Director of HR Operations in Syracuse, New York at Christopher Community, Inc.

Christopher Community, Inc. (CCINC) seeks a Full-Time Director of HR Operations to join its growing organization! The physical work location for this position will be at Christopher Community, Inc. located in Syracuse, NY!

CCINC is a not-for-profit Housing Development and Property Management company that assist low- and moderate-income families and seniors to secure suitable housing across Upstate New York. Christopher Community currently manages over 3,300 units of housing in more than 100 buildings, and administers the Rental Assistance Program in Onondaga County, which provides assistance to over 1,200 households. Since 1971, Christopher Community has maintained a proven track record in developing and operating affordable housing. We regularly receive very high ratings both from government and private entities for the way we manage our properties.

Christopher Community offers competitive wages and generous benefits!

Benefit Summary:

• 35-hour work week with flexible schedule
• 21 Days Paid Time Off (PTO) - Vacation, Personal & Sick Days; increased to 30 PTO days after 1st Year!
• 14 Paid Holidays (plus 2 floating holidays of your choice)
• Retirement Match for 403(b) retirement plan
• Company contribution to Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance

Annual Salary Range: $75,000 - $82,000

POSITION SUMMARY:

Christopher Community, Inc. (CCI) is a not-for-profit affordable housing developer and management organization serving low- and moderate-income families and seniors across Upstate New York. The Director of HR Operations serves as CCI’s lead human resources professional and, as a member of the senior leadership team, oversees employee relations, compliance, payroll and benefits oversight, HR systems, and organizational people processes while partnering with department leaders and external resources to support recruitment, onboarding, performance management systems, employee engagement, workplace culture, and efficient, employee-centered HR operations across the organization.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

An individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee relations matters, workplace concerns, HR inquiries, and policy interpretation while supporting department leaders in navigating employee-related issues and documentation practices.
• Lead or coordinate employee investigations, corrective action processes, performance-related documentation, separations, and employee relations matters, partnering with external HR/legal resources when appropriate.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and employment-related laws and regulations while coordinating with external consultants and partners for specialized guidance and best practices as needed.
• Oversee leave administration processes including FMLA, PFL, ADA accommodations, workers’ compensation coordination, and related documentation to ensure compliance and consistency.
• Maintain and administer HR policies, procedures, and employee handbook implementation in collaboration with external partners and organizational leadership.
• Oversee day-to-day HR operations to ensure effective, compliant, consistent, and employee-centered processes across the organization.
• Manage HRIS systems and payroll/benefits vendor relationships, supporting implementation, enhancements, system improvements, and process efficiencies.
• Oversee payroll and benefits administration processes, including audits, approvals, escalations, employee support, and coordination with third-party providers to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Ensure personnel files, employee records, HR documentation, and confidential employee information are maintained accurately, securely, and in compliance with organizational standards.
• Design, coordinate, and maintain recruitment, onboarding, and offboarding systems and standards while partnering with department leaders to support hiring, onboarding experiences, and departmental ownership of role-specific onboarding and hiring decisions.
• Support recruitment strategy, offer coordination, and complex hiring situations while ensuring onboarding and offboarding processes meet organizational, payroll, benefits, and compliance requirements.
• Support the design, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of organizational performance management systems while partnering with department leaders to promote accountability, consistency, effective documentation, and appropriate use of performance tools.
• Partner with the President & CEO and department leaders to design, implement, and sustain employee engagement, workplace culture, recognition, communication, and feedback initiatives while identifying workforce trends and opportunities to strengthen employee experience.
• Monitor, analyze, and report on HR metrics and workforce trends including turnover, vacancies, leave trends, staffing data, employee concerns, engagement efforts, and performance management effectiveness to support organizational decision-making.
• Serve as a member of the senior leadership team, supervise and support the HR Operations Coordinator, coordinate with vendors and external consultants, and identify opportunities to strengthen HR systems, operational efficiency, communication, and employee-facing processes.

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or related field preferred, or equivalent experience.
• 4–6 years of progressive HR experience in employee relations, operations, payroll, benefits, or compliance.
• Experience in lean, multi-site, nonprofit, property management, healthcare, or service environments preferred.
• Working knowledge of employment law, leave administration, and HR compliance with sound risk judgment.
• Experience managing employee relations, investigations, corrective action, and confidential personnel matters.
• Experience with HRIS, payroll, benefits systems, and vendor coordination; Paylocity experience preferred.
• Strong organizational, communication, problem-solving, and relationship-building skills with ability to manage priorities.
• Supervisory experience, HR certification, and Microsoft Office/HR systems proficiency preferred.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to sit for extended periods, communicate verbally, and use hands and fingers to operate office equipment and technology. The employee may occasionally stand, walk, reach, and lift or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The work environment is typically low to moderate noise.