People Operations Lead

Application Deadline: July 6th

Position Overview

CJA is hiring a People Operations Lead to serve as the operational driver of our People & Culture function. This role manages a broad range of HR responsibilities in a union environment, including benefits administration, HRIS management, compensation processing, and hiring and offboarding coordination, while serving as a trusted first point of contact for supporting staff with routine HR inquiries. The ideal candidate is a super-detail-oriented HR generalist with a strong commitment to CJA’s values, excellent independent judgment, and the ability to manage concurrent projects and interpersonal dynamics in a virtual environment. The People Operations lead will report to the Director of Human Resources, and function as a key member of CJA’s Human Resources team.  

Location: Remote within the continental United States.

About Climate Justice Alliance

Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) was formed in 2013 to create a new center of gravity in the climate movement by uniting frontline communities and organizations into a formidable force. Our translocal organizing strategy and mobilizing capacity is building a Just Transition away from extractive systems of production, consumption and political oppression, and towards resilient, regenerative and equitable economies. We believe that the process of transition must place race, gender and class at the center of the solutions equation in order to make it a truly Just Transition.

We are a unique alliance of community, frontline, and environmental justice organizations; movement networks; and support organizations at the forefront of climate change. Our members are multicultural, intergenerational, and prioritize leadership among women, gender-oppressed, and persons of color. They come from traditionally underrepresented constituencies, including Indigenous Peoples, African American, Latinx, Asian Pacific Islander, and low-income white communities, often often located near toxic, polluting industries such as oil refineries, fracking wells, coal mines, power plants, and pipelines; rails, ports, and other major transportation corridors; landfills and incinerators; and industrial agriculture.

Core Responsibilities

Employee Relations Support (25%)

• Receive, document, and conduct initial assessment of employee concerns, conflicts or disagreements and grievances, and manage resolution of routine matters independently
• In partnership with employee supervisors and the Director of Human Resources, ensure consistent application of progressive discipline processes and performance improvement plans when needed
• Conduct initial intake of employee accommodation requests

Benefits Administration and HRIS Management (20%)

• Process benefits enrollments and qualifying life events, and oversee COBRA administration
• Serve as primary contact for benefits vendors and employee inquiries
• Manage leave of absence administration (FMLA, disability, parental leave)
• Coordinate open enrollment process and employee communications

• Serve as primary administrator of HRIS system
• In partnership with the Compliance Lead, ensure accurate multi-state tax set up and reporting within our payroll system.
• Receive and review employee change requests and forms, and manage related employee data changes and system updates
• Serve as secondary payroll approval and ensure accuracy of employee adjustments and documentation

Hiring, Onboarding & Offboarding Operations (20%)

• Own related systems, and recommend improvements where needed to ensure accuracy, efficiency, clarity, and impact
• Train employees on CJA’s hiring processes as needed
• Draft staff-facing monthly staffing and hiring updates
• Post positions and manage applicant tracking system during recruitment cycles
• Support the Director of Human Resources with initial screenings for non-leadership roles
• Manage background checks and reference verifications
• Coordinate new hire preboarding and onboarding processes
• Process employment verifications
• Coordinate offboarding process and ensure HR systems and employee are updated in accordance with policies and data retention requirements

General People Operations (25%)

• Support performance review administration and tracking in partnership with the Director of Human Resources
• Coordinate employee recognition programs 
• Own day-to-day maintenance and version control of the employee handbook and HR policies; flag needed substantive updates to Director of Human Resources for approval; coordinate compliance-related policy language with CJA’s Compliance Lead.
• Present and/or provide trainings on key workflows in monthly supervisor meet-ups as needed, to ensure aligned use of systems and HR procedures across management
• In partnership with the Director of Human Resources and Compliance Lead, review quarterly KPIs and feedback surveys for HR function and propose adjustments to systems, guidance, or approach to support employee wellbeing. 

• If assigned to discrete projects or initiatives, oversee dedicated project roll-outs, financials, and/or consultant support. 

Build Healthy & Sustainable Organizational Work Culture and Other Responsibilities (10%)

• Along with all other staff, this position contributes to CJA’s culture of innovation, teamwork, and continuous learning. They work diligently to collaborate and support each other within and across teams and excel in an environment where every member takes care of their own basic administrative needs and participates in regular all-staff learning and development spaces.

These tasks represent baseline responsibilities for this position. As CJA grows, there will be possibilities (and sometimes the need to) move into new accountabilities and areas of work.

Supervisory Responsibility

Does not supervise other employees at this time. 

Expected hours of work

Standard days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m in your time zone. Daily schedule is flexible within the proximity of this time frame, and will be decided in consultation with the supervisor.

Travel

Infrequent domestic travel (1-2 times per year for all-staff gatherings) would be required for this position. 

Physical duties of this role: Ability to work at a computer and participate in video conferencing, speaking and typing for extended periods of time. 

Occasional physical duties: Responsible for logistics during travel which includes lifting items (not in excess of 25 lbs.), coordinating meals/catering, and driving.

(CJA is willing and able to make reasonable accommodations for candidates who may not be able to fulfill these tasks). 

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• 3–5 years of experience in HR generalist, people operations, or HR coordinator roles, with demonstrated experience across multiple HR functions
• Experience managing employee relations matters, including documenting concerns, conducting initial assessments
• Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, with the ability to build trust across a diverse staff, hold space for employee concerns without judgment, and communicate with candor and compassion in equal measure
• Working knowledge of federal and state employment law, including FMLA, ADA accommodations, COBRA, and multi-state payroll compliance
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to draft clear staff-facing communications, policy documentation, and process guidance
• Ability to analyze and improve upon existing systems and workflows
• An orientation towards learning and development. Willingness to learn from mistakes, receive feedback, and give feedback to others 
• Practiced in self-organization and prioritizing. Ability to be self-directed and proactive in a collaborative virtual work environment

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Previous experience with full-time remote work
• Experience with provision of HR services in a union environment 

 Position Type and Compensation

• 100% FTE, exempt position
• Salary range is $75,000-$89,999, commensurate with experience 
• CJA’s 100% FTE benefits package includes:
  • 20 days vacation leave per year;
  • 15 standard holidays per year;
  • 12 sick days per year;
  • 3 months paid family leave per year pending application approval;
  • 3 month sabbatical leave after 5 years of continuous Full-Time employment 
  • Medical, vision, dental for employees and dependents (requires 30 day waiting period);
  • 100% employer sponsored basic life, short-term and long-term disability insurance coverage;
  • Access to FSA Benefits;
  • Employer-funded HRA;
  • Employer-sponsored 401k.

Climate Justice Alliance is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, disability, gender, nationality, ethnicity, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or any other status protected by law. BIPOC and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply!