People Operations Officer
Youth Exchange
Reports to: Deputy Director of Operations
Salary Range: $57,000–$65,500
Term of Employment: Full-time
Base of Operations Designation: Vermont
Remote Eligible: Remote OR Hybrid
World Learning seeks a People Operations Officer, Youth Exchange to manage the recruitment, hiring, onboarding, evaluation, and retention of the seasonal staff who lead Youth Exchange programs, including The Experiment in International Living and U.S. Department of State–funded exchange programs. The People Operations Officer will recruit and hire group leaders and digital facilitators year-round, manage applicant pools and offer letters, coordinate seasonal staff payments with payroll and HR, and evaluate seasonal staff performance through 360-degree feedback from partners, participants, and colleagues. The People Operations Officer works closely with the Operations team on seasonal staff logistics and finances and serves as the team's liaison with World Learning Human Resources on seasonal staff policy.
ABOUT GLOBAL PROGRAMS
This position will be a part of the Global Programs unit of World Learning which designs, implements, monitors and evaluates global exchange and education programs. We work with various donors, including the U.S. Department of State, to achieve immediate impact and sustainable outcomes. Consistent with our organization's status as both a global nonprofit and an accredited institution of higher education, we prioritize experiential programs that are grounded in theory and proven in practice.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Recruitment and Hiring
- Manage the year-round recruitment and hiring cycle for seasonal group leaders and digital facilitators for The Experiment and Youth Exchange programs.
- Manage recruitment and hiring of temporary staff for custom and short-term programs implemented throughout the year.
- Develop strategic recruitment, hiring, and workplan timelines aligned with each program's calendar and staffing needs.
- Design and manage outreach strategies that build strong, broad, and representative applicant pools for each program.
- Update seasonal staff job descriptions annually and coordinate postings, website updates, and social media outreach with Marketing and Communications.
- Design and annually update the seasonal staff application in collaboration with Enterprise Technology Solutions.
- Manage applicant pools, including application and pre-recorded interview review, live interviews, reference checks, and language proficiency checks.
- Place seasonal staff in program assignments, create and distribute offer letters, and notify applicants not moved forward.
- Manage ongoing communication with applicants, references, and hired seasonal staff.
Onboarding, Payments, and HR Compliance
- Supervise and coordinate onboarding for all Youth Exchange seasonal staff, including hiring paperwork and personnel notifications.
- Coordinate and distribute payments for seasonal staff and contractors in collaboration with the Finance, payroll, and HR departments.
- Serve as the Youth Exchange liaison with World Learning Human Resources to implement hiring policies and best practices.
- Determine and implement appropriate designations for engaging seasonal staff as employees or contractors.
- Manage seasonal staff rescinds and terminations in consultation with Human Resources and the Deputy Director, Operations.
- Maintain secure and compliant data management for applicant and seasonal staff records.
- Maintain current knowledge of human resource policies and employment regulations relevant to seasonal and temporary staff.
Evaluation and Retention
- Collect, analyze, and distribute 360-degree seasonal staff evaluation feedback from partners, participants, and colleagues at the end of each program cycle.
- Manage the evaluation platform and track data from seasonal staff evaluation processes to inform future hiring and training.
- Build and maintain relationships with former and current seasonal staff to strengthen retention year over year.
- Lead training sessions for Youth Exchange colleagues on best practices in managing and supporting seasonal staff.
- Supervise and train temporary staff supporting recruitment, hiring, and onboarding as needed.
Staff Training, Logistics, and Risk Management
- Support the Deputy Director, Operations in planning and delivering the annual Youth Exchange Staff Training, including workshop design, session facilitation, and on-site administration.
- Collaborate with Operations Officers to implement seasonal staff travel policies, logistics, and finance reconciliation.
- Maintain a thorough understanding of Youth Exchange Team Handbook policies and review, edit, and create seasonal staff content as assigned.
- Provide on-call support during programs, advising seasonal staff and responding to participant health, discipline, and behavioral issues in coordination with partners, families, and staff.
Organizational Engagement
- Attend key organizational meetings (e.g., town halls, quarterly meetings) and learning sessions to understand and maintain awareness of organizational priorities and policies.
REQUIREMENTS
Required Experience/Education:
- A bachelor's degree or equivalent experience is required.
- At least four years of related work experience is required.
- Applicants must be authorized to work in the location where this position is offered.
Required Skills:
- Understanding of Human Resources processes, including recruitment, interviewing, hiring, compensation, and onboarding.
- Demonstrated experience with staff performance management, including in-the-moment coaching and formal evaluations.
- Clear understanding of challenges facing high school students and the adults who lead them on field-based, experiential exchange programs.
- Excellent training and facilitation skills both virtually and in person.
- Ability to discern the appropriate level of communication with multiple audiences and maintain confidentiality around complex and sensitive issues.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, coordinate activities in multiple locations, and prioritize competing tasks.
- Proficiency with applicant tracking or CRM platforms, Microsoft Office, and virtual meeting platforms.
- Strong oral and written communication skills in English.
Required Behaviors/Competencies:
- Acts as a collaborative and resourceful team player.
- Supports a culture of continuous learning and improvement through diligent program monitoring, data tracking, and reflection to ensure strong outcomes.
- Displays curiosity about World Learning and is eager to represent the organization effectively to external audiences, as required.
- Shows dedication to the organization's business development targets through ongoing program implementation and relationship building.
- Exercises strong and sound judgment and adapts comfortably to change and ambiguity.
- Willingness and ability to participate in the on-call duty rotation while programs are in session, including assigned nights, weekends, and holidays.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with policy and regulatory requirements for student services in a study abroad or exchange context is a plus.
- Experience working with international contractors and contracting systems is a plus.
- Previous experience working with high school students in a leadership capacity is valued.
- Experience implementing U.S. Department of State–funded exchange programs is a plus.
- Experience with Salesforce is a plus.
ABOUT WORLD LEARNING
For more than 90 years, World Learning has advanced American leadership at home and abroad by equipping students, professionals, and institutions with the skills, networks, and real-world experience needed to address today's most pressing challenges. Through dynamic, experiential education and exchange programs, we strengthen 21st-century competencies, foster innovation, and expand economic opportunity-building more secure and prosperous communities worldwide.