Principal Associate

Job Description

R228860
Posted 10/24/2025

Principal Associate - Students & Grads Operations

Location: McLean, Virginia | Richmond, Virginia
Category: Human Resources
Experience: Principal Associate
Primary Address: McLean, Virginia

Overview

Capital Ones Students & Grads team is at the forefront of developing future leaders. We aspire to provide a best-in-class experience for our associates and business partners, and have a ton of fun along the way. Our culture and people are integral to our growth and success, where innovation is rewarded and you can learn from talented coworkers. We are hiring for a leader to support recruiting and program initiatives on the Students & Grads Operations team. This role drives operation strategy and delivery, including event planning, leading a team of Operations Associates and Principal Coordinators, and prioritization of programming and recruiting support.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for operations and logistics, as well as proven experience in leading projects and processes in a well-managed way. You should be excited about the opportunity to influence strategic decisions using a data-backed approach. We are looking for team players who are solution-oriented, are comfortable working in some ambiguity, and have excellent communication skills.

Key Responsibilities

Key responsibilities of the role will vary and will include:

• Responsible for identifying and executing on a well-managed, visionary operations strategy to support recruiting and program managers.
• Lead the strategic direction for Student & Grads Operations, which may include defining team scope and impact, strengthening partner interaction models, and communicating team goals across the organization and relevant stakeholders.
• Create project plans and roadmaps to provide operation support to recruiting and program teams.
• Develop and implement communication strategy, related to program and recruiting experiences, including, but not limited to campus events, onboarding, program graduation, and stakeholder engagement.
• Manage stakeholder relationships and influence leaders across partner groups by demonstrating the impact of Students & Grads Operations.
• Lead a team of Operations Associates to deliver high-quality experiences for associates, candidates, and interns.
• Manage operation budgets, ensuring proper use of funds for experiences and sharing quarterly updates with leadership teams.
• Consult and problem solve across the broader Students & Grads organization.
• Contribute to the teams goals through a variety of other program management functions, which may include communications support, meeting or event facilitation, assessment data analysis, and more.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelors degree or military experience
• At least 2 years of experience with event management
• At least 2 years of project management, process management, recruiting, or consulting experience or a combination

Preferred Qualifications

• At least 5 years of program management, client facing, or consulting experience, or a combination
• At least 4 years of project/process management or at least 4 years of recruiting or at least 4 years of consulting experience or a combination
• At least 3 years of experience in Human Resources or Human Capital Consulting
• Experience analyzing metrics, trends, and survey data, and using them to make strategic changes
• At least 1 year of people leadership experience
• At least 2 years of experience in Google Suite products (Sheets, Slides, Docs)

Additional Information

At this time, Capital One will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position.

The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.

• McLean, VA: $102,700 - $117,200 for Principal HR Associate
• Richmond, VA: $93,400 - $106,600 for Principal HR Associate

Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidates offer letter.

This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.

Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at the Capital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.

This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.

No agencies please. Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections ; New York Citys Fair Chance Act; Philadelphias Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.

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Capital One Financial is made up of several different entities. Please note that any position posted in Canada is for Capital One Canada, any position posted in the United Kingdom is for Capital One Europe and any position posted in the Philippines is for Capital One Philippines Service Corp. (COPSSC).

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