JobsSprout Social

People Programs Strategist

Sprout Social · Chicago, IL · People

Posted Sep 10, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Walk me through an onboarding program you owned end to end, from someone accepting the offer through their first few months. What did you personally design versus coordinate?

whether they've actually owned a full lifecycle program versus just executing pieces of one

Tell me about a time you had to get IT, Talent Acquisition, HR, and a department leader all aligned on something with a hard deadline, like a start date. What went wrong and how did you handle it?

real experience coordinating cross-functional logistics under time pressure, not just theoretical process knowledge

Tell me about a time a CRG or employee group wanted to do something that didn't fit the budget or the platform you had, like Deed or Workramp. How did you handle that conversation?

comfort saying no or redirecting expectations while keeping the relationship intact

What's a recurring program you simplified or cut because it wasn't earning its keep, and how did you decide it wasn't worth continuing?

judgment about which programs to scale, simplify, or retire, which the role explicitly asks for at the 6-month mark

Tell me about a piece of employee feedback, from a survey tool like Culture Amp or Perceptyx or just informal conversations, that changed how you ran a program.

whether they treat employee listening as a real input rather than a formality

Technical

You're asked to build a playbook for recognizing work anniversaries and promotions that has to work the same way for a 5-person team and a 500-person org. What does that playbook actually include?

ability to design for scale and consistency rather than one-off manual effort

How have you used automation or AI tools in a people process before, and what was the actual time or quality gain?

whether their AI experience is concrete and measurable or just a buzzword on a resume

How do you decide what belongs in a written playbook versus what needs a live, facilitated session?

understanding of when to scale via documentation and when human delivery actually matters for culture

How do you keep global onboarding feeling consistent when people are joining in different time zones and some of the day-one moments have to happen remotely?

practical thinking about distributed and remote-first delivery, not just in-office experience design

Situational

Say you inherit an onboarding process where new hires consistently say their first two weeks feel disjointed, but the feedback is vague. How would you figure out what's actually broken?

diagnostic skill and comfort turning fuzzy employee feedback into a concrete fix

Imagine you're the operational partner for 50-plus Community Resource Group leaders with different needs, budgets, and levels of experience running programs. How do you keep that many relationships running well without burning out?

capacity to manage a large, dispersed stakeholder group without a large team behind them

Performance review season is approaching and three different team leads are asking you for different things from the calibration process. How do you keep the rollout consistent while still being responsive to them?

ability to support talent programs without letting stakeholder requests fragment the process

This role expects you to represent these programs to stakeholders without your manager in the room within a year. What's an example of a time you had to speak for a program or a decision you didn't fully control?

readiness for the independence and visibility the role ramps toward

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The full job description

As published by Sprout Social.

<p><strong>Description</strong></p> <p>Sprout Social is looking to hire a <strong>People Programs Strategist </strong>to the People team.</p> <p><strong>Why Join Sprout's People Team?&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>At Sprout Social, our People team builds the foundation that allows our global talent to power the future of customer connection. We are the champions of Sprout’s culture, ensuring that as we scale as a leader in social intelligence, our people remain our greatest competitive advantage.&nbsp;</p> <p>We operate at the intersection of strategy and execution, driving impact across Talent, Total Rewards, People Operations, and Employee Experience. You’ll join a collaborative team focusing on world-class experiences that make Sprout a premier employer of choice. If you’re someone who wants to master your craft while helping others build careers they love, this is where you can make a lasting impact.</p> <p><strong>What you'll do</strong></p> <p>Imagine playing a pivotal role in how people experience Sprout — from the day they accept an offer to the day they step into a new role. As our People Programs Strategist, you'll design, support and run some of the key experiences that welcome new hires, mark key milestones across the employee journey, and help people understand and grow their careers. Your work directly shapes how people feel connected to Sprout's culture, how confidently they navigate their first months, and how clearly they see a path forward.</p> <p>As our Onboarding Experience Program Owner, you don’t just manage a process; you shape the first impression of how we welcome and onboard new hires at Sprout. In this role, you will own the end-to-end journey for our global team members, turning day-one logistics into seamless, memorable experiences that connect people to our culture, mission, and community. Beyond onboarding, you’ll serve as an Employee Experience Activator—building scalable playbooks, championing our Community Resource Groups, and supporting core talent programs that accelerate employee growth and performance across the entire lifecycle.</p> <p><strong>New Hire Onboarding Program Lead</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>End-to-End Onboarding Ownership:</strong> Design and deliver an incredible, seamless onboarding experience for global team members, leading engaging sessions that connect new hires to our culture, teams, and HQ.</li> <li><strong>Cross-Functional Collaboration:</strong> Partner with Talent Acquisition, IT, HR, and department leaders to align day-one logistics and key manager touchpoints for a smooth transition.</li> <li><strong>New Hire Support:</strong> Serve as the primary, go-to guide for new hires, navigating questions around tools, systems, learning, and culture.</li> <li><strong>Continuous Improvement:</strong> Gather and analyze employee feedback to identify operational bottlenecks, optimize onboarding workflows, and support broader culture initiatives.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Employee Experience Activator:</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Execution Excellence: </strong>Manage day-to-day operations and cross-functional logistics to support seamless, high-quality moments across the employee lifecycle.</li> <li><strong>Scalable Playbooks: </strong>Build standardized playbooks and leverage automation to streamline logistics for key milestones (anniversaries, promotions, values recognition), ensuring a consistent, high-touch experience company-wide.</li> <li><strong>Cross-Functional Enablement:</strong> Partner with stakeholders to guide and support experience design, maintaining quality and cultural alignment even when not leading primary delivery.</li> <li><strong>Community &amp; Inclusion Advisory: </strong>Serve as the primary day-to-day operational partner for 50+ Community Resource Group (CRGs) leaders, directing end-to-end leader lifecycles, budget management, platform administration (Deed, Workramp), and communication strategies to amplify group initiatives company-wide.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Talent Management Support</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Cross-Functional Talent Support: </strong>Partner with People leaders to help roll out core talent programs, like performance reviews, team calibrations, and retention plans and using AI tools to make the process smoother for everyone.</li> <li><strong>Agile Execution:</strong> Step in as a flexible operational partner across the People team and business units to troubleshoot issues, fill gaps, and keep key programs running flawlessly.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What you'll bring</strong></p> <p>The minimum qualifications for this role include:</p> <ul> <li>4+ years of experience in talent, learning, employee experience, culture or related fields</li> <li>Demonstrated ability to facilitate engaging, culture-first experiences&nbsp;</li> <li>Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives and deadlines simultaneously</li> <li>Excellent written and verbal communication skills for building clear playbooks and guides&nbsp;</li> <li>Ability to work independently while collaborating across organizational boundaries</li> <li>Ability to work from Sprout’s Chicago office for in-person events and onboarding</li> <li>Experience working in distributed or remote-first environments</li> </ul> <p>Preferred qualifications for this role include:</p> <ul> <li>Background in onboarding, employee experience, culture, or talent development</li> <li>Experience with tools like CultureAmp, Perceptyx, Lattice, WorkRamp, or similar platforms</li> <li>Familiarity with change management principles for rolling out new programs</li> <li>Familiarity with career frameworks and learning principles</li> <li>Experience in technology or SaaS companies</li> </ul> <p><strong>How you'll grow</strong></p> <p>Within 1 month, you'll:</p> <ul> <li>Shadow your manager and team members across current programs to understand history, stakeholders, and cadence</li> <li>Meet key stakeholders including CRG leaders, People Team partners, and cross-functional collaborators to build early trust and working relationships</li> <li>Begin owning operational execution with support</li> </ul> <p>Within 3 months, you'll:</p> <ul> <li>Begin day-to-day execution of most core programs, including logistics, communications, and stakeholder management</li> <li>Surface your own observations and proposed solutions on what's working and what feels heavy</li> <li>Partner with the People Team on employee listening inputs relevant to your programs</li> </ul> <p>Within 6 months, you'll:</p> <ul> <li>Be the clear, trusted point of contact for CRG leaders and other program stakeholders across the company</li> <li>Contribute an execution-level view to decisions about which programs get simplified, scaled, or retired</li> <li>Identify and implement at least one process improvement that makes a recurring program easier to run without sacrificing quality</li> </ul> <p>Within 12 months, you'll:</p> <ul> <li>Have full ownership and a track record of successful delivery across the program portfolio</li> <li>Be trusted to represent these programs to stakeholders without your manager in the room</li> <li>Have a clear point of view on how to leverage the employee experience framework to evolve existing programs or develop new ones</li> </ul> <p><strong>Our Benefits Program</strong></p> <p>We’re proud to regularly be recognized for our team, product and culture. Our benefits program includes:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Comprehensive Health &amp; Wellness:</strong> Premium BCBSIL medical, dental (high/low plans), and vision (Eyemed) insurance for you and your eligible dependents.</li> <li><strong>Premium Mental Health Support:</strong> Full, free access to Modern Health for you and your dependents, including coaching, therapy sessions, and digital wellness resources.</li> <li><strong>Retirement Savings:</strong> 401(k) plan with a 50% company match on your first 6% of contributions (a 3% total match).</li> <li><strong>Financial Security:</strong> 100% employer-paid Life and Disability insurance for your peace of mind.</li> <li><strong>Flexible Paid Time Off:</strong> A flexible PTO policy, supplemented with additional company-wide Rest &amp; Recharge days throughout the year.</li> <li><strong>Paid Parental Leave:</strong> Up to 16 weeks of paid leave for new parents to support you in expanding your family.</li> <li><strong>Annual Lifestyle Stipend:</strong> A $1,000 USD annual Lifestyle Spending Account to spend on your physical, mental, and financial well-being.</li> <li><strong>Work From Home Support:</strong> A one-time $550 USD stipend to set up your home office, plus a monthly $50 USD stipend for internet.</li> <li><strong>Giving Back:</strong> 16 hours of paid volunteer time annually, plus a $100 annual match for your charitable donations.</li> <li><strong>Additional Financial Perks:</strong> Access to pre-tax commuter benefits, subsidized child/eldercare (Care.com), discounted pet insurance (Figo), and no-cost personalized financial wellness support through <em>Your Money Line</em>.</li> <li><strong>Office Environment: </strong>Beautiful, convenient, and state-of-the-art office in Chicago’s Loop.</li> </ul> <p>*<em>This list is for informational purposes only. Benefit offerings are discretionary and subject to change and do not constitute a contract or guarantee of benefits.</em></p> <p>Our salary ranges reflect the expected earning potential for this role. Individual pay is based on geographic zone, relevant experience, and skills.</p> <p><strong>Our current hiring range for this role: $88,000.00 – $110,000.00 </strong>annually. Offers are made within this range, with opportunities to grow within the broader band based on performance and impact.</p> <p>We share both our current hiring range and our broader geographic salary bands to provide transparency into our compensation philosophy. This ensures you understand not only your starting potential but also the long-term growth potential available as you progress in your role.</p> <p>We have two geographic pay zones in the United States. The geographic pay zone for Chicago is:</p> <p><strong>Zone 2</strong>: $88,000.00 – $132,000.00&nbsp;</p> <p>These ranges were determined by a market-based compensation approach; we used data from trusted third-party compensation sources to set equitable, consistent, and competitive ranges. We also evaluate compensation bi-annually, identify any changes in the market and make adjustments to our ranges and existing employee compensation as needed.</p> <p>Sprout Social is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on identity<strong>-</strong> race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex (including sexual identity), age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, veteran or military status, unfavorable discharge from military service, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, order of protection status, citizenship status, arrest record or expunged or sealed convictions, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local law. Because Sprout Social is a federal contractor, we affirmatively recruit individuals with a disability and protected veterans. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in our latest <a href="https://sproutsocial.com/careers/diversity/"><strong>DEI Report</strong></a>.</p> <p>If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the interview process or to submit your application, please email us at accommodations@sproutsocial.com. Include the nature of your request and your preferred contact information. We'll do everything we can to support your success during our recruitment process while upholding your privacy. Please note that only inquiries regarding accommodations will receive a response from this email address; other inquiries will not be addressed (e.g., you send your resume but are not requesting an accommodation).&nbsp;</p> <p>For more information about our commitment to equal employment opportunity, please click here (1) <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf"><strong>Equal Opportunity Employment Poster</strong></a> and (2) <a href="https://media.sproutsocial.com/uploads/EEO_AAP_Policy_Statement.pdf"><strong>Sprout Social's Affirmative Action Statement</strong></a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>Additionally, Sprout Social participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law.&nbsp;</p><div class="content-conclusion"><p>Sprout Social Inc. and its subsidiaries process personal data submitted through your application to assess your qualifications for employment and to inform our hiring decision and, where applicable, for required governmental reporting. For more information, please review <a href="https://media.sproutsocial.com/uploads/Sprout-Social-Global-Applicant-Privacy-Notice.pdf" target="_blank">Sprout's Global Applicant Privacy Notice</a>.&nbsp;</p> <div>&nbsp;</div></div>

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