Chief People & Operations Officer

Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD); Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 210,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Job summary

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) in Washington, DC seeks a strategic Vice President of Human Resources and Administration to design and run HR infrastructure and the administrative engine for a growing 120-person institute.

This executive will execute core HR transactions while building scalable systems, acting as a trusted adviser to the COO and senior leadership in a mission-driven nonprofit environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years HR and operations experience, with 3+ in leadership.
• Experience in nonprofit or think tank settings preferred.
• Strong knowledge of multi-state employment laws and compliance.
• Hands-on with payroll, benefits, and HRIS/ATS systems.

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end HR, payroll, benefits, and administrative functions.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, offboarding, and workforce planning.
• Design HR policies, develop the employee handbook, and train managers.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Partner with COO and CFO on organizational design and staffing budgets.

Skills

HR Leadership

Operations Management

Policy & Compliance

Talent Acquisition

Payroll & Benefits

Employee Relations

Education

Bachelor's degree

SHRM Certification

Tools

Paylocity

Gusto

Rippling

Lever

Greenhouse

Job description

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) in Washington, DC seeks a strategic Vice President of Human Resources and Administration to design and run HR infrastructure and the administrative engine for a growing 120-person institute.

This executive will execute core HR transactions while building scalable systems, acting as a trusted adviser to the COO and senior leadership in a mission-driven nonprofit environment.