Senior Director, People Operations

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.

Since 2000, more than 6 million people and partners have contributed $1.8 billion to support 3 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. Projects range from drums to teach music students new rhythms, to books that affirm students’ identities, to shoe-making materials for an unforgettable lesson in engineering. We proudly serve all US public schools, public charter schools, and Head Start centers, and work to direct donations to the schools facing the greatest barriers to opportunity.

DonorsChoose has been recognized as a best place to work by GOOD Magazine and the  Nonprofit Times, while Fast Company named DonorsChoose one of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World—the first time a charity has made this list. Our dedicated team works from across the United States to bring classroom dreams to life.

About the People & Talent Team

The People & Talent Team cultivates an inclusive culture of excellence at DonorsChoose, by hiring, retaining, and investing in a high-performing team who share an unwavering passion for educational equity. Our work is powered by the belief that diverse and lived experiences across our organization make us better able to do great work. We gather feedback, measure our impact, and iterate on the employee experience to ensure that everyone is celebrated and supported throughout the employee lifecycle. 

About the Role

DonorsChoose is seeking a strategic, collaborative, and results-oriented Senior Director, People Operations (SDPO) to lead the organization’s people operations function across payroll, benefits, compensation, HR policies, compliance, and people data and systems. The SDPO will design and implement scalable, equitable, and legally sound practices that support a distributed workforce of 200+ employees across 25+ states, ensuring that our people operations infrastructure meets the organization’s needs. In close partnership with leaders across the People & Talent team, the SDPO will strengthen our compensation framework, benefits strategy, and HR technology ecosystem while embedding practices that advance transparency, consistency, and equity throughout the employee lifecycle. The SDPO will also drive the development of reliable data systems and dashboards that deepen organizational insight and inform decision-making.

The Senior Director will report directly to the Vice President, People and Talent, manage two direct reports, and lead strategic projects on behalf of the team, with the core responsibilities outlined below.

In this role, you will oversee an equitable approach to the following work: 

Payroll and Benefits Strategy and Management

• Own the organization’s payroll and benefits strategy as a core operational capability, ensuring compliance, equity, scalability, and team efficiency and accuracy for a distributed, multi-state workforce; serve as the final decision-maker and approver for payroll
• Set the strategic direction for payroll operations, anticipating regulatory, organizational, and workforce changes; translate complex legislative and regulatory developments into clear operational requirements and lead the team in org-wide implementation
• Assess and make recommendations to ensure DonorsChoose maintains competitive, equitable, and innovative benefits that set it apart as an employer of choice
• Lead benefits renewals and vendor strategy, including evaluation, selection, and negotiation, balancing cost, impact, employee experience, and organizational priorities in line with organizational goals
• Own employee-facing benefits and payroll communication strategy, ensuring clarity, transparency, and trust, and enabling leaders and managers to confidently communicate changes and tradeoffs
• Build and lead the operating model for payroll and benefits execution, setting clear expectations, decision rights, and accountability for all members of the team and related partners

HR Policy Development and Compliance

• Own DonorsChoose’s HR policy and compliance strategy as a core organizational capability, serving as the final decision-maker on policy interpretation and application, and direction in collaboration with the VP
• Accountable for enterprise-wide compliance across all jurisdictions as a multi-state employer, proactively identifying risk and leading org-wide implementation of required changes — e.g., employee leave programs, pay rules, time off, unemployment, health and safety standards, EEO/Affirmative Action, FLSA, pre-existing 401k and retirement plans, Employee Handbook, Employment Agreements, etc.
• In partnership with the VP, People and Talent, develop and execute remote work policies that are scalable and meet the organization’s talent needs
• Define the organization’s leave and accommodation philosophy and standards, ensuring competitive, equitable, and consistent application
• Establish decision rights and escalation paths for complex or precedent-setting cases, coaching the Senior Manager while retaining accountability for high-risk decisions

Equitable Compensation Structure

• Own and evolve DonorsChoose’s compensation philosophy and framework, ensuring pay practices are equitable, market-informed, sustainable, and aligned with organizational strategy and values
• Lead the annual compensation cycle end to end, working with the VP and COO to set strategy, then delivering on timelines, decision rules, and governance, and ensuring transparency, equity, and organizational alignment
• Work closely with the Learning & Development team during annual performance review and promotion cycles to mitigate bias and ensure consistency and transparency in communication 
• Work closely with Recruiter and Hiring Managers to ensure job descriptions and offers are aligned with our compensation framework; generate compensation quotes for new hires

People Data and Systems

• In partnership with People Team leaders, design and evolve a People Data Dashboard and underlying data strategy, defining what is measured, why it matters, and how people data is used to inform org-wide decision-making and monitor organizational health
• Own the long-term vision, roadmap, and governance for Rippling and the broader HR systems ecosystem, leveraging technology to build integrations, automate work, and scale People Operations enabling the team to work faster, smarter and more efficiently; lead decisions on configuration and integrations
• Set standards for people processes across the employee lifecycle, ensuring consistency, and scalability through system-enabled workflows
• Evaluate our HR tech stack and recommend changes that strengthen data integrity, streamline processes, increase efficiency and improve employee experience

Manage a High Performing Team

• Build and sustain a high-performing, , inclusive team culture that reflects our values and is grounded in trust, accountability, and shared purpose
• Set clear goals and success metrics for each team member aligned to org priorities, ensuring clarity of ownership, accountability, and impact
• Monitor progress toward goals and ensure the team delivers high-quality work on time
• Empower your staff to lead through delegation, ownership, coaching, and celebration
• Invest in your staff’s development through timely feedback, regular coaching, and stretch opportunities

This role may be perfect for you if:

• You have at least 10 years of relevant work experience of progressive people operations. 3+ years of experience leading and supervising others, including managing remotely.
• You are committed to equity and centering the perspectives of those most impacted in decision-making. You have a track record of making sound decisions to advance equity goals. (Read more about our equity focus here.)
• You are a people operations leader and bring expertise in payroll, benefits, compensation, employee leaves, multi-state HR laws and compliance, people data and HRIS systems (Rippling experience a plus). You stay abreast of trends and laws and take the lead in formulating responses. You have a fundamental understanding and experience in the administration of employee benefits and knowledge of compliance with ERISA, IRS laws, and current regulations pertinent to health plans.
• You are a strategic thinker. You can assess any situation, seek out the root cause, factor in multiple perspectives and make sound recommendations in determining the best path forward. You can translate compliance, laws, and policies and the impacts on our team to a variety of audiences.
• You are a strong project manager. You have a track record of successfully driving complex projects forward, always keeping the end goal in mind.
• You use data and empathy to make decisions and can create scalable and customizable solutions grounded in both analytics and compassion. You have the ability to exercise discretion, judgment, tact and poise in handling highly sensitive and confidential information.
• You think like an owner. You have an entrepreneurial spirit, you like to build, and you have sought out opportunities for your organization to shine.
• You are a team player and thrive when collaborating with colleagues; you are willing to be a hands-on contributor.
• You bring a creative lens to solutions. You are comfortable forging a path in the face of ambiguity and complexity; in fact, you view this as an opportunity for innovation.

Compensation & Benefits

Our compensation philosophy ensures that we are both externally competitive with tech-forward nonprofits of a similar size and internally fair in our pay practices. The following ranges represent the target offer range given the scope and experience expectations for this role.

• The hiring salary range for this role is $135,000 - $148,000
• We have a hiring salary range of $146,000 - $165,000 for specific higher cost of labor locations, which include New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

Once employees are hired, everyone at DonorsChoose is eligible to receive annual performance-based raises as they grow in their role. We are open to a variety of experiences, and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced or more senior than this job description as posted. If you don’t check every box listed here, or you know you’d bring additional experience to the table, we hope you’ll submit your application. 

In addition, we offer full-time staff 25 paid vacation days per year and 11 paid holidays, a rich employer-paid individual and family health plan, a matching 401(k) plan (up to 5% of base salary), annual professional development stipend, and casual and flexible work environment. To learn more about what it is like to work for DonorsChoose, visit our careers page.

Hybrid Workplace and Other Details

In this role, you’ll have the option to work a flexible hybrid schedule in our NYC office, or to work fully remotely from CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NY, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WA, or WI.

While this role is largely remote, we’re seeking a candidate who values in-person time and is excited to participate in and contribute to our vibrant team culture. About half of our 200-person team is based in the NYC area, and our NYC office (open for optional use) serves as a hub for relationship-building, collaboration, and connection.

Because of that, we’re prioritizing candidates who are either based in NYC or within a few hours by train or car, so they can join in-person as needed. If a candidate is not based in NYC, periodic travel will be required, typically around six to eight times per year. All work-related travel expenses will be covered by the organization.

DonorsChoose participates in E-Verify. We will provide the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. 

An important note on communications: All messages from our hiring team will come from an official @donorschoose.org email address. If you ever receive a message about a role with us from a different domain, it’s not from us, and you should not reply or click on any links. We care deeply about your time, your privacy, and your experience—thank you for your interest in joining the DonorsChoose mission!

DonorsChoose Core Values

EQUITY
Combating systemic inequity is crucial to a brighter future for all. This reality fuels our ambitions and drives us to persevere.

INGENUITY
Complex problems require innovative solutions. We dream big, get creative, roll up our sleeves, and take action. We believe the best products can change the world.

HUMANITY 
People are the heart of our team and the communities we serve. Our compassion informs our goals and how we work together to achieve them. 

INTEGRITY
We strive to do right. We’re up-front about the facts. We boldly learn and grow from mistakes.

LEARNING
Education is the beating heart of our organization, inside and out. We’re curious. We listen. We know we don’t know everything. 

GRATITUDE
We begin and end with thanks. We take joy in our mission, our communities, and each other.

To Apply

Please submit your resume and answer the application questions online. Since we’re trying to get to know you through our hiring process, we ask that you please refrain from using AI writing tools to craft your response to our application questions. A cover letter is optional and may be addressed to DonorsChoose Hiring Team. 

A Final Note

The DonorsChoose team works toward a nation where students in every community have the resources needed for an excellent education. To do this we hire and support a diverse team of the best and the brightest talent available because it makes us more effective, high-performing, creative and resilient.

If you are passionate about our mission, highly skilled in your field, and looking for a place where you can bring all of yourself to work, we want you.