People Operations Specialist

What You’ll Do We’re looking for a People Operations Specialist located in the Chicago or San Francisco Bay Area who thrives in a fast‑paced environment and is passionate about delivering an exceptional employee experience. In this role you will own end‑to‑end Onboarding & Offboarding programs, support our compliance efforts, and provide broad employee support across HR systems, benefits, and general people operations. You’ll work closely with the People team to ensure smooth day‑to‑day operations and help us build scalable processes that support our growing global team. The ideal candidate is a proactive problem‑solver who is always thinking about a better way of doing things. You have strong communication skills, are extremely organized, are resourceful and can navigate new or unique situations with confidence. Onboarding, Offboarding & Compliance Own and continuously improve our New Hire Onboarding Program ensuring a consistent, engaging, and highly impactful experience for all new hires. Partner cross‑functionally with IT, Facilities, and Hiring Managers to deliver seamless onboarding logistics, including equipment, systems access, and team integration. Partner with learning and development to create engaging and impactful onboarding content and programming, including presentations, onboarding documentation, and feedback loops to drive program improvements. Manage background checks, employment eligibility (I‑9), and required documentation in our HRIS with accuracy and compliance. Own the end‑to‑end Offboarding process—coordinating with IT, Payroll, and other stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition for departing employees. Administer compliance‑related employee training programs in our Learning Management System (LMS) – EasyLlama— including scheduling, creating learning journeys, and completion tracking/reporting. Drive program management for the HR compliance portfolio conducting regular audits to support annual EEOC reporting, SOC II, CES, and other customer, state or regulatory requirements. Employee Support & Operations Own the HR Service Desk and our HR AI bot — answering what comes in, identifying patterns, and improving the bot so it handles more over time and frees the team to focus on employee interactions that require a human touch. Maintain and update employee records and HRIS (Rippling) workflow automations and report management. Respond to unemployment claims and employment verification requests in a timely manner. Proactively identify process gaps, suggest scalable solutions, and collaborate on People Ops projects and other duties as assigned. What You’ll Bring 2+ years of experience in People Operations, HR Generalist, Recruiting Operations, or Benefits Coordinator roles, ideally in a startup or fast‑growing environment. Hands‑on experience with HR systems such as Rippling, Lattice, Ashby (ATS), Checkr, EasyLlama, Confluence, or similar tools. Proactive, self‑starter mentality. You love finding answers and solving problems before they surface with proven ability to prioritize effectively in a fast‑paced environment. Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to adapt to a variety of audiences. Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism. A willingness to roll up your sleeves and lean in wherever needed. This is a broad generalist role, and we value teammates who see a gap and close it without waiting to be asked. What Sets You Apart? Experience supporting remote and globally distributed teams building scalable People programs that foster connection, engagement, and a positive employee experience across time zones. You’ve built something cool with AI or automation — whether that’s a workflow that saves your time each week, an AI‑powered onboarding tool, or a script that eliminated a manual process entirely. You’re not just curious about the future of People Ops, you’re excited to shape it. Compensation and Values At Horizon3, we believe that our people are our greatest asset, and our compensation philosophy reflects this core value. We are committed to fostering an environment where all employees feel valued, respected, and rewarded for their contributions. Our compensation structure is designed to be fair, competitive, and transparent, ensuring that every team member is recognized and compensated equitably across roles, levels, and locations. In accordance with various State’s transparency regulations, we provide the following salary range information for this position: Base salary range: $85,000 – $110,000 annually. The exact salary will be determined based on the selected candidate’s location, qualifications, experience, and relevant skills. Additional compensation: All full‑time roles are eligible for an equity package in the form of stock options. Perks of Horizon3.ai Inclusive Team: We value diversity and promote an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive. Growth Opportunities: Be part of a dynamic and growing team with numerous career development opportunities. Innovative Culture: Work in a collaborative environment that encourages creativity and out‑of‑the‑box thinking. Hybrid & Remote Work: We embrace a mix of remote and hybrid work models depending on role and location, including our Chicago office, where some roles require regular in‑office presence. Competitive Compensation: We offer competitive salary, equity and benefits. Our benefits include health, vision & dental insurance for you and your family, a flexible vacation policy, and generous parental leave. You Belong Here Horizon3 is not just an equal‑opportunity employer — we are a community that values diversity, equity, and inclusion as fundamental principles of our culture and success. We are dedicated to fostering a workplace where everyone feels welcome and respected, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, hair length or any other legally protected status by law. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion means we strive to attract, develop, and retain a workforce that reflects the varied communities we serve. We believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation and strengthen our ability to create cutting‑edge cybersecurity solutions. At Horizon3, every team member is valued and supported in an environment that encourages personal and professional growth. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and experiences, and we encourage all qualified individuals to apply. Come be a part of Horizon3, where your unique contributions are recognized, and your potential is limitless. Other Duties Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. #J-18808-Ljbffr Horizon3.ai