Position: Director of People and Culture
Department: People and Culture

Reports to Chief Operations Officer

Categorization: Hybrid In Person

Status: Exempt

The Organization

Since 2003, The Opportunity Network (OppNet) has been committed to providing students, regardless of background, with the resources and connections necessary to achieve their college and career goals.

Our founding Fellows program supports 1,000 New York City students each year, from the summer after tenth grade to college graduation, boasting a 98% graduation rate within six years. About 93% of Fellows are first-generation college students, and 91% secure meaningful employment or graduate school admission within six months of graduating.

Our Career Fluency® Partnerships program enhances workforce and college readiness for 100,000 students across 20 cities. Our Opportunity Ignited program helps employers with intern matching and training, improving talent pipelines and workplace environments, training over 350 staff in 22 partner firms in its first five years.

The Job

The Director of People and Culture provides strategic leadership and oversight of all aspects of the organization’s human resources, culture, and employee experience. As a trusted advisor and culture champion, this role drives initiatives that strengthen organizational health, advance positive organizational culture, and ensure alignment between people strategies and the organization’s mission, vision, and values.

The Directorof People and Culture partners closely with the executive team and department leaders to create an environment where all employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to contribute their best work.

The Director of People and Culture will be a critical partner to the COO in strategic decision-making and organizational culture as OppNet continues to enhance its quality programming and build capacity. The Director of People and Culture will directly supervise the Senior Coordinator of People and Culture and lead the People and Culture team.

About You

The candidate believes that culture is the foundation of organizational excellence. You bring both heart and strategy to your work — combining deep empathy with operational rigor to build workplaces where individuals and teams can genuinely thrive. You see people operations not just as HR, but as a catalyst for equity, connection, and shared purpose.

You excel at balancing big-picture strategy with day-to-day execution. You’re comfortable navigating ambiguity, facilitating difficult conversations, and driving initiatives that lead to meaningful, measurable change. Colleagues describe you as a trusted advisor — someone who leads with integrity, curiosity, and a genuine commitment to inclusion and care.

You are energized by helping mission-driven organizations translate their values into daily practice. Whether developing leaders, refining systems, or shaping culture, you approach every challenge with a belief that investing in people is the most powerful way to advance social impact.

What You Will Be Doing

Talent Acquisition and Retention (25%)

• Partner with executive leadership to design and implement people-centered strategies that advance organizational goals and foster an inclusive, high-performing culture.

• Oversee full employee lifecycle processes, including recruitment, onboarding, development, performance management, and retention, ensuring thoughtful processes that align with the core competencies for each role.

• Collaborate with Operations to design and implement orientation and onboarding plans and employment policies and procedures to ensure compliance, prioritizing alignment with OppNet’s values.

Culture and Engagement (25%)

• Support managers in maximizing performance management systems and structures to create robust individual development plans for team members that promote transparency, feedback, and professional growth.

• Coach and mentor managers and other OppNet leaders on best HR practices, fostering effective management and ensuring alignment with OppNet’s values and goals.

• Facilitate learning and dialogue around inclusion, psychological safety, and leadership accountability.

• Lead organization-wide culture assessments and implement strategies that promote employee well-being and alignment with core values.

Leadership and Cross-Department Collaboration (20%)

• Mentor and coach the People and Culture team, fostering their growth through access to learning and development opportunities;

• In close collaboration with the COO and other key stakeholders, play a key role in developing, assessing, and managing internal and external professional development opportunities responsive to individual and organizational needs;

• Collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure that staff are fully aware and able to maximize OppNet’s benefits offerings, including PTO, family and medical leave, health insurance, etc.

Compliance, Systems, Tools, and Planning (15%)

• In collaboration with the COO, recommend and implement compensation strategies to ensure the organization remains competitive in the market, retains and motivates its top talent, and provides fair and equitable compensation to staff.

• Be aware of evolving state and federal laws on management, policies, processes, and practices, and work to ensure OppNet complies with all applicable laws and regulations concerning employment practices, employee health and safety, and employee and labor relations.

• Manage and refine OppNet’s people operations systems with an eye for maximizing efficacy and impact, including applicant tracking systems (ATS) and human resource information systems (HRIS).

• Develop, manage, and implement overall HR operations budget systems for tracking costs, including expense reporting, documentation, quarterly projections, forecasting, and annual budgeting.

• Participate in professional development to maintain knowledge of trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and new technologies in human resources, talent management, and employment law.

Organizational Learning, Development, and Program Reflection (15%):

• Participate in organization-wide learning sessions, working groups, and optional affinity groups.

• Attend weekly team meetings, All Hands meetings, All Staff meetings, team retreats, and annual institution-wide retreats.

Who we are looking for

• 8+ years of progressive experience in HR, people operations, or organizational development — with at least 3 years in a leadership role.

• Proven track record of leading culture transformation initiatives in a mission-driven or nonprofit organization.

• Strong knowledge of employment law, HR compliance, and nonprofit HR practices.

• Exceptional interpersonal, facilitation, and conflict-resolution skills and demonstrated ability to influence and build relationships across all levels of an organization.

• A proven track record for building robust talent development systems, including developing healthy talent pipelines, strong recruitment and onboarding processes, and effective professional development and performance management systems.

• Adaptive and technical experience developing, implementing, and reinforcing human resources processes and tools to improve efficiency, transparency, and accountability.

• Strong people and organizational management skills, with a track record of developing strong and engaged performers and coaching others on how to motivate and inspire teams.

• Knowledge of traditional Human Resources functions, including benefits administration, payroll, employee relations, and compliance with labor and employment laws.

• Confidentiality and integrity when managing sensitive information.

• Strong proficiency in Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail), DocuSign, and Dropbox.

• Experience with a Human Resources Information System (Experience with ADP Workforce Now preferred).

Requirements to Work for OppNet

OppNet requires that all employees, including new hires, be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless an exemption has been approved.

Salary and Benefits

We take a thoughtful and deliberate approach to generating salary offers that consider your previous work experience, the role you’re entering, and fairness within OppNet. Fairness is important to us, and our compensation approach must ensure fairness across the organization. Hence, we make every effort to make our first offer our best offer, as we want to demonstrate that we value you and your work from the outset.

The hiring salary range for this role is $99,000–$112,000 and will be commensurate with experience.

At OppNet, eligible employees can enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical coverage (health, dental, and vision), an HRA, a Flexible Spending Account, family leave (up to 100% coverage for twelve weeks), life insurance, and retirement benefits. Full-time employees can participate in our 403(b) retirement benefit program. Additionally, we offer generous time off from work (through a combination of vacation, sick, and holidays).

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Do you meet some but not all of our qualifications? OppNet is an equal-opportunity employer. Even if you may not meet every qualification listed, we strongly encourage you to apply without hesitation. If you believe in our organization’s mission and feel confident in your potential to excel at OppNet, we warmly welcome your application. Our commitment lies in considering a wide range of candidates and valuing various workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you are new to the non-profit sector, returning to work after a break, considering a career change, or taking the next step in your professional journey, we are excited to hear from you! We recognize that multifarious teams make the strongest teams, and we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.