Director of People Operations

ABOUT MERIDIAN

Meridian is a PreK-8th grade school located in Washington DC’s vibrant U Street Corridor. Our mission is to inspire a passion for learning in our students and to help them build their self-confidence and self-respect through academic achievement. Our 650+ students are a diverse mix of African-American, Latino, Asian, African, and White students. Almost 30% of our students are English language learners, and we have one of the largest Hispanic populations in DC charter schools. We are committed to building a community of teachers and staff who reflect the rich diversity of our student body. Our middle school campus serves nearly 200 students in the Columbia Heights neighborhood in grades 6-8.

Meridian is committed to serving families from our local communities; and one-third of our students live within a half mile of the school. The U Street Corridor was once the heart of black culture in DC and offers a tangible historical archive for our students, and Columbia Heights is one of the most racially and economically diverse neighborhoods in the District. We are also proud of the fact that Meridian is a school of choice for parents— all eight wards of the city are represented among our student population.

Meridian’s strengths include two beautiful and historic campuses, with nearby outdoor and recreational grounds; state of the art technology for students and teachers; updated and aligned curricula; an academic program laser-focused on student growth, achievement, and social-emotional development; extensive professional development and support for teachers and leaders; and a school culture grounded in student achievement, collaboration, and student-centered learning.

Join us as we continue to take Meridian from good to great! For additional information about Meridian visit mpcs-dc.org.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Director of People Operations is primarily responsible for the people operations functions of the local education agency. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following core areas of the people operations: local/state/federal compliance, payroll, benefits, talent management, and human resources administration. This position will work from 7:45 am-4 pm and will supervise the People Operations Specialist. This is a 12 month position reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Human Resources Strategy and Policies

• Develop, in conjunction with senior leadership, Human Resources strategy for the organization and lead the implementation of new and improved People Operations practices
• Review and update all personnel policies annually to remain in line with best practice and organization needs.
• Create and maintain a position control that monitors all organization positions to ensure the school remains in line with all budgeted positions

Payroll and Benefits

• Manage the full payroll cycle for the school payroll system
• Oversee implementation of and serve as the point of contact for employee benefits; Encourage and facilitate the staff’s education regarding retirement finances and medical benefits
• Annually evaluate benefit programs and cost, work with the broker to market for competitive insurance plans and make recommendations to the Chief Operating Officer
• Act as a conduit between the payroll online system and staff
• Prepare, review and send out salary/offer letters for staff
• Work with appropriate government agencies and third-party vendors regarding payroll taxes, social security, unemployment, staffing contracts/agreements, etc.

Human Resources Functions

• Manage and implement employee hiring and onboarding processes
• Create an off-boarding checklist and implement exiting procedures for departing staff
• Develop and manage a comprehensive school evaluation systems (including the templates) for all employees that foster a climate of growth and continuous improvement
• Support supervisors with identifying training needs and plan appropriate training sessions as necessary for employees’ professional development
• Maintain the HRIS to ensure all staff information is updated and accessible to supervisors

Talent Management and Recruitment

• Develop and oversee the implementation of annual talent recruitment and retention strategy
• In partnership with our external providers, manage all staff recruitment and hiring needs 
• Keep current on compensation trends and applicable compensation studies for the region to ensure the organization remains competitive with salaries and benefits

Human Resources Administration and Compliance Management       

• Maintain compliance with federal, state, local, and DC Public Charter School Board laws and regulations
• Maintain knowledge of trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and new technologies in human resources, talent management, and employment law
• Maintain electronic and hard copy operations documents such as employee and 1099 contracts; submit contracts as needed in compliance with PCSB requirements
• Support school opening and closing procedures for each school year
• Other duties assigned as needed

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree Human Resources and/or equivalent is required; Masters Degree preferred
• Minimum of five years of experience working in a non- profit organization in Operations/Business Administration or Human Resources Management/Payroll/Benefits
• Bi-Lingual in Spanish (speaking/writing) is a plus, but not required
• Medication Administration training must be completed within 6 months of employment

Required Core Competencies

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate persuasively in positive and negative situations
• Capacity to accept feedback from others, make decisions, and exhibit sound and accurate judgment
• Able to work independently or with others in a team approach

Desired Attributes

• Work comfortably with people from diverse backgrounds
• Excellent organizational skills and timely completion of tasks
• Math Aptitude: comfort with numbers and accounts payable
• Knowledge and experience using Windows, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Applications including Word, PowerPoint, and Google Documents
• Conscientiousness: Understanding that everything going out the door matters to the customer; striving for excellence
• Solid writing skills
• Customer Orientation: Outstanding customer service skills with internal and external customers
• Strong attention to detail
• Dedication: Being persistent, punctual and dependable, with a positive, can do attitude
• Sense of Urgency: Understanding the urgency of situations and address matters promptly
• Flexibility/Adaptability: Open to change and to considerable variety in the workplace

Physical Demands of the Position

These physical characteristics are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job safely. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Mobility sufficient to move about, stand, and/or sit for extended periods, and access all locations in the work environment
• Manual skill to appropriately control and manipulate objects, tools, materials, and equipment used on the job, including a telephone and a computer
• Flexibility and strength to reach with hands and arms, bend and stoop
• Ability occasionally to lift and or move up to 20 pounds
• Ability to hear and understand speech at normal room levels, and to hear and understand speech on the telephone
• Ability to speak clearly in audible tones so that others may understand
• Specific vision abilities required by this job includes close vision, distance vision, ability to adjust focus and peripheral vision

SALARY AND BENEFITS

A recent TNTP Insight Survey of our teachers placed our staff’s satisfaction with compensation in the top quartile of all charter schools in DC. We also lead the charter sector in compensation transparency, and publish our salary scales for teachers, apprentice teachers, and dedicated aides here. The salary range for this position is $100,000 to $115,000.

Meridian teachers and staff are compensated competitively for their time and have opportunities to earn additional income through leadership opportunities at the school level, offering extracurricular clubs and sports for students, and facilitating tutoring programs.