Senior Manager, People Operations

Sparkfund

125d • $120,000 - $150,000

About The Position

The Senior Manager of People Operations is responsible for building and executing on an employee-first People Operations function that drives company wide performance management, employee development, employee engagement from onboarding to exit, and own employee relations, across multi-state, hybrid, and remote environments. This role oversees and executes against employee-facing people operations functions, ensuring employees feel supported, emerging leaders and employees have the tools to succeed, and the organization maintains a positive, compliant, and high-performance culture. Reports to Chief of Staff, with the opportunity to oversee direct reports.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or related field OR progressive HR experience in lieu of a degree.
• 7+ years of progressive HR experience.
• Experience with compliance requirements (FMLA, ADA, EEOC, wage/hour laws).
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on execution.
• Working knowledge of state by state rules and laws governing people operations, such as pay transparency, performance, and leave.
• Strong background in employee relations, engagement strategy, and leadership development.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and influencing skills across all levels of the organization.
• Ability to bring empathy, collaboration, and strong interpersonal skills into your everyday work.

Nice To Haves

• SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or other senior HR certification.
• Working knowledge of Paycor, Greenhouse.
• Comfort with Slack, Google Workspace and Microsoft cloud products.
• Experience scaling HR in high-growth, restructuring, and pre/post-M&A environments.

Responsibilities

• Manage and evolve Sparkfund’s performance review systems using Paycor, aligning reviews with role expectations, goals, and our competency framework, in collaboration with the Senior Manager of Human Resources.
• Help teams with goal-setting, feedback cycles, 1-1s process, and review cadence.
• In partnership with both the Talent Acquisition Team and Senior Manager of HR, build and manage job description frameworks, compensation benchmarking, and pay band structures.
• Design and deliver training and development programs for managers and employees, including leadership pathways and ongoing learning initiatives.
• Create and administer a professional development program.
• Develop and continuously improve onboarding experiences that accelerate employee readiness, leveraging cloud storage as a documentation and resource hub.
• Lead new hire onboarding and orientation (including benefits), ensuring a strong cultural integration and day-one employee experience.
• Oversee and administer employee engagement surveys, exit interviews, and feedback loops to ensure strong retention and morale.
• Design and lead programs that reinforce cultural alignment and belonging in a remote-first environment, such as administering recognition and rewards programs, and other engagement initiatives.
• Manage employment verifications, background checks, PSLF forms, and other official employee documentation requests in collaboration with the Senior Manager of Human Resource.
• Serve as an escalation point for employee relations cases, investigations, and corrective actions.
• Provide guidance to the Senior Manager of Human Resources on policy interpretation, handbook updates, and compliance matters.
• Oversee and administer leave of absence management (FMLA, ADA, parental leave) programs.
• Lead benefits education and open enrollment communication, ensuring employees understand their options and resources.
• Collaborate (and potentially lead) with Sparkfund staff on company wide communications (intranet, newsletters, employee campaigns, All Hands).
• Facilitate company and large team offsite gatherings that support culture-building initiatives that align with organizational values.
• Own company swag.
• Partner with leadership to ensure people operations supports organizational goals, change management, and growth.
• Serve as backup for the Senior Manager of HR Operations during planned or unplanned absences, to ensure continuity of payroll, compliance reporting, and HR systems administration.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and stock option plans - we believe in shared ownership.
• The anticipated base salary for this position is between $120,000 - $150,000 per year with a potential for bonus.
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, vision, and dental insurance as well as disability and life insurance.
• 401(k) plan with up to 2% company match.
• Flexible vacation policy encouraging strong work life balance and paid time away. We also observe all federal holidays.
• Alternating 4 day weeks, with every other Friday off.
• 12 weeks gender-neutral paid leave for caregivers when they have a new addition to their families and an additional 4 weeks of paid leave for birthing parents.
• A one-time, work-from-home stipend to help cover any equipment, hardware, etc. you need to set up your remote office.
• A monthly allowance of $100 to help cover phone and WiFi expenses.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees