People Operations Manager

Please note that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

About Proper Voltage

Proper Voltage is unlocking the next generation of battery technology across robotics, data centers, and defense.

We're building intelligent battery systems that make advanced chemistries (sodium-ion, lithium-titanate, lithium-silicon) work in products that were never designed for them. Humanoid robots can upgrade power systems without redesigning their entire platform. Data centers get safer, cheaper backup power. Drones and autonomous vehicles get higher energy density without lengthy integration cycles.

If you want to work on hard engineering problems that matter this is the place.

Job Overview

We are looking for a People Operations Manager who can own both full-cycle recruiting and HR infrastructure as we scale. This is not a coordination-only role. We need someone who can source and close senior technical and commercial hires independently, and who can simultaneously maintain and continue build-out of the people ops foundation (offer letters, onboarding, performance cycles, comp benchmarking, policy). You will work directly with the COO and functional leaders to build hiring plans, run full-cycle recruitment across engineering, supply chain, sales, and G&A, and own the people ops function with minimal overhead. The right person has been around long enough to know what good looks like and operates with urgency and ownership.

Responsibilities

Full-Cycle Recruiting

• Own full-cycle recruiting across all functions: sourcing, screening, coordinating interviews, managing offers, and closing candidates.
• Proactively build pipelines for current and anticipated openings, with a particular focus on technical roles (hardware engineering, firmware, supply chain) and commercial roles (sales, business development).
• Source candidates directly through LinkedIn, referral networks, and targeted outreach, not just inbound applicants.
• Partner with hiring managers to define role requirements, build scorecards, and maintain structured interview processes.
• Manage candidate experience end to end, ensuring a fast, professional process that reflects well on the company.
• Track recruiting metrics including time-to-fill, source mix, offer acceptance rate, and pipeline health. Report to COO regularly.
• Earn a per-hire bonus for each candidate you source and close who passes the 90-day retention mark.
  
  

People Operations and HR Business Partner

• Own the employee lifecycle from offer through offboarding, including offer letter templates, Rippling onboarding setup, and offboarding checklists.
• Maintain and build off core HR infrastructure: employee handbook, PTO and leave policies, comp banding framework, performance review process, and promotion criteria.
• Partner with company leadership on org design conversations, team structure decisions, and headcount planning as the company scales.
• Manage compensation benchmarking and help maintain internal pay equity as new hires come in across levels.
• Serve as a trusted resource for employees on HR questions, conflicts, and policy interpretation.
• Manage relationships with benefits brokers and help administer open enrollment and benefits changes.
• Support management with performance conversations, documentation, and PIPs when needed.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• 5 years of full-cycle recruiting experience, with a meaningful portion focused on technical roles (hardware, electrical, mechanical engineering, firmware, or similar).
• Demonstrated experience closing senior-level candidates independently, not just coordinating interviews.
• Proven track record of staying in roles: we value depth of experience at individual companies over a resume with many short stints.
• Experience owning or building out HR operations, people programs, or HRBP functions, not just staffing.
• Strong proficiency with Rippling or a comparable HRIS platform.
• Comfortable using Rippling or LinkedIn Recruiter and other direct sourcing tools as primary channels.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to represent the company well to senior candidates.
• Self-directed with strong judgment. This role requires someone who runs their own process without needing to be managed closely.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience at a high-growth startup (Series A through Series C) where you worked in recruiting and people ops simultaneously.
• Background recruiting for hardware, battery, energy, robotics, or adjacent deep tech sectors.
• Experience standing up people ops programs from nascent stages rather than inheriting a built-out system.
  
  

Compensation & Benefits

• $115,000 to $130,000 base salary, depending on experience
• Per-hire sourcing bonus for each candidate sourced and closed, payable upon 90-day retention milestone
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Flexible PTO with a generous holiday policy
• Company equity
  
  

Ready to work on power systems that matter? Let's talk.