welcoming onboarding experience
Lead employee engagement initiatives, trainings and staff events
Create recognition programs and morale-building efforts
Partner with leadership on communication related to people initiatives