Director of People

Summer is a Certified B Corp® on a mission to restore financial freedom for the 46 million Americans burdened by student debt. We combine deep policy expertise with powerful technology to simplify every step of college cost planning and loan repayment. We have helped people save an average of $278 per month and more than $1.8 billion in total savings to date.

By partnering with leading employers, cities, and financial institutions, including ADP, the City of New York, Banc of California, Norton Healthcare, and the American Federation of Teachers, Summer helps millions of Americans move closer to a debt-free future.

Backed by $30 million in funding from top investors including Rebalance Capital, SemperVirens, QED Investors, General Catalyst, and Flourish Ventures, we’re building the infrastructure that powers student loan relief and education affordability in America.

As Director of People, you’ll lead the day-to-day operations of Summer’s People function, overseeing the full employee lifecycle from recruitment to retention. You’ll translate the needs of the business to talent solutions, serve as a trusted advisor to the leadership team, and design scalable processes and programs that support Summer’s growth, while ensuring our People practices reflect our mission and values.

This is a hands-on leadership role ideal for someone who enjoys balancing strategic thinking with execution, partnering closely with the COO and executive leadership team to build an exceptional employee experience as we scale.

• Partner with leadership to develop and implement People strategies that enable the achievement of company goals, support growth, and strengthen overall organizational effectiveness.
• Develop an effective talent management strategy to facilitate leadership readiness, manager effectiveness, employee learning and skill development, succession planning, and career mobility.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to managers and employees on organizational design, team development, and people strategy.
• Oversee all Talent functions, including employer branding, recruiting, and onboarding — ensuring Summer attracts and retains top talent to meet business goals.
• Strengthen Summer’s culture through engagement, recognition, and initiatives that foster connection, inclusivity, belonging, and well-being.
• Build and manage scalable performance management, feedback and rewards frameworks — including employee review cycles, career development programs and compensation administration.
• Manage HR operations including benefits and vendor administration, the People team’s tech stack (HRIS, ATS, etc), people analytics and workforce planning, while partnering with Finance on headcount planning and budgeting.
• Lead all HR compliance and employee relations by ensuring alignment with federal, state, and local employment laws in collaboration with legal counsel and proactively mitigating risk through consistent training, policies and procedures.

• 10+ years of progressive HR/People experience, including 3–5 years in a leadership role within a high-growth or scaling organization.
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead People programs across talent management, performance, compensation, and employee engagement.
• A track record of success advising executives and managers on organizational design, workforce planning, and change management.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills; able to influence across functions with empathy and clarity.
• Passion for creating exceptional work cultures, building equity across the organization, navigating healthy employee growth – overall, creating workplaces where people can do their best work.
• Experience implementing and optimizing HR systems (HRIS, ATS, payroll) and scalable processes in remote-first or distributed environments.
• Ability to analyze people data and leverage insights to inform operations and decision-making.
• Strong knowledge of employment law, compliance, and HR best practices across multiple U.S. states.
• Track record of developing and managing equitable compensation and total rewards programs.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Labor Relations, Psychology or a related field preferred
• SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or similar senior-level HR certification preferred.

Compensation: $165-185K + equity + comprehensive benefits (for FTE roles only)
Work Setup: Remote (U.S.)
Status: Full-time

Summer is a remote-first company with team members across the U.S. We collaborate asynchronously and meet virtually each week, with in-person gatherings for key moments during the year.

Summer is on a mission to help borrowers navigate and eliminate student debt. We partner with financial institutions, employers, and government agencies to provide digital tools that simplify the loan experience for millions of borrowers.

We’re a mission-driven team that believes in solving real problems with real empathy. We care deeply about our users and each other. If you’re excited about building technology that changes lives, we’d love to meet you.

• Equity grant to share in Summer’s success
• 100% employee-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with 3% match, fully vested day one
• Home office setup reimbursement
• Monthly lunch credits
• Direct contributions toward your student loans
• Up to 11 paid holidays + flexible PTO
• Paid leave for family, health, or personal needs
• Annual in-person events including Summer Camp and Summer Wonderland
• And more!

Summer provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination or harassment of any kind. This policy applies to all employment terms and conditions, including recruiting, hiring, promotion, termination, compensation, and training.