Human Resources & Payroll Director

As the Director of Human Resources & Payroll at Galileo Learning, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and enhancing our HR, payroll, compliance, and employee relations functions to support our mission of empowering young innovators. You will lead a small but mighty team overseeing HR operations, payroll, and compliance, ensuring our policies, practices, and employee experience meet the highest standards of legal compliance, equity, and organizational values.

You will guide complex employee relations matters, oversee payroll operations for all employee groups, ensure alignment with compliance standards, and partner across departments to foster a safe, positive, and inclusive work environment. Your leadership will extend to final payroll approval, high-stakes investigations, escalated employee matters, and ensuring efficient, scalable processes that uphold trust and accuracy.

Why this Role Matters

This role powers the operational and people foundation that makes Galileo's mission possible. By maintaining high-trust compliance, equitable employee relations, and reliable payroll across all HQ and seasonal staff, the Director of Human Resources & Payroll ensures that our organization can scale smoothly while remaining deeply committed to our core values. You will serve as a vital partner to leadership, driving continuous process improvement and cultivating an environment where diverse talents shine and every employee is supported.

You will be Accountable For

HR Leadership and Team Management

Lead the design and implementation of HR policies and procedures, ensuring they are up-to-date and compliant with relevant laws and regulations.

Develop and implement risk management strategies to ensure a safe and healthy work environment.

Oversee compliance with workplace safety regulations and lead initiatives to mitigate risks.

Manage, coach, and develop a team of 3 year-round direct reports, setting priorities, timelines, and success measures for each functional area of HR.

Lead the development of HR resources to provide guidance and support on complex personnel issues and termination consultations.

Partner with leaders to proactively address workplace concerns and maintain positive employee relations.

Employee Relations

Serve as the escalation point for complex and sensitive employee relations matters, including workplace investigations, performance concerns, and disciplinary actions.

Ensure all employee relations processes are handled with fairness, consistency, and in compliance with applicable laws and organizational policies.

Provide coaching and guidance to leaders on addressing workplace concerns proactively.

Partner with legal and compliance resources as needed to mitigate risk and ensure adherence to best practices.

Payroll Oversight

Direct payroll strategy, developing sustainable and scalable processes to enable accurate and timely payroll processing.

Oversee payroll operations for HQ staff, Camp Directors, and seasonal summer staff.

Manage and support the Payroll Lead and Payroll Specialists, ensuring accurate and timely pay for all employees.

Be accountable for final payroll approval and ensuring efficient, scalable payroll practices.

Partner with the People Program Manager to ensure systems issues are resolved and that payroll reporting needs are met, without being the sole ADP administrator.

HR Compliance and Reporting

Oversee employment requirements for all staff, including onboarding compliance, background check, and ongoing certifications across HQ, CDs, and summer staff.

Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.

Regularly review and update HR policies to reflect changes in legislation and best practices.

Develop and manage an auditing system for HR processes to ensure accuracy, compliance, and continuous improvement.

Generate and analyze HR reports to provide actionable insights to leadership and support data-driven decision-making.

ADP HR Relationship Management

Manage the relationship with ADP HR services, with primary focus on the HRBP relationship.

Coordinate with ADP representatives to address and resolve system issues and enhancements, in collaboration with the People Program Manager.

Total Rewards

Oversee the development and administration of total rewards programs, including compensation, benefits, and recognition initiatives.

Conduct market research to ensure Galileo's compensation and benefits offerings remain competitive and equitable.

Performance Management

Lead the performance management process, including goal setting, performance evaluations, and development planning.

Partner with leaders to ensure consistent and effective performance management practices across the organization.

Collaboratively inform learning and development priorities for HQ staff and partner with the head of People and CEO to lead the managers' learning resources and learning sessions.

Inspired by Galileo's mission and purpose; eager to participa…