People Operations Lead

People Operations Lead Reports to: People & Culture Senior Director Direct reports: 2 Remote – US (with preference for an east coast timezone) About Us Textile Exchange is a global non-profit driving positive impact on climate change across the fashion and textile industry. It guides a growing community of brands, manufacturers, and farmers towards more purposeful production from the very start of the supply chain. By 2030, its goal is to guide the industry to achieve a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions within fiber and raw material production. Its focus is holistic and interconnected, accelerating the adoption of practices that improve the state of our water, soil health, and biodiversity too. For real change to happen, everyone needs a clear path to positive impact. That’s why Textile Exchange believes that approachable, step-by-step instruction paired with collective action can change the system to make preferred materials and fibers an accessible default, mobilizing leaders through attainable strategies, proven solutions, and a driven community. At Textile Exchange, materials matter. To learn more, visit . Working at Textile Exchange We work remotely with a team located in 20+ countries. We are a diverse group committed to harnessing the strengths of the global textile industry to accelerate change toward climate and other key environmental goals. We work collaboratively on important environmental issues around the world by working and interacting with farming groups, processors, brands, retailers, and environmental experts in the textile and fashion industries around the world. We offer an opportunity to join a cutting-edge global environmental nonprofit and to help strengthen the impact of our organization. Position Summary The People Operations Lead is a member of the Leadership Team and serves as primary strategic support to the Senior Director, People & Culture — translating direction into workable plans and representing the Senior Director's priorities to the organization when needed. This role owns the systems, compliance, and operational infrastructure the People & Culture function runs on, and is accountable for ensuring core people operations are efficient, consistent, compliant, and designed for a positive employee experience. The role provides leadership and mentorship to the Global Benefits & Leave Specialist and Payroll & People Systems Specialist, and day-to-day functional guidance and coaching to the People & Culture Business Partner, who owns front-line execution of the employee lifecycle. Primary Duties and Responsibilities Strategic Partnership & Talent Management Serve as thought partner to the Senior Director, translating vision and priorities into actionable plans and representing those priorities in cross-functional and leadership conversations when needed. Align HR strategy with organizational objectives; lead organizational change, workforce planning, and talent management initiatives. Policy & Compliance Track regional, federal, and international HR law to keep the organization compliant, including partnership with the Employer-of-Record (EOR) for international employees. Co-develop HR policies and procedures with the Senior Director in line with best practices and legal requirements. Payroll, Benefits & People Systems Lead and mentor the Payroll & People Systems Specialist; hold overall accountability for the effectiveness, compliance, and operational integrity of U.S. payroll. Lead and mentor the Global Benefits & Leave Specialist; hold overall accountability for benefits and leave program design, compliance, and administration across regions. Serve as primary escalation point with brokers, carriers, and EOR partners; lead renewals, plan design, and open enrollment strategy. Own BambooHR and the broader People & Culture technology ecosystem — integrations, workflows, data integrity, and permissions — and lead system implementations and process improvements. Employee Relations & Performance Serve as escalation point for complex, sensitive, or high-risk employee relations matters; coach the People & Culture Business Partner on performance issues requiring formal action plans, documentation, or difficult conversations. Ensure managers conduct timely, effective performance evaluations and are equipped to lead meaningful performance and development conversations. Partner with the Learning & Development Strategist on learning and career development program design and impact measurement. Culture and Inclusion Foster a positive, inclusive, transparent culture that reflects Textile Exchange's principles, and promote DEI within all People & Culture functions. Secondary Duties and Responsibilities Perform additional duties and support special projects as assigned by the Senior Director, People & Culture. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's degree in HR, business administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience. 7+ years of progressive HR/People & Culture experience, including strategic HR partnership, People Operations, and people leadership. Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring, or supervising HR professionals. Strong knowledge of HR principles and practices — employee relations, performance management, talent management, organizational development, and HR technology. Strong working knowledge of U.S. employment law with the ability to apply compliance requirements across multiple jurisdictions. Strong knowledge of U.S. payroll, benefits, and leave administration, including renewals, plan design, and vendor/broker management. Demonstrated experience overseeing an HRIS — workflows, integrations, data integrity, permissions, and system implementations. Proven ability to manage complex, sensitive employee relations matters with confidentiality, professionalism, and diplomacy. Experience leading organizational change management and workforce planning. Strong analytical and decision-making skills, with the ability to use people data and HR metrics to inform decisions. Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to explain complex HR matters clearly. Able to work independently in a fully remote environment, across time zones occasionally, and travel internationally up to 10% annually. Preferred Qualifications SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or equivalent certification. Experience with EOR providers and global benefits/employment practices across multiple jurisdictions. Experience with BambooHR or a comparable HRIS platform. Experience in a global, distributed, nonprofit, and/or remote-first organization. Experience supporting organizations through growth or transformation. U.S.-based, preferably Eastern Time Zone. Employment Package Full-Time Position, 40 Hours a Week Required travel: <10% Annual Salary Range: $115,000 - $150,000 USD Please note that whilst we are a remote first organization currently based in the following states: AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, MD, MN, MO, MT, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, VT, WA, WI, WY At present we are not looking to recruit in states we are currently not registered in