People Operations Specialist

Role Description

• Serve as the primary administrator and point of contact for all employee leaves of absence, including FMLA, ADA, state-mandated leave, personal leave, and military leave.
• Manage the end-to-end LOA process: intake, documentation, certification tracking, communication with the employee and their manager, return-to-work coordination, and record keeping.
• Ensure LOA administration is compliant with applicable federal, state, and local law across all jurisdictions where TopDog Law operates.
• Partner with payroll and benefits to ensure accurate continuation and tracking during leave.
• Maintain clear, organized records and keep managers informed throughout the process without violating employee privacy.
• Serve as the first point of contact for employee questions, concerns, and issues, handling them with professionalism, discretion, and good judgment.
• Conduct or support investigations into employee complaints, policy violations, and workplace concerns in partnership with the Director of People Operations.
• Document employee relations matters thoroughly and maintain accurate, organized case records.
• Help managers navigate difficult conversations, performance concerns, and team conflicts with clear guidance and consistent process.
• Identify patterns or recurring issues and escalate appropriately to the Director of People Operations.
• Ensure compliance with employment law, labor regulations, and requirements across all states and jurisdictions where the firm operates.
• Maintain and update employee handbooks, policies, and required postings as laws change.
• Administer required compliance training and track completion.
• Support audits, reporting requirements, and regulatory filings.
• Flag potential compliance risks to the Director of People Operations proactively.
• Be an operational business partner managers rely on for day-to-day guidance on people issues, policy questions, and employee management.
• Provide managers with clear, practical support on performance documentation, disciplinary process, accommodations, and employee concerns.
• Help managers follow consistent, compliant processes so that People Operations policies are applied fairly and uniformly across the firm.
• Work proactively with managers to surface and address people risk, retention risk, and performance concerns before they escalate.
• Develop and maintain manager-facing resources such as guides, templates, and checklists that make processes easier to navigate.
• Document, standardize, and improve People Operations processes so they run reliably and consistently without requiring constant oversight.
• Identify gaps in current workflows and propose practical solutions.
• Build and maintain templates, checklists, SOPs, and reference guides that support the team and reduce repeated effort.
• Support the Director of People Operations to implement new processes, tools, or programs as the firm scales.
• Administer HRIS (Rippling) including employee records, lifecycle updates, data integrity, and reporting.
• Support benefits administration and employee questions about coverage.
• Support payroll processing accuracy and coordinate with payroll on employee changes, leave tracking, and corrections.
• Partner with the People Operations Coordinator in Guatemala on shared workflows and recordkeeping.
• Maintain organized, audit-ready files and documentation.
• Coordinate with the People Coordinator on the TA team to ensure smooth onboarding transitions for all new hires.
• Own the pre-event onboarding experience for new hires who join before the monthly New Hire Day 1 event; host a dedicated onboarding call to bridge the gap and ensure no one starts without proper orientation.
• Cover culture, values, and company vision so new hires understand who we are and what we’re building before their first day in role.
• Walk new hires through their benefits, enrollment windows, and how to get questions answered.
• Introduce the People tech stack new hires will use regularly, including Rippling, Ninety, Nectar, and any other core tools, so they feel equipped and not overwhelmed.
• Continuously refine the onboarding call experience as the firm scales, the tech stack evolves, and new needs emerge.
• Support additional People Operations projects, initiatives, and priorities as directed by the Director of People Operations; this role operates in a growing, evolving environment and flexibility is part of the job.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on experience with meaningful ownership of functional People Ops work.
• Direct experience administering leaves of absence including FMLA, ADA, and state leave laws.
• Experience handling employee relations matters including investigations, documentation, and manager guidance.
• Working knowledge of employment law and compliance requirements across multiple states.
• Track record of building, documenting, and improving processes and workflows.
• Strong judgment, discretion, and ability to handle sensitive matters professionally.
• Highly organized with excellent attention to detail and follow-through.
• Clear, professional written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage a varied workload, prioritize effectively, execute with speed, and take initiative.

Requirements

• Experience with Rippling or similar HRIS and workflow automation platforms.
• Experience in legal, professional services, or client-centric organizations.
• Experience supporting distributed or remote teams.
• Comfort with ambiguity and evolving systems in a fast-growing environment.
• Strong communication skills—written and verbal.
• Ability to think critically, prioritize effectively, and execute with speed.

Benefits

• Real growth: As the firm grows, so do opportunities for advancement and leadership.
• High standards, real support: Clear expectations, coaching, and accountability.
• Culture that matters: Trust, respect, speed, and integrity, without sacrificing humanity.
• Meaningful work: Helping people through some of the hardest moments of their lives.