Description:
Book Harvest, an award-winning children’s literacy nonprofit scaling nationally, is seeking an Associate Director of People Operations to serve as our team’s data engine and system champion. In this hybrid role, you will blend analytical rigor with deep empathy to manage our HRIS, optimize software migrations, navigate multi-state compliance, and turn complex data into clear, equity-driven insights while serving as a warm cultural touchpoint for our staff.
This is a full-time, hybrid role requiring a 40-60% weekly presence at our Durham, NC office, though we are open to regional candidates within a 200-mile radius who can commute in a few times a month for core meetings and team connection.
About Book Harvest
Book Harvest is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization based in Durham, NC, with an ambitious mission: books for every child, support for every parent, and literacy for every community. Since 2011, Book Harvest has placed more than three million books in the hands of children and families—grounded in the belief that literacy starts at birth, in the home, powered by parents, and nourished with books.
Book Harvest is now at a defining moment. The organization is embarking on a national movement to ensure that every child has the home library they need to become a reader and is building the research, policy, and field infrastructure to realize a new standard of care. With annual revenues exceeding $10 million and programmatic reach expanding nationally, this is an organization accelerating toward national impact.
Who You Are
You are a systems-savvy talent leader who believes that getting operational details right is one of the most deeply human things a People team can do. Bringing warmth and structure in equal measure, you can coach a manager through an empathetic performance evaluation with the same clarity you bring to auditing a multi-state tax filing or configuring an API workflow. You understand that employee experience is shaped by seamless system updates, clear policy explanations, and intentional community-building rituals.
Organized, proactive, and analytical, you are equally at home navigating a performance platform as you are holding space for sensitive employee relations. You are a meticulous data gatekeeper, an exceptional collaborator, and a trusted partner excited to build a robust talent engine supporting our vision of literacy and justice for all.
What You'll Do
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Champion our tech stack and data engine: Serve as the primary, hands-on administrator for all HR software and systems. You will optimize our internal tech stack, eliminate manual trackers, and actively remove administrative bottlenecks so our systems serve as a friction-free resource for the entire staff. Looking ahead, you will champion the technical migration from legacy systems to a scalable, next-generation HRIS or PEO platform with zero data loss or downtime.
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Turn data into equity-driven insights: Act as the primary operational liaison to the Finance team and the gatekeeper for system-wide data integrity. You won't just manage the backend; you will track, analyze, and report on performance trends, core competency alignment, and internal equity metrics to support Book Harvest’s deep commitments to organizational transparency and pay equity.
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Navigate a multi-state compliance landscape: Maintain flawless employee records, I-9 compliance, legal disclosures, and state-by-state labor law requirements as we scale. You will implement the compliance frameworks needed to satisfy legal mandates in expanding territories and masterfully direct the technical and administrative logistics of compliant off-boarding and multi-state final paychecks.
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Bridge compliance with deep empathy: Bring warmth and structure in equal measure when interpreting personnel policies. You will serve as an empathetic, highly accessible point of contact for staff members navigating multi-state compliance guidelines, leaves of absence, and benefits tracking, ensuring everyone feels supported and informed.
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Operationalize total rewards and evolve payroll: Partner closely with the National Director and CFO to analyze benefits utilization and operationalize our biannual compensation equity audit—translating philosophy into concrete salary bands and system configurations. You will audit pre-payroll data with 100% accuracy and design the SOPs to seamlessly migrate the payroll execution function from Finance to HR by early 2027.
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Foster employee relations and team connection: Serve as a trusted, confidential avenue for staff inquiries, proactively building relational capital across departments through regular check-ins. You will partner with the National Director on content planning and facilitation for staff gatherings to foster team connection, while also stepping in to navigate complex personnel matters with diplomacy, care, and quality documentation.
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Embody our mission and culture: Actively contribute to a collaborative, inclusive, and mission-driven workplace. You will champion our Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion (DEBI) initiatives, participate in ongoing professional development, and show up as a visible, supportive leader across the organization.
Requirements:
What You'll Bring
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Work Authorization: Valid US work authorization is required for this role.
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Language Proficiency: Advanced written and spoken English proficiency, with a knack for communicating clearly and warmly.
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People Ops Experience: 6–8 years of professional experience, including at least 3 years directly focused on HR, People Operations, or Talent Analytics. If you've done this work inside a scaling or multi-state organization, that's a huge plus!
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Tech & Data Mastery: Advanced proficiency in data management and cleansing across multiple platforms (Excel, Paylocity, NewOrg, etc.), with technical mastery in configuring workflows within modern HRIS and performance platforms. Experience managing a major software implementation or data migration project is a big advantage.
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An Equity-First Mindset: A proven track record of designing and implementing systemic DEBI initiatives across talent acquisition, policy creation, and total rewards. You view operational excellence and data integrity as core drivers of an equitable workplace culture.
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High Emotional Intelligence & Professional Maturity: Experience handling sensitive, confidential employee relations matters with grace and discretion. You possess the professional maturity to provide sound, behind-the-scenes counsel to leadership and coach managers on performance best practices.
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Accessible Communication Skills: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills. You have a proven ability to translate complex database metrics, system changes, or regulatory guidelines into warm, transparent, and accessible insights for team members at all levels.
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Credentials (A Plus!): Progress toward or completion of relevant professional credentials (like a SHRM-CP, PHR, or fundamental payroll course completions) is highly valued.
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Core Competencies: You are an ethical, transparent leader who thrives through organizational shifts. You are skilled at connecting daily HR operations to long-term organizational goals while managing complex projects flawlessly and building strong alliances across departments.
Who Should Apply
At Book Harvest, we believe those who are affected most by literacy injustice must be centered in the work that we do—both inside and out. We prioritize applications from individuals who have lived experiences of our programs or who come from the communities we serve, and we strongly encourage applications from candidates who may not have seen themselves reflected in books and stories as a child. We welcome applications from varied professional backgrounds—whether you come from a traditional HR path, operations consulting, a scrappy startup, or a larger organization where you built systems from scratch. We do not require college degrees. However, because this role demands anchoring and scaling our entire backend infrastructure, you must be able to confidently demonstrate substantial, relevant professional experience. Because of these immediate systems-mastery and leadership demands, this particular opening is not suited for early-career professionals or individuals without meaningful People, HR, or Operations experience.
Total Rewards
At Book Harvest, we believe in radical transparency, deep equity, and taking exceptional care of our team.
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Salary Range: $70,000 – $84,500
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Our Equity-First Pay Model: Compensation is tied to your experience and dedication, not your negotiation skills. To eliminate systemic pay gaps, we never ask for salary history and do not negotiate offers. Instead, we use a predictable, step-based model that rewards your increasing tenure with dollars.
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Health & Wealth: 100% employer-sponsored healthcare (with elective dental, vision, disability, and life) and a 401(k) with an automatic 3% employer contribution (no match required).
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Time Off: Generous PTO, plus dedicated paid family leave and rewarding sabbatical leaves.
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Growth & Culture: Professional development funds, a flexible hybrid schedule, and a purposeful workplace where your work directly impacts children and literacy equity.
Hiring Process: Resume and cover letter required. The hiring process will include application questions, a phone call, and approximately two interviews, plus a work sample and reference checks. Learn more at bookharvest.org/careers.
NOTE: Cover Letter Required: We don’t just hire resumes; we hire human beings. A tailored cover letter must be submitted alongside your resume so we can understand your unique story, your alignment with our mission, and why you are excited about the particulars of this role. Applications submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.
Priority Deadline: Sunday, June 7, 2026. Applications received after this date are not guaranteed review.
Target Start Date: Monday, July 27, 2026
