Senior Manager, People Operations

About Neurophos The demand for new data centers and AI compute is rapidly outpacing the planet's energy capacity. Digital solutions are hitting a power wall as we approach the physical limits of traditional silicon. Conquering this bottleneck means rethinking the fundamental architecture of inference compute. The industry's current path can't meet the need, so we're taking a different approach. Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light. Our optical cells are 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components, enabling unprecedented density. By using photonics instead of electricity, our chips become more efficient as they scale. This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving performance for large-scale AI inference. We’ve assembled a world-class team of industry veterans and recently raised a $110M Series A led by Gates Frontier. Participants include M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and others. Join us and shape the future of computing! Location: Austin, TX. Full-time onsite position. Reports To : Chief of Staff FLSA Status : Exempt Position Overview We’re looking for an experienced People Operations leader to own onboarding, benefits, and HR compliance, partnering with our Chief of Staff as we continue to scale rapidly. We have grown 4x in the past 12 months and expect to do that again next year. You will design and run the onboarding experience for engineers and operations staff joining a company whose work happens in the office and in the lab, and you will own the employment compliance surface underneath it, from multi-state registrations and classification to benefits, leave, and policy. You will be the company's first dedicated People Operations hire, which means you'll build the infrastructure and run it simultaneously. Key Responsibilities Design and run onboarding from offer acceptance through day 60, including pre-boarding communication, day one, equipment and system access with IT and Facilities, manager enablement, and 30/60 check-ins. Own multi-state employment compliance (currently TX, CA, FL, OR, UT, MT, NC, PA), including state registrations, wage-and-hour rules, exempt and non-exempt classifications, required postings, I-9 and E-Verify, and statutory filings. Manage Rippling as the HR system of record: configure it, automate workflows, ensure data integrity, and report on headcount, costs, and compliance. Administer benefits end-to-end, including annual open enrollment, life-event changes, HSA and 401(k) administration, carrier and broker management, and associated ERISA, ACA, COBRA, and HIPAA obligations. Administer FMLA, ADA accommodations, parental leave, and state-mandated leave, including reconciling our unlimited PTO policy with state leave mandates. Maintain the employee handbook and HR policies, keep them current across jurisdictions, and serve as the first point of contact for policy interpretation for employees and managers. Partner with people leaders and Recruiting to set performance standards and run the performance, compensation, and promotion cycles. Manage offboarding and employee relations, including investigations. Support international employment through EOR partners (Deel & Rippling) and, where the business requires it, entity setup in collaboration with Recruiting, Finance, and Legal. Partner with Finance on payroll inputs and equity administration and with Facilities and EHS on workers' compensation claims, incident reporting, and OSHA recordkeeping. Qualifications 8+ years of progressive HR or People Operations experience, including at least two years as the primary operational owner. Built or substantially rebuilt an onboarding program. Hands‑on administration of a modern HRIS, including configuration and reporting. Rippling experience is strongly preferred. Direct experience with multi‑state employment compliance, including state registrations, exempt/non‑exempt classification decisions, and I‑9 and E‑Verify administration. Direct experience administering benefits, FMLA, ADA accommodations, and state leave programs, including working with third‑party leave vendors. Track record of writing HR policy and handbook language. Experience managing employee offboarding and training managers on compliance and process. Based in or able to relocate to Austin, and able to work onsite full time. Preferred Skills Working knowledge of immigration processes (H‑1B, O‑1, TN, green card) sufficient to manage outside counsel and keep cases moving. Familiarity with international employment through EOR providers or new‑entity setup, particularly in Taiwan. Excel or Google Sheets skills sufficient to build headcount, cost, and compliance reporting. Comfortable using AI to build necessary tooling. Experience supporting a hardware, semiconductor, manufacturing, or lab‑based workforce, including non‑exempt technicians, shift work, and the safety and workers' compensation obligations that come with a lab environment. Experience standing up HR infrastructure at a company scaling from SHRM‑CP, SHRM‑SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification. What We Offer This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in an innovative startup redefining the future of AI hardware. Work on game‑changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI as part of a collaborative, brilliant team. You’ll contribute to a platform that redefines computational performance and accelerates the future of artificial intelligence. Come help us bring this transformative technology to the world. Benefits Join a team that invests in your future and your well‑being. At Neurophos, we offer: 100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions. Unlimited PTO. No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery. 401(k) matching and stock option opportunities to ensure our success is your success. Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance. Personalized Benefits. Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don’t. #J-18808-Ljbffr