Manager, People Operations and Programs

Paylocity; Atlanta, Northern (GA, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Core Clinical Partners in Atlanta seeks a hands‑on Manager, People Operations & Programs to turn People strategy into scalable programs spanning benefits, payroll HR data, and lifecycle administration. You will lead a small team, manage cross‑functional projects, and partner with leaders to build practical processes and governance for a multi‑state healthcare organization.

You will design programs, develop playbooks and training, and ensure compliant, timely execution of payroll and benefits

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or related field; experience acceptable.
• SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP/PHR/SPHR certification preferred.
• PMP/Lean/Six Sigma or change-management credential a plus.
• 10+ years HR experience with People Operations and cross‑functional program management.
• Experience with multi‑state workforce and healthcare environment preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-quality People Operations team with clear priorities and service standards.
• Oversee day-to-day People Operations: HRIS, payroll, benefits, compliance, and data integrity.
• Create and improve SOPs, templates, controls, and service delivery practices.
• Identify operational risks and implement sustainable solutions.
• Partner across the organization to ensure consistent People policies and programs.
• Translate strategy into program charters, project plans, and success measures.
• Design and deliver People programs, toolkits, communications, and training resources.
• Build governance, dashboards, and meaningful People metrics for decision making.
• Maintain confidentiality and appropriate access controls across the function.

Skills

Process design

HR technology

Data-driven decisions

HR compliance

Payroll knowledge

Benefits administration

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/OD

SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP/PHR/SPHR certification

Change management / design thinking credential

Tools

HRIS

Payroll systems

ATS

Learning systems

Job description

Description

Core Clinical Partners stands at the forefront of Emergency and Hospital Medicine, delivering unparalleled services through a model that emphasizes patient-centric care and operational excellence. Our corporate values – Genuine, Accountable, Dynamic, Respectful, and Fun – are the pillars that uphold our commitment to revolutionize healthcare delivery.

Job Summary

The Manager, People Operations & Programs is a hands‑on leader, program manager, and experienced designer who turns People strategy into simple, scalable, and well‑executed solutions. This role leads the operational foundation of the People function and has end‑to‑end responsibility for employee benefits, the People/HR components of payroll, and employment‑related contracts, while designing and delivering programs that strengthen the employee and manager experience across the organization.

Reporting to the VP of People, this position leads a small People Operations team, owns cross‑functional People projects from concept through adoption, and partners across the business to build practical processes, tools, communications, and governance for a growing, multi‑state healthcare organization. The role serves as the primary People owner and subject‑matter lead for benefits administration, employee data and processes, and the administration of employee lifecycle management.

Essential Duties

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-quality People Operations team; establish clear priorities, service standards, workflows, and accountability.
• Oversee day-to-day People Operations, including HRIS administration and data integrity, employee lifecycle transactions, employee benefits, the People/HR side of payroll, compliance activities, reporting, and operational support.
• Create, maintain, and improve standard operating procedures, templates, controls, and service delivery practices.
• Identify operational risks, gaps, and inefficiencies; recommend and implement sustainable solutions.
• Partner across the organization to ensure consistent execution of People policies, practices, and programs.

Benefits, Payroll & Contract Ownership

• Own the full employee benefits lifecycle, including plan administration, annual renewal and open enrollment, employee education and support, eligibility and enrollment changes, vendor and broker relationships, compliance requirements, issue resolution, and ongoing evaluation of plan effectiveness and employee experience.
• Serve as the primary People owner for the HR components of payroll, including employee data, new-hire and status changes, benefit deductions, leave and termination impacts, payroll review and reconciliation, issue resolution, and expert coordination with the Payroll team to support accurate and timely payroll.
• Establish and maintain related controls, calendars, documentation, approvals, audits, and escalation practices; investigate discrepancies and drive timely correction.
• Provide expert partnership to ensure benefits and payroll, are accurate, compliant, responsive, and continually aligned with business needs.
• Maintain confidentiality and appropriate access controls across the people function.

People Program Management & Experience Design

• Translate People strategy and business needs into clear program charters, project plans, deliverables, timelines, roles, decision points, and success measures.
• Design and deliver People programs, processes, toolkits, and employee or manager experiences from discovery through launch, adoption, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
• Facilitate stakeholder discovery, working sessions, process mapping, prioritization, and decision making to develop solutions that are useful and scalable.
• Create polished program materials such as playbooks, guides, communications, training resources, workflows, templates, and implementation plans.
• Manage multiple People initiatives simultaneously, anticipate dependencies and risks, and keep sponsors and stakeholders continually informed of progress.
• Build change and communication plans that help employees and leaders understand what is changing, why it matters, and what action is required.

People Systems, Data & Insights

• Provide governance across People systems and partner with internal owners and external vendors to improve configuration, integration, data quality, and user experience.
• Build and maintain meaningful People metrics, dashboards, and recurring reports; analyze trends and translate findings into clear recommendations.
• Establish data standards, audit practices, and documentation that support accurate reporting, compliance, and sound decision making.
• Evaluate tools, workflows, and automation opportunities based on business value, risk, scalability, and employee experience.

Compliance, Governance & Partnership

• Support compliance with applicable federal and state employment requirements, company policies and internal controls in partnership with appropriate stakeholders.
• Coordinate recurring People compliance activities, audits, filings, notices, and documentation; elevate issues promptly and support corrective action.
• Reconcile multiple stakeholder perspectives and use judgment, data, and practical problem solving to drive decisions and positive business outcomes.
• Build trusted relationships with leaders, employees, and cross-functional partners through responsive service, clear communication, and reliable follow-through.
• Perform other duties and lead additional People priorities as business needs evolve.

Skills, Knowledge, Abilities:

• Demonstrated ability to design, implement, and improve People processes or programs in a fast‑paced, growing, or changing organization.
• Strong working knowledge of HR technology and operations, including HRIS, benefits administration, payroll processes and controls, applicant tracking, and learning systems.
• Proven ability to use data and metrics to identify needs, evaluate outcomes, and support business decisions.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state employment laws and HR compliance practices.
• Comprehensive knowledge of employee benefit plan administration, enrollment, vendor management, employee support, and applicable benefits compliance requirements.
• Strong understanding of payroll inputs, deductions, reconciliations, controls, audits, and the employee lifecycle events that affect payroll.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, relationship-building, and executive‑ready communication skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, organize complex work, and deliver with accuracy and strong follow-through.
• Service‑oriented mindset with the ability to build trust with employees, leaders, vendors, and cross‑functional partners.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience, preferred.
• SHRM‑CP, SHRM‑SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification preferred.
• PMP, Lean, Six Sigma, change management, design thinking, or related program design credential or experience a plus.

Experience

• 10+ years of progressive human resources experience, including meaningful responsibility for People Operations and cross‑functional program or project management.
• Experience working with a multi‑state workforce and a variety of employment types.
• Experience in healthcare, a multi‑site environment, or an organization with distributed teams preferred.
• Demonstrated depth in benefits administration, the People/HR side of payroll, experience in analytics, learning, and the overall employee experience is valued.

Supervisory Requirements

• Leads and develops assigned People Operations team members.
• Participates in recruiting, selection, onboarding, goal setting, coaching, performance feedback, and development for direct reports.
• Oversees team workflow and ensures work is completed accurately, consistently, and on time.
• Addresses performance or conduct concerns in accordance with company policy and in partnership with leadership.

Work Location

• Hybrid role based in Atlanta, with regular in‑office presence, generally 2 to 3 days per week, and additional in‑person attendance for meetings or events as business needs require.
• Must have reliable internet access when working remotely. Occasional travel may be required.

Core Clinical Partners is an equal opportunity employer, maintains a drug‑free workplace, and complies with applicable ADA requirements.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, responsibilities, and activities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.