Position Summary

The People Operations Director is responsible for overseeing the organization’s People Operations functions, including Total Rewards (compensation and benefits) strategy and administration, employee relations, policy and handbook review, and people systems (e.g., HRIS, ATS) and data analytics. The Director will operationalize fair and equitable practices to champion and reinforce a positive and inclusive culture and will ensure HR operations are effective, compliant with legal requirements, and aligned with organizational goals. This role also involves managing compliance with employment laws and required filings to ensure legal requirements are consistently met in service of a safe, productive, and inclusive work environment. Additionally, the Director will lead risk management strategies related to People Operations functions and provide guidance on managing organizational change initiatives to support a positive employee experience and strong culture. They will oversee People Operations technology and data analytics to drive informed decision-making and improve the efficiency of operations. Furthermore, they will be responsible for developing comprehensive compensation strategies, ensuring that pay structures and benefits packages are competitive and aligned with market trends. Through these efforts, the Director will ensure that people operations support organizational objectives and contribute to the long-term success of Commit. The Director of People Operations reports to the organization’s Chief of Strategy, Insights and Talent and works closely with the Regional Talent team, the executive leadership team, and staff across all levels of the organization.

Responsibilities

Employee Relations and HR Policy

• Advise the Chief of Strategy, Insights and Talent and the executive leadership team on HR policies, labor laws, and best practices, particularly in areas of employee relations, compliance, and policy implementation.
• Oversee employee relations and any investigations, acting as the primary point of contact for handling grievances, conflict resolution, and ensuring a fair, compliant, and inclusive workplace.
• Lead policy and handbook reviews, ensuring that all HR policies and procedures are current, legally compliant; train leadership on policies effectively communicated to staff.
• Ensure legal compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, including FMLA, FLSA, EEO, and others, and maintain up-to-date knowledge of changes in regulations that impact HR operations. • Document new and existing HR standard operating procedures and continuously create and provide trainings to employees on new and updated HR policies, handbook revisions, HR procedures, compliance, etc. Lead annual compliance training campaign; work with external vendors and LMS to select and administer content; oversee compliance components of employee onboarding.

Total Rewards

• Oversee annual compensation planning process, education, and analytics. Coordinate with Finance on budgetary considerations; conduct analyses to ensure pay equity; educate organization on timelines and asks.
• Direct compensation and benefits design and administration, including pay structure development, benefits package management, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
• Partner with Regional Talent Manager on Total Rewards education materials and training for candidates, new employees, and broader organization.
• Administer promotion process; partner with Finance, Regional Talent, and Leadership on criteria, evaluation processes, and budgetary considerations.
• Own benefits strategy and administration (e.g., medical, 401(k)); facilitate key relationships with external vendors supporting strategy and execution of Total Rewards, including short term disability carrier, benefits brokers, compensation consultants. Ensure compliance requirements are met.
• Conduct an annual analysis to evaluate, ensuring effective communication and utilization of benefits across the organization.
• Provide an annual update to the Chief of Strategy, Insights and Talent on the organization’s medical plan and take-up rates of organizational benefits (e.g., professional development funding, PTO, and 401(k) match), including claims data, trends; offer strategic recommendations for plan adjustments aligned to employee value proposition.

Data and Systems

• Oversee administration of payroll and related activities in coordination with the Finance Team, including but not limited to time tracking, filings, taxation issues, and audits.
• Oversee management of employee records, ensuring that all HR documentation, employee data, and HR systems (HRIS) are accurate, confidential, and up to date.
• Serve as lead administrator for HR data systems (e.g., HRIS), including maintaining and optimizing HRIS platforms, compensation systems, and benefits portals.
• Continuously evaluate existing HR technologies and make recommendations for improvements that enhance user experience, data accuracy, and operational efficiency.
• Own the creation and maintenance of leadership dashboards to enable data-driven decision-making on people matters.
• Lead automation initiatives to improve HR efficiency and streamline workflows, reducing manual effort and increasing process accuracy.
• Analyze HR data and metrics to identify trends, providing actionable insights that inform the organization’s regional talent strategy and improve workforce planning.

Culture and Learning

• Champion Commit’s True North Traits; serve as a role model and culture carrier to the broader organization, partnering with Regional Talent, the executive leadership team, and office services to reinforce a strong and inclusive culture.
• Serve as trusted advisor and partner to the organization; coach managers and team members on complex personnel issues; proactively identify opportunities to improve and enhance culture.
• Lead employee offboarding; facilitate exit surveys and interviews and identify insights on departure trends to improve culture • Create and deliver presentations to the organization, including preparing materials and publicly presenting HR-related information, strategies, and updates to staff and leadership.
• Collaborate with Regional Talent on performance management processes and retention strategies. Supervise and develop the Human Resources team, ensuring effective execution of HR functions and alignment with organizational objectives. Perform all other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; a Master’s degree is preferred.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in Human Resources management, with at least 5 years in a supervisory role.
• Certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) or Professional in Human Resources (PHR) is preferred.
• Strong expertise in employee relations, policy development, compensation and benefits administration, and HR systems management.
• Extensive knowledge of labor laws, compliance requirements, and best practices in HR operations.
• Extraordinary judgment, and exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across all levels of the organization and manage sensitive situations with confidentiality, discretion, and care.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Passion for Commit’s mission and alignment with the organization’s brand values and True North Traits.

Physical Demands

• While performing the duties of this role, the employee must regularly maintain emotional control under stress. Frequent sitting, standing, and walking, with some light lifting and bending.

Work Environment

• Office setting with a moderate noise level.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed in this role. They are not intended to be an exhaustive description of all work requirements and responsibilities, and management reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other responsibilities be performed when the job changes. Additionally, the minimum level of education notated as a requirement could be supplemented by commensurate experience and/or certification(s) or license(s) as determined by the hiring manager.
 

About The Commit Partnership:

Our Mission

We believe that through our actions, Dallas County – which educates 10% of Texas and 1% of the nation– can be an inclusive and prosperous region where economic opportunity is shared equitably. That’s why our true north goal is that by 2040 at least half of all 25-34-year-old residents of Dallas County, irrespective of race, will be provided the opportunity to earn a living wage.

To increase living wage attainment, we must equitably increase educational success aligned with high-demand jobs, maximizing the cumulative impact from early education all the way to college, career, and/or military readiness and accessing and completing a strong postsecondary education. Our staff aligns community stakeholders around this shared future roadmap – analyzing data to lift up strategic initiatives that improve policies, practices, and funding that grow our community’s capacity to serve every student more effectively.

Our Story

Founded in 2012, this partnership is the nation’s largest educational collective impact organization, composed of backbone staff and over 200 partners across Dallas County and the state of Texas working collaboratively to solve systemic education challenges. Our staff aligns community stakeholders around a shared future roadmap – analyzing data to lift up strategic initiatives that improve policies, practices, and funding that grow our community’s capacity to serve every student more effectively.

Together, we work to advocate for excellent and equitable public education that ensures all students – regardless of race, place, or socio-economic status – have the power to determine their future and earn a living wage. We do this work through several ventures including Early Matters Dallas, North Texas Tutoring Corps, Dallas County Promise, Texas College Bridge, Dallas Thrives, Commit’s Policy Team, the Texas Impact Network, and several coalitions.

True North Traits

Our True North Traits creates a mission-driven environment and champions us to do our best work each day.

Systemic Impact: You understand the barriers and lived experiences that our students face and are skilled at delivering systemic solutions at scale that address these needs. You achieve significant, sustainable results that increase equitable outcomes through your work (including the reallocation or improvement in public funding), and you recognize the difference between activity and impact.

Judgment: You exhibit a relentless “students first” focus by thinking strategically about what data must be collected, analyzed, visualized, and activated (and what steps must be taken, in what order) to cause resources to be reallocated and actions to be taken to systemically overcome the root causes hindering achievement of the Partnership's mission.

Communication: By listening to understand before seeking to be understood, you’re able to build trust and facilitate collaboration across lines of difference, recognizing that both are essential to our success. You are also able to find common ground with diverse stakeholders and can tailor the organization's message to different audiences as needed to influence meaningful change.

Innovation: You can create or meaningfully contribute to the design and execution of a systemic and transformational strategic plan to solve complex problems, often at scale, that improves organizational effectiveness and/or closes equity gaps for our students and families.

Equity and Inclusion: You intentionally create spaces where relevant stakeholders have a seat or voice at the table, ensuring that each person at the table's thoughts and perspectives are shared, valued by all others at the table, and reflected in our work. You're excited to help build and/or contribute to teams where everyone feels welcomed, respected, valued, and highly supported.

Joy: You recognize that people are central to our work, striking a balance between people and process, and you inspire others with your optimism and thirst for substantive change in service to the mission.

Integrity: You admit mistakes openly, share learnings widely, and elevate bad news quickly, also capable of making difficult decisions in all situations to ensure the success of the organization.

The Commit Partnership is an Equal Opportunity Employer that seeks to hire individuals with backgrounds similar to that of the stakeholders they serve. As an organization that embraces equity and inclusion, all employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Commit does not sponsor visas of any kind.