Director of Human Resources and People Operations- HRIS and Benefits

About Ascend

Ascend is Brooklyn’s premier K–12 public charter network, committed to graduating high-achieving students who have access to

boundless choice in their futures

—not only through college acceptance, but through meaningful preparation for

career readiness and thriving adult lives

.

Across our schools, we pair rigorous academics with strong systems, supportive adult culture, and a deep belief in students’ brilliance and potential. Our work is grounded in the understanding that preparing students for long-term success requires excellence in instruction, intentional culture-building, and disciplined execution at every level of the organization.

At Ascend, adults are held to high standards because our students deserve nothing less. How we teach, lead, collaborate, and make decisions every day directly shapes the opportunities our students will have tomorrow.

Join us in shaping learning environments where curiosity is nurtured, excellence is the norm, and every student is prepared for a lifetime of boundless choice.

About the Role

The Director of Human Resources and People Operations provide strategic leadership across HRIS and benefits functions, ensuring operational excellence, compliance integrity, and cross-functional systems alignment. Reporting to the Managing Director of Human Resources, this role operates at both a strategic and technical level. Overseeing advanced benefits administration, HRIS governance, compliance reporting, and People systems implementation.

This Leader must possess deep HRIS expertise and the ability to manage complex workflows across Finance, HR, Talent, and Legal. The role requires a senior-level operator who can ensure error-free system execution, clean data governance, and seamless cross-team systems integration while driving key People initiatives aligned to Ascend’s mission, culture, and values.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Human Resources \& Systems Leadership

• Lead and oversee all HRIS and benefits operations with a strategic lens, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and operational excellence.
• Serve as the senior HRIS and benefits subject matter expert across HR.
• Oversee Paylocity system optimization, implementation enhancements, integrations, and governance.
• Ensure multi-state compliance, including federal, state, and local regulations.
• Develop benefits controls and governance processes to minimize risk and eliminate errors.
• Lead job architecture alignment within Paylocity and ensure system integrity across HRIS platforms.

HR Operations \& Compliance

• Manage employee benefits programs and vendor partnerships, collaborating with payroll to ensure accuracy and a best-in-class employee experience.
• Oversee leave management processes and operational accommodations with strong compliance oversight.
• Coordinate with legal counsel on compliance matters, including work authorizations and regulatory reporting.
• Ensure 100% compliance with the organization’s compensation philosophy by reviewing job offers and training hiring managers.
• Maintain expertise in federal, state, and local employment laws and translate them into policies and procedures

Data Governance \& Analytics

• Maintain and optimize HRIS systems to ensure clean data governance and system alignment.
• Create dashboards and KPIs to track HRIS data accuracy, onboarding completion, retention, training compliance, and performance management.
• Partner with Finance to analyze HR metrics and their impact on organizational performance.
• Ensure data accuracy across HR, Talent, and Finance platforms.

Leadership \& Cross-Functional Alignment

• Lead on the HRIS transition.
• Collaborate with department heads to remove barriers to KPI achievement.
• Lead HR technology implementations and systems improvements.
• Provide training on HRIS systems, HR processes, and compliance standards.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across People Operations.

Staff and Reporting Relationships

The Director of Human Resources- HRIS \& Benefits reports directly to the Managing Director of Human Resources

Qualifications:

Required Experience

• Minimum 2\+ years of hands-on Paylocity experience.
• Demonstrated experience operating within both Finance-owned and HR-owned structures.
• Strong background in benefits management and administration
• Strong background in system integrations, job architecture implementation, and compliance reporting.
• Senior-level experience leading complex operational workflows across Finance, HR, Talent, and Legal.

Professional Background

• Minimum 5\+ years of progressive HR leadership experience.
• Strong technical understanding of compensation, performance management, HCM systems, employment law, and employee benefits.
• Experience implementing and optimizing HRIS systems and HR analytics dashboards.
• Proven success in achieving measurable HR KPIs in complex organizations.

Education \& Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• HR professional certification(s) preferred.

Core Competencies

• Strategic thinker with strong operational execution skills.
• Exceptional analytical and data governance capabilities.
• Impeccable written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with high ethical standards.
• Strong change management and culture leadership capabilities.

Compensation

Salary offers for this position start at $95,000\. Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience and levels of attained education.

Location \& Work Arrangement

• Based in our Brooklyn, NY office
• Hybrid work schedule requiring in-office presence at least three days per week

In-person work expectations include network office time, stakeholder meetings, school visits, special events, and other role-specific responsibilities as determined by management.

This full-time, exempt position offers a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching
• Generous paid time off and additional employee benefits