Job Description
About Strategic People Partners Strategic People Partners is a Fractional Chief People Officer practice serving churches, non-profit schools, and missions agencies. We partner with executive teams to align leadership, clarify decision rights, and build people systems that actually support performance and culture. We are not a traditional HR services firm. We operate at the executive level and produce systems leaders use. We step into growing organizations seeing and anticipating the needs to bring clarity, structure, accountability, and healthier systems that support both people and organizational mission. About the role Strategic People Partners is hiring a People Operations Associate to grow rapidly alongside the founder. This is builder and operator work, not corporate-maintenance HR. You will help bring structure, clarity, and momentum to growing client organizations while gaining direct exposure to executive-level people strategy. This role is ideal for someone who is energized by walking into operational complexity, identifying what is outdated or inefficient, and helping create healthier systems that improve productivity and employee experience. You will update policies, modernize processes, organize disorganized systems, and help carry client engagements end to end. This is a real seat at the table for someone ready to do the work that earns it. What you will do Support live client engagements alongside the founder, taking ownership of defined workstreams. Update and modernize policies, handbooks, onboarding materials, and supervisor resources. Organize files, processes, and HR systems that have grown disorganized over time. Conduct compliance reviews and classification analysis (FLSA exempt and non-exempt) under direction. Support compensation benchmarking, audit preparation, and risk assessment. Help coordinate recruiting work for clients, including job postings, screening, and interview logistics. Build documentation that translates strategy into execution. Set up, maintain, and optimize technology platforms across multiple client environments. Support workforce planning and org design conversations, including role scoping, reporting structure analysis, and headcount recommendations for client engagements. Assist with employee relations matters and performance management support, including coaching documentation, performance check-ins, and corrective action guidance under the direction of the founder. What you will gain This role is a job and a launchpad. You will build a career in people operations under direct mentorship, not slowly through observation. Direct mentorship from a Fractional Chief People Officer with a Master's in Organizational Leadership and SHRM-CP credential. Executive-level exposure across multiple client organizations from your first month. Real ownership of workstreams that ship to clients, not shadow tasks. Skill development in HR strategy, compliance, compensation, recruiting, operations, and technology. A growth path that expands as SPP grows. The right person moves into senior responsibility quickly. Who we are looking for We are looking for someone who is energized by bringing structure to growing organizations. The right person: Enjoys organizing and improving processes. Naturally notices details and follows through consistently. Is not intimidated by messy or incomplete systems and gets satisfaction from fixing what is broken. Believes in modernization and continuous improvement, and is not held back by outdated mechanisms. Brings a can-do, servant attitude to the mundane work as readily as the strategic. Drafts the policy, fixes the file, chases the detail. Has a strong learner mindset and genuine curiosity, and wants to grow rapidly alongside an experienced founder. Is coachable, collaborative, and able to execute within an evolving framework. Values partnership, trust, and long-term growth. Aligns with the values of mission-driven and faith-based organizations. Buy-in, adaptability, and initiative matter as much as resume credentials. We move fast, refine often, and trust the people doing the work. The right person treats this role as a real career investment, not a stop-gap. Skills and experience Some HR or administrative experience and a strong desire to learn HR rapidly. Some recruiting experience is a plus. Strong written communication. You write tightly without filler. Detail orientation. You catch what others miss. Discretion. You hold confidential information well. Technology and systems