Program Manager, People Programs

BrainPOP; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

BrainPOP is seeking a Program Manager, People Programs to plan and execute high-impact people initiatives and optimize cross-functional operations. You will leverage AI to scale HR efforts and partner with the CPO and executives.

You will lead communication campaigns, develop the People roadmap narrative, and drive program calendars, reporting, and budgeting while maintaining an executive presence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree preferred.
• Agile / PMP Certification a plus.
• 8+ years of experience as an HR/People Ops practitioner with program ownership.
• Experience managing company-wide projects and cross-functional collaboration.
• Fluent data reporting; able to translate data into insights for decision making.
• Experience leveraging AI tools for productivity and efficiency.
• Executive-facing presentation and storytelling skills.
• Strong stakeholder management across levels.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute cyclical People programs with clear scope and success criteria.
• Manage the People program calendar, tracking, reporting and issue resolution.
• Lead the AI Enablement strategy for People, scaling AI as a capability multiplier.
• Develop internal comms campaigns aligned to People initiatives and programs.
• Craft and communicate the People roadmap narrative for employee understanding and impact.
• Conduct post-project evaluations and apply learnings to future work.
• Provide guidance on project scoping and delivery; support team members.

Skills

Strategic thinking

AI-forward

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Problem solving

Detail oriented

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree

PMP / Agile Certification

Tools

Notion

Slack

Google Suite

Google Sheets

Google Slides

Job description

About The Role

As a Program Manager, People Programs, you will play an important role in the planning, execution and communication of critical People team programs and initiatives with high impact to the business. Additionally, you will improve efficiency of intra-team and cross-functional operations through systems optimization. Finally, you will lead the team in using AI as a capability multiplier for everything from agentic HR to personalization at scale to predictive and proactive people strategy.

In this highly visible role, you will serve as a trusted advisor, thought partner, and strategic operator for the People team. You will report to the Chief People Officer and will collaborate with the broader People team, executives and partners across the business. You will help define priorities, drive execution, and ensure People strategy and vision is clear and properly communicated across the business.

The ideal candidate will have experience as a practitioner in HR/People Operations and subject matter knowledge of people programs such as performance management, engagement surveys, talent management, compensation, and HR systems management. Success in this role requires combining your experience as an HR practitioner with your analytical aptitude, executive presence, and experience leading projects of varying complexity from start to completion.

The role will be hybrid, with the expectation to be in the NYC HQ office an average of 2-3 days a week (generally Tuesday-Thursday).

In This Role You Will

• Own the planning and execution of cyclical People programs (performance management, talent reviews, engagement survey, systems optimizations); clearly define project scopes, success criteria, relevant subject matter experts, and develop detailed project plans that consider timelines, dependencies and the needs and expectations of stakeholders
• Own overall People program calendar, project/program tracking and reporting, and supporting the team in identifying and resolving issues.
• Lead the People Team AI Enablement strategy and implementation by keeping up with AI trends and teaching the team how to scale AI as a capability multiplier for everything from agentic HR to personalization at scale to predictive and proactive people strategy.
• Lead the development and execution of strategic internal communications campaigns in alignment to people team initiatives and programs to ensure clarity and appropriate takeaways for relevant audiences (company wide, executives, etc)
• Craft the narrative of the People roadmap to ensure employee understanding of the people strategy and the intended impact on the employee experience
• Contribute to team operational excellence by conducting post-project evaluations to assess improvement areas; apply learnings to subsequent projects
• Provide guidance and consultation for People team on the best practices for project scoping and delivery; support People team members as needed on their individual projects and initiatives
• Prepare Board and Executive Team ready presentations to include clear and concise representations of People relevant data, program results and OKR alignment
• Ensure effectiveness of People team-wide meetings and collaboration events through the development of meeting goal scoping and success outcomes, agendas, slide decks/supporting materials
• Manage the team operations calendar and identify synergy and optimization opportunities on related sub-team projects
• Support CPO in managing and prioritizing People team budget, ensuring appropriate allocation of funds and resources and promoting fiscal responsibility
• Additional key projects as assigned (e.g. real estate strategy)

You Are

• A strategic thinker who can consider the bigger picture, but also execute tactically
• AI-forward; Innovative and comfortable leveraging AI tools and technologies to improve productivity and efficiency, along with teaching others how to do the same
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and adapting to change when demands shift
• Able to establish trust and cultivate effective partnerships with multiple constituencies
• Proactive; able to understand the problem at hand, identify next steps and autonomously take the appropriate actions
• Logical and thoughtful; demonstrates judgment, discretion and confidentiality
• An excellent verbal & written communicator; explain business problems, concepts and resolutions to all audiences from executives to individual contributors
• Detail-oriented with a high quality bar and track record of flawless execution
• A positive, solution-oriented team player

On Your Resume

• Bachelor's Degree is preferred
• Agile / PMP Certification is a plus
• 8+ years of experience as an HR/People Ops practitioner; subject matter expertise in (one or more area) performance management, employee engagement, talent management, compensation, HR systems management, implementations & integrations
• Experience independently managing complex projects with company-wide reach and impact
• Demonstrated understanding of the People function, best practices, standards, compliance, systems and common programs and initiatives
• Fluency with data reporting and analysis (and relevant tools like Google sheets/slides); experience leveraging data to inform, provide insight, support decision making and build influence
• Experience leveraging AI tools for productivity and efficiency at the individual and team level (Notion a plus)
• Demonstrated ability to leverage business tools for project lifecycle management and communication (our stack includes Notion, Slack, Google Suite)
• Demonstrated excellence developing executive facing presentations and analyses in Google Slides, Google Sheets
• Demonstrated consultative and partnership skills; forge effective relationships with key stakeholders across all levels to manage, inform, and influence outcomes

Location

The BrainPOP team operates in a hybrid work environment: Each role has remote flexibility and an in-person component at our New York headquarters or other meeting locations. Based on the requirements of a specific role, we may prioritize hiring within a commutable distance of our New York headquarters or in another region relevant to that role.

We can employ individuals residing in the following approved hiring states:

• Arizona
• California
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Washington

We take a geo-neutral approach to compensation within the US, meaning that we pay based on job function and level, not location. We have competitive pay bands for all other countries based on market standards. Individual compensation decisions are based on a number of factors, including experience level, skill set, and balancing internal equity relative to peers at the company. Based on these factors, we expect most of the candidates offered roles at our company to fall healthily throughout the range. We recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced (or more senior) than this job description, as posted. If so, the updated salary range will be communicated to you as a candidate.

USA Pay Scale

$120,000-$160,000 USD

Life at BrainPOP

At BrainPOP, our work directly impacts how teachers teach and students learn. They inspire us to build solutions that facilitate joy and meaningful learning outcomes. Our commitment to educators and kids is reflected in our dedication to the BrainPOP team: ensuring their experience is empowering, creative, collaborative, playful, and anchored in learning and growth.

Our team is made up of educators, data scientists, published authors, engineers, artists, bakers, film buffs, cyclists, dual citizens, and so much more. We value diversity and inclusion, collaboration, and learning from multiple perspectives.

We believe that a diverse organization is a more effective organization. BrainPOP is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.