People Operations Specialist - Guiding Leadership Growth and Systemic Reform at San Quentin Skunkworks
Description
San Quentin SkunkWorks is an incarcerated-led innovation lab focused on designing and testing justice reform. We partner with key stakeholders including the Governor's Office, renowned artists, and academic and professional experts. Our work has been featured in major publications such as the LA Times and CalMatters.
Your Role: What you'll build
Create repeatable systems for volunteer lifecycle processes, role descriptions, and structural documentation. Focus on scaling the organization's HR infrastructure.
How Collaboration Works
You will report to and work closely with the Head of People. You'll collaborate with incarcerated leadership through regular meetings and occasionally with the Volunteer VP of Operations on organizational design decisions. Most work is asynchronous, using clear briefs, shared documents, and structured review cycles with Monday.com for project tracking.
What We're Looking For
- 5+ years in people operations, HR, or organizational design, preferably in a scaling nonprofit, startup, or mission-driven organization
- Direct experience building HR systems from scratch or during a growth transition
- Strong documentation instincts — you build systems others can run independently
- Experience with Monday.com or similar project management tools
Helpful but not Required
- Background in restorative justice, education reform, or criminal justice environments
- Experience supporting organizations through their first hires
The Impact
If you join us, you will be instrumental in creating the operational foundation that enables SkunkWorks to hire its first staff members. Your systems will guide the organization's growth and influence who it can attract and retain as it scales.
Location
San Quentin, CA