Job Description

Job Title : Managing Director of Talent
Functional Team : Talent
Job Type : Full-time
FLSA Classification : Exempt
Location : Hybrid in New York City (NY), Chicago (IL), Bay Area or Los Angeles (CA), Miami (FL)
Desired Start Date: April 1, 2025
Direct Supervisor : Chief Operating Officer

COOP is building a diverse movement of upwardly mobile first-generation college grads overcoming underemployment through digital skills and peer connections. We want to reignite our nation’s promise of upward mobility for those who strive to achieve a brighter future for themselves and their families—to ensure the American Dream is a reality for all. We connect un-/underemployed first-gen college graduates to one another—within cohorts and across “generations” of cohorts. By growing their peer professional networks, members of our community achieve upward economic mobility by building the skills and connections they need for the careers they deserve.

Our intervention for underemployed graduates has produced compelling wage outcomes for thousands of first-generation and low-income grads in New York, California, Illinois, and Florida. 

Within 12 months of program completion, three-in-four COOP alumni are fully employed.

Learn more about COOP Careers’ here: 

Our Workplace

COOP is an alumni-led organization where we bring our authentic selves to work every day. Over 60% of our staff members have been program participants which translates into a workplace that is mission-driven with deep connections to our community. Rooted in the core values that comprise our three pillars of Head, Heart, and Hustle, we approach our work with empathy, curiosity, and a shared sense of purpose.

Our teams span across NYC, Bay Area, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami. We come together virtually each month to create space for collective learning and professional development, and regionally in-person each month to build connections. We approach our shared mission of overcoming underemployment with resourcefulness and optimism while bringing fun to the challenge.

What You Will Do

The Managing Director of Talent (MDoT) will drive COOP’s talent strategy, ensuring the attraction, development, management, and retention of our most important asset - our team - to achieve our goals and fulfill our organizational objectives. This role will lead a team of five professionals and oversee key talent workstreams across the areas of talent acquisition, performance management, professional development, employee engagement and culture, systems and operations, and compliance.

As COOP grows and scales, the MDoT will work to make the talent function more efficient via digital automation and innovation, allowing the team to leverage their expertise to drive effectiveness. The MDoT will also serve as a key thought partner to senior and executive leadership, leveraging their deep expertise and knowledge of talent practices to foster a workplace culture rooted in equity, collaboration, and continuous growth while ensuring the proper systems and processes are in place to mitigate risk.

Responsibilities:

Talent Strategy (40%)

• Set a clear vision and strategic direction for the talent team, aligned with organizational objectives
• Collaborate with the senior leadership team on all matters related to talent, ensuring that talent strategies align with functional goals and organizational objectives
• Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) and strategic advisor to the executive team, providing insights on talent trends, challenges, and opportunities, informed by best practices
• Build strong talent policies and procedures that support organizational growth and scale

Systems, Operations, and Compliance (30%)

• Oversee talent operations, including on- and offboarding, benefits administration, and payroll for 80+ full-time and 250+ cyclical, part-time staff
• Ensure talent compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations
• Lead annual total reward package review to ensure COOP remains equitable and competitive
• Manage relationships with external vendors, including HRIS systems and benefits providers
• Lead initiatives to create efficiencies in talent operations and compliance, including implementing new and innovative systems across talent workstreams

Team Leadership (30%)

• Manage and develop talent team, fostering professional growth and a commitment to excellence, driving results through both people managers and individual contributors
• Build a results-oriented team culture where accountability, innovation, and resourcefulness are prioritized to achieve individual goals and functional key results
• Facilitate opportunities for shared learning that enhance collaboration and team cohesion
• Lead the talent team in developing best practices and scalable solutions that support growth

Who We Need

Required Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or a related field
• 10+ years of progressive experience in human resources, talent management, with 5+ years in a senior leadership role, preferably in the nonprofit sector
• Demonstrated expertise in all aspects of talent management and the employee lifecycle
• Extensive knowledge of talent compliance landscape with experience in talent risk management
• Deep understanding of talent compliance with a focus on employment laws and regulations
• Proven track record of effectively leading multiple complex talent workstreams in service of building organizational capacity and driving team effectiveness in a scaling organization 
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to use data to inform talent strategies

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Familiarity with workforce development programs 
• Professional certification such as SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or similar

Who You Are

• Initiative and Results Driven - Creates action plans to drive decisions that deliver results and enhance intended impact, accounting for internal and external factors that might affect desired results and adjusting course as needed
• Collaborator - Views work with a collective mindset; supports others in understanding how we achieve our shared purpose with mutual accountability and shared ownership to achieve our goals
• Adaptable & Effective Change Manager - Open to new ideas; responds to, prepares for and embraces change effectively; supports/leads colleagues through change
• Strategic Thinker - Considers the future of the organization proactively; weighs diverse inputs to inform strategy; identifies opportunities for efficiency, improvement, and innovation
• Develops & Motivates Others - Motivates others and supports their development through strong coaching and mentoring and effective people management and team leadership

What We Offer You

COOP Careers believes it is mission-critical to hire, retain, and motivate highly-qualified, passionate, dedicated professionals and is committed to providing a fair and comprehensive compensation package, which includes:

• Base Annual Salary: $135,000 - $150,000 (commensurate with experience)
• A generous and flexible vacation policy, including holidays and office closures for Wellness Weeks the last week of December and first week of July 
• 100% employer-funded comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you (80% employer-funded coverage for dependents)
• Flexible spending account benefits (healthcare, dependent care, and commuter)
• 401(K) retirement plan and 4% employer match - eligibility to participate after one year of service

Hybrid Working Policy

COOP’s hybrid workplace strikes a thoughtful balance between at-home flexibility and in-person chemistry. Regular shared experience in person (structured and spontaneous) will enhance collaboration, strengthen existing relationships, and forge new ones within and across teams. Intentional, casual, and joyful moments together will infuse our culture with the sense of community that makes COOP unique and powerful and will collectively push us toward our shared purpose. 

Currently, all COOP team members are working remotely and attending a once-a-month in-person coworking and team-building day at our co-located space in lower Manhattan (Civic Hall, 124 E 14th St, New York, NY 10003) for NYC team members and in San Francisco (Swissnex, San Francisco Pier 17, The Embarcadero Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94111) for Bay Area team members or a mutually convenient coworking location for our Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami team members.

Residency Policy

All employees must reside within commuting distance (approximately two hours) of a COOP Program site located in the following cities: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Bay Area, and within the states of CA, CT, FL, IL, IN, NJ or NY.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

COOP provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. We seek to build a diverse staff representative of the communities we serve. All qualified applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

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