Part-Time People & Culture Generalist Breakthrough Twin Cities Saint Paul, MN Job Details Part-time $32 - $38 an hour 21 hours ago Benefits Free parking Health insurance Dental insurance 401(k) Tuition reimbursement Vision insurance 401(k) matching Employee discount Flexible schedule Life insurance Food provided Qualifications Confidential information handling Employee retention Bachelor's degree Staff training Managing projects Business Administration Process management Full Job Description Organization Description Breakthrough Twin Cities (BTC) prepares students for college success and cultivates the next generation of educators. An independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit with sites in St. Paul and Eastern Carver County, BTC offers a six-year pathway to college for historically marginalized students and their families. Students in the middle school program complete three summers of academic enrichment taught by a diverse faculty of

Teaching Fellows:

college and high school students exploring the field of education with training and support from Breakthrough. Throughout the school year, middle school students attend Saturday Sessions to continue building the skills, habits, and resumes they need to become successful high school students. Students then matriculate into the College Bound program (grades 9-12), where they receive targeted, grade-specific support, continue Saturday programming, and work one-on-one with a college counselor in 11th and 12th grades, with 99% graduating from high school. Breakthrough Twin Cities is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages candidates who identify with the backgrounds and lived experiences of our students to apply.

POSITION SUMMARY

Breakthrough Twin Cities is seeking a proactive, organized, and human-centered People & Culture Generalist to oversee the organization's day-to-day human resources and people operations. This position serves as the primary owner of BTC's HR systems and employee lifecycle processes, ensuring that employees and managers have the information, tools, processes, and support they need to thrive. The People & Culture Generalist will manage core HR operations, support recruiting and hiring, maintain performance-management systems, coordinate benefits and compliance processes, and help strengthen BTC's staff culture and employee experience. The strongest candidate will be someone who enjoys both making systems work reliably and making them better. Rather than waiting for HR needs to arise, this person will maintain an annual HR calendar, anticipate upcoming needs and deadlines, identify opportunities for improvement, and bring recommendations and solutions to organizational leadership. This role does not need to serve as an expert on every complex employment-law or employee-relations matter. The People & Culture Generalist should, however, possess enough HR knowledge and judgment to manage routine matters independently, recognize potential risks, and know when additional expertise should be engaged. This is intentionally designed as a part-time role that can be successfully accomplished in approximately 15-20 hours per week. While the responsibilities below reflect the range of HR and people functions this position may support, many occur periodically or seasonally rather than every week. The role includes predictable cycles—such as hiring, benefits enrollment, performance reviews, and staff culture activities—alongside ongoing HR administration and employee support. Priorities and workload will shift throughout the year, and the Generalist will work with the Executive Director to sequence projects appropriately within the position's part-time capacity.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES ACROSS THE YEAR

HR Operations & Employee Lifecycle Own and continuously improve BTC's onboarding and offboarding processes, creating a welcoming, organized, and consistent employee experience. Maintain accurate and confidential employee records, personnel files, performance documentation, benefits information, and HR data. Maintain BTC's HR systems and ensure employee information is accurate and consistent across platforms. Develop and manage an annual HR calendar that anticipates key deadlines and processes, including hiring cycles, benefits, evaluations, required trainings, policy reviews, and other recurring HR responsibilities. Coordinate employee status changes, required documentation, employment verification, and other routine HR administration. Manage or coordinate processes related to workers' compensation, unemployment, employee leaves, and other employment-related programs. Identify HR processes that are inefficient, inconsistent, or unclear and recommend and implement improvements. Recruitment, Hiring & Workforce Planning Support hiring managers in defining roles, developing and maintaining position descriptions, and designing effective hiring processes. Coordinate job postings, candidate communication, interview scheduling, references, background checks, and other recruitment activities. Conduct initial candidate screening when appropriate. Help managers develop interview questions, evaluation tools, and consistent selection practices. Support an equitable, welcoming, and efficient candidate experience from application through hiring. Partner with organizational leaders to anticipate upcoming staffing needs and maintain hiring timelines, particularly around BTC's seasonal and summer staffing cycles. Periodically support workforce and staffing analysis as organizational needs evolve. Performance Management & Manager Support Coordinate and maintain BTC's performance-management systems, including goal setting, regular check-ins, annual evaluations, and related documentation. Develop and maintain tools, templates, timelines, and communication that make performance management consistent and useful across the organization. Provide managers with guidance and resources for routine employee performance, feedback, coaching, and documentation needs. Support managers in addressing performance concerns and developing improvement plans when needed. Identify recurring people-management challenges and recommend training, tools, or organizational responses. Help strengthen supervisor capacity so managers are increasingly confident and effective in leading their teams. Escalate complex or high-risk employee-relations matters to organizational leadership and/or appropriate external HR or legal experts. Staff Culture & Employee Experience In partnership with organizational leadership, help translate BTC's values and desired organizational culture into intentional practices and employee experiences. Develop and maintain an annual staff culture and engagement plan rather than relying solely on individual activities or events. Help design strong staff onboarding that introduces employees to BTC's mission, culture, expectations, and ways of working. Plan and coordinate staff recognition, celebrations, rituals, culture-building activities, and other employee-engagement efforts. Periodically support staff retreats, professional learning, and other activities that strengthen connection, belonging, accountability, and effectiveness. Develop mechanisms to gather staff feedback and identify trends in employee experience, morale, engagement, and organizational culture. Bring recommendations to organizational leadership about opportunities to strengthen staff culture, communication, belonging, and accountability. Help create an environment in which employees feel valued and supported while also understanding and meeting BTC's expectations for strong performance. Benefits, Compensation & HR Administration Coordinate annual benefits renewal and open enrollment processes. Partner with the Executive Director and appropriate brokers or advisors to evaluate benefit options and support organizational decision-making. Communicate benefits information clearly to staff and serve as a resource for routine employee questions. Maintain accurate compensation and employment information and coordinate documentation related to pay changes, promotions, or role changes. Support periodic compensation benchmarking and organizational compensation reviews. Help maintain consistent and equitable compensation practices and documentation. Policies, Compliance & Risk Management Maintain BTC's employee handbook and HR policies and coordinate a regular review and update cycle. Maintain working knowledge of applicable local, state, and federal employment requirements. Monitor changes that may affect BTC policies or employment practices and recommend updates as appropriate. Ensure required employment practices, notices, records, and processes are completed consistently. Serve as a first point of contact for routine questions regarding HR policies and practices. Identify situations that may involve significant legal, compliance, employee-relations, or organizational risk and engage appropriate leadership or outside expertise. Coordinate periodic required or recommended employee trainings related to HR policies and workplace practices. Organizational Partnership Serve as a trusted and approachable HR resource for employees and managers. Provide leadership with proactive updates about upcoming HR needs, emerging trends, risks, and recommended actions. Use HR data and organizational observations to help identify patterns related to hiring, retention, employee experience, performance, and staffing. Collaborate across departments while maintaining appropriate confidentiality and professional judgment. Contribute to organizational planning and special projects related to staff, culture, systems, and organizational effectiveness. Other duties as required.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

A successful People & Culture Generalist will help create an organization where: HR processes operate reliably without requiring frequent Executive Director involvement. Managers know where to go for HR support and have tools that help them lead employees effectively. New employees experience a thoughtful and organized introduction to Breakthrough. Performance expectations and processes are consistent across teams. Staff culture and employee engagement are proactively planned rather than addressed only when issues arise. Leadership has advance visibility into important HR deadlines, staffing needs, risks, and decisions. Employee records, policies, benefits, and required HR processes remain accurate and up to date. Complex HR issues are identified early and escalated appropriately. BTC continually improves the systems and practices that support an exceptional employee experience and organizational culture.

QUALIFICATIONS

We recognize that strong candidates may develop HR expertise through a variety of professional and educational experiences. We encourage candidates to apply even if they do not meet every preferred qualification. Required 2+ years of progressively responsible HR or people operations experience, with demonstrated ability to independently own recurring HR processes. Demonstrated experience independently managing multiple recurring HR or people processes. Strong organization and project-management skills, including the ability to anticipate deadlines and follow work through to completion. Strong judgment and discretion when handling confidential or sensitive information. Ability to distinguish between routine HR matters that can be handled independently and situations requiring additional expertise or escalation. Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills. Ability to build trusting working relationships with employees and managers across roles and levels of the organization. Interest in both the operational and human sides of organizational life. A proactive approach to identifying problems, recommending solutions, and improving systems. Comfort working in a diverse organization and contributing to conversations and practices related to equity, inclusion, belonging, and organizational culture. Commitment to Breakthrough Twin Cities' mission and values. Ability to successfully complete a background check. Preferred Experience with employee onboarding, benefits, recruitment, performance management, leave administration, employee relations, or HR compliance. Experience supporting managers or supervisors with employee-management questions. Experience working in a nonprofit, education, youth-development, or similarly mission-driven organization. Familiarity with Minnesota employment practices and requirements. Experience using HR information systems or other employee-management platforms. Bachelor's degree in human resources, business, organizational leadership, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience. PHR, SHRM-CP, or another relevant HR certification.

SPECIFICATIONS

Job Type:

Part-time Pay:

$32.00 - $38.00 per hour

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Flexible schedule with some remote capabilities Free parking Free lunch during the school year while working in the office

Schedule:

20 hours per week, Monday through Friday Generally flexible scheduling with occasional required meetings

Work Location:

In person and remote

TO APPLY

Please email with the subject line "People and Culture Generalist" In the email, please include: 1. A resume 2. Brief responses (approximately 150-250 words) to the following questions: a. Tell us about an HR, people operations, or employee-related process that you have personally owned from start to finish. What was your responsibility? How did you manage the work, and what helped you know the process was working effectively? b. Tell us about a time you noticed a people, organizational, or HR need before someone specifically asked you to address it. What did you notice, what did you do, and what happened as a result? c. This role will handle many day-to-day HR questions independently while also recognizing when a situation requires additional expertise or leadership involvement. How do you decide what you can handle yourself and when you should seek additional guidance? Please share an example, if possible. Applications received by September 15, 2026 will receive priority consideration. Breakthrough Twin Cities is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages candidates who identify with the backgrounds and lived experiences of our students to apply.

Job Type:

Part-time Pay:

$32.00 - $38.00 per hour Expected hours: 10.0 - 20.0 per week

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Employee discount Health insurance Life insurance Tuition reimbursement Vision insurance

Work Location:

Hybrid remote in Saint Paul, MN 55109