People Operations Manager

The ideal candidate will support the full scope of Human Resources responsibilities and partner with the organization on strategic initiatives. They will maintain and enhance the organization's human resources by planning, implementing, and evaluating human resources policies, programs, and practices.  ResponsibilitiesRecruit and Onboard new hires Conduct performance management and provide feedback Manage Payroll and benefits for employeesYou will be the first person at Kodely who owns HR completely.Kodely builds hands-on enrichment programs — STEM, arts, entrepreneurship, sports, and social-emotional learning — for K-8 students across the United States. We work directly with schools and districts, running programs before school, after school, and in the summer. Our team is small, founder-led, and moving fast. Everyone owns their work.We're hiring a People Operations Manager to build and run our people function from the ground up. This is not a support role. You will make the hard calls.What you'll own:Employee relations end-to-end — PIPs, terminations, investigations, conflict resolution. You are the person in the room, not the person briefing someone else who is.- Compliance across multiple states — handbooks, policies, documentation, employment law. You keep us clean.- Onboarding and offboarding for a high-volume, distributed workforce including full-time staff, part-time instructors, and seasonal educators.- Benefits administration, leave of absence (FMLA, state leave), and payroll coordination.- Performance management — building the system, training managers, running the process.- Recruiting operations for ops and support roles as we scale.- People reporting — headcount, attrition, hiring pipeline — for the CEO.What we're looking for:2-5 years in HR or people operations. Startup, staffing firm, or high-volume industry (retail, hospitality, education) is the profile we want.- You have personally conducted terminations and PIPs. Not observed. Not supported. Done it yourself.- You know multi-state employment law and can apply it, not just look it up.- You are organized to an unusual degree. Nothing slips. You don't need to be chased.- You are a strong phone presence — direct, confident, and able to hold a hard conversation without backing down.- You can build from scratch. There is no system waiting for you. You will create it.- SHRM-CP or PHR is a plus. Not required.- Bachelor's degree in HR, business, psychology, or a related field.Bonus points if you have:Background in education, youth services, or mission-driven work- Staffing or recruiting experience- Spanish fluency- Experience with Rippling, Gusto, or Workday- High-volume seasonal workforce management$75,000 - $85,000 base salary + health, dental, and vision + PTOFully remote — open to candidates anywhere in the United States. Core hours align with Eastern Time.Apply: talent@kodely.io — send your resume and 2-3 sentences on your most relevant HR experience.QualificationsBachelor's degree or relevant experience5+ years' experience in Human ResourcesStrong recruiting and demonstrated ability to improve talent acquisition strategiesDemonstrated expertise training managers and employeesStrong organizational, critical thinking and communications skillsAttention to detail and good judgement