People & Talent Operations Manager
Confidential Search
Location: Somerset County, New Jersey
Schedule: Onsite Monday through Thursday with the option to work remotely on Friday
Reports to: Head of People
Position Type: Full time
Anticipated Base Salary: $105,000 to $120,000, based on experience and qualifications
The Opportunity
A growing, multi-site healthcare organization is looking for a thoughtful, creative, and highly capable People & Talent Operations Manager to join its People team.
This is an opportunity to help build something meaningful. Our People function is evolving, and we are creating thoughtful, connected experiences that support candidates from their first conversation with us and employees throughout their journey with the organization.
You will work closely with the Head of People to bring People strategy to life. The Head of People will establish the overall vision, priorities, and standards for the function. You will help turn that vision into well-executed programs, processes, systems, and everyday experiences.
You will own meaningful work, have room to think creatively, and be encouraged to bring forward ideas and insights. We are looking for someone who can see both the big picture and the practical steps required to make it real.
If you enjoy connecting people, processes, systems, and ideas, this role offers the opportunity to do all of that. You may develop a sourcing strategy, improve a candidate experience, help implement a new system, support an employee through a leave, build a workflow, or create a resource that makes a manager’s job easier. The variety is part of what makes this work meaningful, and you will have a collaborative Head of People beside you as you do it.
We believe excellent healthcare begins with people who feel supported, informed, valued, and connected to their work. This position will play an important role in creating that experience.
About the Role
The People & Talent Operations Manager will serve as a trusted operational partner to the Head of People and the broader organization.
This is a senior individual contributor role with manager-level scope. Direct reports are not anticipated initially, although the role may continue to evolve as the organization and People function grow.
Talent Acquisition and People Operations will not operate as separate lanes. Recruiting, onboarding, employee support, systems, total rewards, reporting, policies, and employee experience are all part of one connected People journey.
You will have reasonable autonomy to manage daily work, partner directly with hiring managers, maintain systems, coordinate projects, recommend improvements, and move agreed priorities forward. You will also have regular access to the Head of People for mentorship, feedback, professional development, and support with complex matters.
What We Will Build Together
The People & Talent Operations Manager and Head of People will work together to establish a People function that candidates, employees, managers, and leaders can trust.
Together, we will:
- Translate People strategy and organizational priorities into clear plans, processes, timelines, and meaningful employee experiences.
- Own full-cycle recruiting across clinical, operational, revenue cycle, and corporate positions while building strong hiring manager partnerships and a thoughtful candidate experience.
- Establish a gold standard for Talent Acquisition through creative sourcing, reliable pipeline visibility, meaningful insights, and consistent communication.
- Implement and maintain People and Talent systems, including an Applicant Tracking System, HRIS, recruiting platforms, reporting tools, and reliable sources of information.
- Create a connected employee journey across recruiting, prehire activities, onboarding, employee records, development, and offboarding.
- Support total rewards programs, including benefits administration, open enrollment, leave administration, accommodations, employee communication, and vendor coordination.
- Support accurate and timely payroll processing through a modern HRIS and payroll platform, including employee data changes, payroll preparation, review, issue resolution, and coordination with Finance and organizational partners.
- Support the consistent administration of People practices in alignment with employment requirements, company policies, and established documentation standards, while raising questions or potential risks to the Head of People when appropriate.
- Provide approachable and dependable support to employees and managers while assisting with performance processes, employee concerns, documentation, and follow-through.
- Help employees and managers understand and adopt new People programs, policies, systems, and processes through thoughtful communication, practical resources, training, and ongoing support, including clear SOPs, workflows, guides, and resources.
- Support learning, training, performance, and professional development initiatives by coordinating timelines, resources, communications, participation, and follow-through, while contributing to engagement, recognition, and culture.
- Lead cross-functional People projects, coordinate with organizational partners, identify opportunities for improvement, and bring forward thoughtful ideas and practical recommendations.
Success will not be defined by checking boxes or knowing every answer on the first day. It will be reflected in the quality of the relationships you build, the care you bring to the work, the reliability of the programs and processes you manage, and your ability to turn ideas into meaningful results.
What You Bring
We are looking for someone with a strong foundation in Human Resources, People Operations, Talent Acquisition, or a combination of these areas.
You may be a strong Senior HR Generalist who has supported recruiting and is ready for broader ownership. You may come from Talent Acquisition and have meaningful People Operations experience. You may already hold a manager title, or this may be the right next step in your growth.
Relevant qualifications may include:
- Five or more years of progressive experience in Human Resources, People Operations, Talent Acquisition, or a related function.
- Strong full-cycle recruiting experience or experience managing significant recruiting responsibilities as part of a broader HR role.
- Experience partnering directly with hiring managers and organizational leaders.
- Experience recruiting clinical, healthcare, operational, revenue cycle, or difficult-to-fill positions is highly valued.
- Experience supporting employee lifecycle processes.
- Experience with leave administration is highly valued.
- Familiarity with benefits administration and open enrollment.
- Experience supporting or directly processing payroll through an HRIS or payroll platform is highly valued.
- Experience supporting employee relations, performance management, or manager guidance.
- Experience using or administering an Applicant Tracking System.
- Experience using, implementing, or administering a modern HRIS.
- Experience creating People or recruiting reports, trackers, dashboards, and insights.
- Experience developing SOPs, workflows, process documentation, and employee resources.
- Strong organizational, project management, and communication skills.
- Sound judgment when handling confidential or sensitive information.
- Ability to balance multiple priorities while maintaining reliable follow-through.
- Comfort working in a growing environment where some processes are still being built.
- Willingness to work onsite four days each week and travel between organizational locations when needed.
- Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or another relevant certification is a plus.
You Do Not Need to Check Every Box
We recognize that great People professionals can arrive at this opportunity through different career paths.
If you are an experienced Senior HR Generalist, People Operations professional, or Talent Acquisition professional who can see yourself growing into this role, we would be happy to hear from you.
The right person does not need to have completed every responsibility independently before. What matters is that you have a strong foundation, sound judgment, curiosity, humility, and a genuine willingness to learn.
The Head of People is committed to providing mentorship, context, feedback, and opportunities for development. We are looking for someone who is ready to own their work while continuing to grow.
Who Will Thrive Here
You may feel at home in this role if you:
- Lead with kindness while remaining accountable.
- Find joy in helping people feel supported and understood.
- Enjoy bringing ideas to life.
- Naturally connect people, processes, technology, and timelines.
- Are creative, curious, and comfortable recommending a better way.
- Appreciate both strategy and detailed execution.
- Take pride in creating clarity and organization.
- Communicate early and honestly.
- Welcome feedback and offer thoughtful feedback in return.
- Know when to move independently and when to ask for partnership.
- Understand the trust involved in People work.
- Remain calm and thoughtful when priorities shift.
- Want to help shape a People function rather than simply inherit one.
How We Work
Our People culture is grounded in care, clarity, respect, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
We believe people should know what is expected of them, understand where to go for support, and feel respected throughout every interaction with the organization.
We value people who are willing to listen, learn, contribute, and follow through. We care about the quality of the work, but we care just as deeply about how the work is done.
We work hard, support one another, celebrate progress, and remain connected to the people behind every process.
Total Rewards
Our current Total Rewards offering for eligible full-time employees includes:
- Multiple medical, dental, and vision plan options, along with access to health savings accounts, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts, limited-purpose flexible spending accounts, and commuter transit and parking accounts.
- A 401(k) retirement plan available after six months of employment at the next quarterly enrollment opportunity, with company matching contributions of up to 4 percent based on the employee’s contribution.
- 120 hours of annual paid time off for eligible full-time employees, along with company-recognized paid holidays.
- Voluntary life and AD&D, short-term and long-term disability, accident, hospital indemnity, critical illness, cancer and specified illness coverage, plus a free confidential Employee Assistance Program, identity protection, legal services, pet wellness options, and an employee savings marketplace.
Specific plans, employee contributions, coverage levels, eligibility requirements, and plan terms will be reviewed during the recruitment process and are subject to the governing plan documents.
Why Consider This Opportunity
This role offers the opportunity to:
- Work closely with and learn directly from an experienced Head of People.
- Help shape a growing People and Talent function.
- Own meaningful work while contributing ideas and recommendations.
- Help establish a gold standard for Talent Acquisition.
- Support employees and managers throughout the full employee journey.
- Participate in the selection and implementation of new technology.
- Build processes and resources that will have a visible organizational impact.
- Gain meaningful exposure to broader People strategy.
- Grow professionally as the organization and People function continue to evolve.
- Join a culture where care, people, and purpose genuinely matter.
Ready to Help Build Something Meaningful?
We would be happy to hear from you.
Confidentiality
This search is being conducted confidentially. Additional information about the organization will be shared with selected candidates as they move through the interview process.
The organization is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable law.
Pay: $105,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible schedule
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Referral program
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Please summarize your progressive experience across Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, and People Operations. Include the types of positions you have recruited for, the People Operations functions you have supported, and which responsibilities you owned directly versus supported as part of a team.
- Please describe a time when you supported an employee or manager through a sensitive or challenging situation while also maintaining appropriate policies, processes, boundaries, and accountability. What was your role, how did you approach the situation, when did you seek guidance or escalate, and what was the outcome?
- In 250 words or fewer, please describe a time when you were responsible for active recruiting priorities while also completing a People Operations, HR systems, payroll, employee lifecycle, or process improvement project.
Please include:
The business need or problem
What you personally owned
How you organized the work and balanced competing priorities
Any systems, reporting, data, or documentation you used
The result and what you learned
- People are at the heart of this role, and we would love to learn something beyond your resume. What is one fun fact about you, something that brings you joy, or a unique interest that helps make you who you are?
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Somerset County, NJ
