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Founding Senior HR Generalist / People Operations Lead
San Francisco, CA · On-site (5 days/week) · Full-time
About the Opportunity
A fast-scaling AI startup — recently closed a $61M Series A and serving enterprise customers — is hiring its first dedicated HR leader. This is a true greenfield role: HR has been run on the side by the CEO, and you'll be stepping in to bring professional structure, best practices, and full ownership to the function.
You'll be a team of one, reporting directly to leadership. The first 30–60 days are about earning trust through operational excellence; from there, the runway to shape everything from onboarding to performance management is wide open.
What You'll Do
- Own the full employee lifecycle — onboarding, offboarding, role changes, offer letters, and employment documentation
- Serve as the internal owner of Rippling and all HR systems, keeping data clean and processes tight
- Apply strong working knowledge of California employment law to employee transitions, terminations, and day-to-day compliance
- Manage benefits administration (health plans, 401(k), broker relationships) and partner with Finance on payroll accuracy
- Build trust across the team early, then introduce scalable processes — structured onboarding first, performance review cycles as the company grows
What We're Looking For
- 4–7 years of HR generalist or people operations experience
- Background at venture-backed technology startups (Series A or later, $10M raised) strongly preferred
- Deep, hands-on knowledge of California employment law and compliance
- Proficiency with Rippling or comparable HRIS platforms
- Track record of building HR processes from scratch or significantly maturing an early-stage function
- Strong judgment on when to formalize a process vs. keep things lightweight at startup speed
- Bachelor's degree preferred
- Excellent communication and the maturity to assess the function, identify gaps, and surface staffing needs as the team scales
Compensation & Logistics
- Base salary: $140,000 – $185,000, plus equity
- On-site in San Francisco, 5 days per week (no hybrid or remote)
- Must be authorized to work in the U.S.; visa sponsorship and relocation are not available
- Immediate start
Salary : $140,000 - $185,000