Founding Senior HR Generalist / People Operations Lead at HireNow Staffing, Inc. Direct Placement Online Services in San Francisco, California, United States

Job description

• About the job Founding Senior HR Generalist / People Operations Lead
• Founding Senior HR Generalist / People Operations Lead
• Company: HireNow Staffing (Direct Placement Partner)
• HireNow Snapshot
• HireNow Staffing is actively recruiting a seasoned Founding Senior HR Generalist / People Operations Lead to join one of our valued client partners. This full-time opportunity is designed for an experienced HR professional who thrives in high-growth startup environments and enjoys building scalable people operations from the ground up.
• The successful candidate will become the organization's first dedicated HR leader, own day-to-day People Operations while establishing processes that support long-term organizational growth. This role requires an execution-focused professional who is equally comfortable managing compliance, employee relations, HR systems, payroll coordination, and benefits administration while serving as a trusted advisor across the business.
• As the organization continues to scale, this individual will help shape employee experience, manager enablement, performance management, and operational excellence across the company.

Responsibilities

• Own the complete employee lifecycle including onboarding, role changes, promotions, transfers, offboarding, and separation processes.
• Maintain accurate employment records, offer documentation, employment agreements, policy acknowledgments, and HR compliance documentation.
• Serve as the primary owner of the organization's HRIS, ensuring employee data remains accurate, compliant, and audit ready.
• Partner with external employment counsel, benefits providers, payroll partners, and HR vendors to support daily operations.
• Apply California employment law to support compliant employee practices and workplace decisions.
• Coordinate employee transitions, performance-related actions, terminations, and severance processes with professionalism and sound judgment.
• Lead benefits administration including healthcare, retirement plans, vendor management, and employee communications.
• Partner closely with Finance to ensure payroll accuracy, compliance, reporting, and operational efficiency.
• Design, document, and continuously improve HR workflows that support company growth.
• Expand People Operations initiatives including manager enablement, employee engagement, performance management, culture development, and organizational effectiveness.

Requirements

• 4–6 years of Human Resources or People Operations experience.
• Previous experience serving as the first or second HR hire within a Series A or Series B venture-backed startup.
• Experience supporting organizations that have raised $10M or more in venture funding.
• Strong working knowledge of California employment law.
• Experience independently managing employee lifecycle programs.
• Strong HRIS experience; Rippling experience is highly desirable.
• Working knowledge of payroll administration and payroll compliance.
• Experience administering employee benefits and vendor relationships.
• Demonstrated experience managing employee transitions, corrective actions, terminations, and separation processes.
• Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Comfortable operating independently with minimal supervision.
• Must currently reside within the San Francisco Bay Area and be available to work onsite five days per week in Dogpatch, San Francisco.
• Authorized to work in the United States.
• No visa sponsorship available.
• Direct experience administering Rippling as the primary HRIS.
• Experience supporting rapidly growing sales organizations with commission structures, OTE plans, and compensation administration.
• Multi-state and international employment experience.
• Experience implementing or improving performance management programs.
• Background supporting employee engagement, manager development, and organizational culture initiatives.
• Experience building scalable HR processes from the ground up.
• Stable career progression demonstrating increasing HR ownership and leadership.

Skills

Required

• Human Resources
• People Operations
• California employment law
• HRIS (Rippling preferred)
• Payroll administration
• Benefits administration
• Employee lifecycle management
• Employee relations
• Compliance
• Organizational skills
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving skills

Preferred

• Rippling administration
• Commission structures
• OTE plans
• Compensation administration
• Multi-state employment law
• International employment law
• Performance management programs
• Employee engagement

Benefits

• Compensation: $160,000–$185,000 annual base salary
• Equity: Competitive equity package.
• Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage; 401(k); commuter benefits; daily catered lunch, dinner stipend, $150 monthly wellness benefit, and additional company-sponsored benefits.
• Employment Type: Full-Time
• Work Location: Onsite – Dogpatch, San Francisco, California (5 days per week)
• Applicant Requirements: U.S.-based applicants only. Candidates must currently reside within the San Francisco Bay Area. No visa sponsorship available.
• Headcount: 1