Human Resources Manager

Your After School; Madison (CT); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Your After School in Connecticut is seeking a seasoned People & Talent Manager to lead HR, recruitment, onboarding, payroll, and compliance across CT and NY. You will design processes, build programs, and partner with the CEO to align people strategy with growth across 20+ sites.

Reporting directly to the CEO, you will manage a small HR team and drive employee relations, policy development, and district communications while scaling operations and fostering an inclusive culture.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of HR, recruiting, talent management, or people operations experience.
• Experience building HR processes from scratch.
• Strong systems thinking and problem-solving.
• Experience managing direct reports, including remote or international teams.
• Knowledge of CT employment law; NY knowledge a plus.
• Payroll knowledge; QuickBooks preferred.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Experience in education or mission-driven organizations a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the People & Talent Team, coordinating CT and the Philippines across time zones.
• Own full-cycle recruiting for back-office staff, Site Directors, and contractor instructors.
• Manage onboarding for all workforce types including I-9s, W-9s, contractor agreements, payroll setup, and system access.
• Oversee scheduling, district relations, and staffing updates with school districts.
• Partner with accounting on payroll and handle timesheet questions and pay discrepancies.
• Ensure HR compliance with CT and NY employment law and maintain personnel records.
• Manage employee relations, performance reviews, and leave programs.

Skills

HR management

Recruiting

Payroll

Compliance

Employee relations

People operations

Remote team leadership

Training & onboarding

Job description

About the Role

Your After School is hiring a People & Talent Manager, a newly elevated leadership role that reflects our commitment to building a strong, values-driven team as we grow. Reporting directly to the CEO, you'll be our sole HR professional and the go-to person for all people matters across three workforce groups: back-office employees, Site Directors, and independent contractor instructors who deliver programming at 20+ school sites across Connecticut and New York. This role is based in Connecticut and supports staff in both states.

You won't be stepping into fully built infrastructure; you'll be building it. Many of our HR, onboarding, payroll, and compliance processes are in early or informal stages. You'll design them, document them, train the team on them, and keep improving them as we grow. Right now, much of the hands‑on work still sits with this role. As processes mature and your team develops, you'll shift that work to your direct reports and focus on strategy, compliance, employee relations, and leadership.

What You'll Do

Lead the People & Talent Team

• Manage a Scheduling Coordinator, Substitute Coordinator, and HR Coordinator across CT and the Philippines, building connection and accountability across time zones
• Build a positive, inclusive culture that supports engagement and retention across all workforce types
• Develop and maintain HR policies, procedures, and handbooks, and train staff on them
• Manage the HR inbox and all confidential communications with discretion

Recruiting

• Own full‑cycle recruiting for back‑office staff, Site Directors, and contractor instructors, from job posting through offer or signed agreement
• Write job descriptions, build sourcing strategies, and test new ways to market open roles
• Lead high‑volume hiring ahead of fall, winter, and spring sessions, moving quickly without sacrificing quality
• Build candidate pipelines and a strong substitute instructor bench across all regions

Onboarding & Clearance

• Manage onboarding for all workforce types, including I‑9s, W‑9s, contractor agreements, payroll setup, and system access
• Track and guide hundreds of contractor instructors and vendors through onboarding at once, with persistent follow‑up by email and text
• Oversee vendor compliance, including current insurance certificates and cleared rosters for every vendor instructor
• Manage site‑by‑site instructor clearance, including NY district submissions through TEACH and CT CCHRS checks, and keep a current record of who is cleared for each school
• Set up structured training plans for new Site Directors and back‑office hires and check in throughout their onboarding

Scheduling & District Relations

• Oversee instructor scheduling and substitute coverage so no class goes unstaffed, including finding cleared substitute Site Directors on short notice
• Serve as an escalation point for instructor concerns, review performance feedback, and manage contract endings when needed
• Act as a primary contact for school districts on staffing updates, instructor changes, and program‑specific requirements

Payroll & Timekeeping

• Partner with our third‑party accountant on payroll, and serve as the main contact for timesheet questions and pay discrepancies
• Review and correct QuickBooks timesheets before each payroll cycle
• Administer PTO and the back‑office schedule, including holidays and summer flex time
• Coordinate year‑end W‑2s and 1099s, and keep the Contractor Agreement current

HR Operations, Compliance & Employee Relations

• Ensure compliance with CT and NY employment law, and maintain personnel and contractor records
• Manage company and vendor insurance certificates and school‑specific compliance documents
• Lead HR compliance for our warehouse, including OSHA standards and safety orientations
• Own employee relations end to end: coaching, warnings, PIPs, investigations, and terminations
• Run the annual performance review cycle and build recognition programs
• Administer leave (including CT Paid Family & Medical Leave), MyCTSavings, required harassment prevention training, and workers' compensation
• Maintain the org chart, propose new roles as we scale, and bring AI and HR technology into our workflows

What We're Looking For

• 8+ years of experience in HR, recruiting, talent management, or people operations (12 preferred)
• A proven ability to build HR processes and documentation from scratch, not just maintain them
• A systems thinker who spots inefficiency, designs solutions, and follows through
• Experience managing direct reports, including remote or international team members
• Deep knowledge of CT employment law and HR compliance; NY knowledge a plus
• Working knowledge of payroll; QuickBooks experience preferred
• Strong organizational skills and comfort juggling recruiting, scheduling, and compliance at once
• An excellent communicator who builds trust quickly at every level
• Experience in education, youth programs, or mission‑driven organizations a plus
• Proficiency with Google Workspace; SHRM-CP or PHR a plus