People Operations (HR) Generalist

Role details

• Salary: $85,000 – $100,000
• Location: Remote (U.S. Only)
• Application deadline: August 24, 2026 at 12 p.m. CT
• Department: People operations
• Reports to: People operations manager
• Direct reports: None
• Travel requirements : 1-2 times per year

Role description

The 19th is hiring a full-time people operations generalist to join our small people operations team in support of our 60-person organization. We currently partner with Justworks, a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), which provides payroll administration, benefits administration, tax compliance, paid time off administration and other core HR infrastructure and employee services. As our organization has grown, so have the complexity and expectations of our people operations function. While our PEO provides a strong operational foundation, we believe the most meaningful people operations work is people-centered, relationship-driven and grounded in our mission, values, and core commitments. This role expands our capacity to deliver that work by strengthening employee support, improving HR operations and helping ensure our practices remain equitable, responsive and compliant.

This is a true HR generalist role requiring applied HR knowledge, sound judgment and the ability to distinguish routine questions from matters that require escalation. You’ll support the full employee lifecycle across hiring, onboarding, payroll and benefits administration, employee records, HR systems, compliance, performance management, learning and development and employee engagement. As a key member of the people operations team, you’ll partner closely with hiring managers, staff, Finance, vendors, and other stakeholders to keep our people operations work accurate, organized, and well documented while applying HR best practices in ways that reflect The 19th’s values.

A typical week may include coordinating interviews and onboarding, maintaining employee records in Google Workspace, Justworks, and Airtable, preparing payroll and employment change documentation, processing contracts, responding to routine HR and benefits questions, maintaining standard operating procedures, supporting staff communications, preparing reports, presentations and templates, and identifying opportunities to improve people operations systems and workflows. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys balancing care for people with operational excellence and who is excited to help build thoughtful, scalable people operations practices as our organization continues to evolve.

Responsibilities

Hiring, onboarding and offboarding

• Provide administrative support for staff and fellowship hiring processes, including scheduling, candidate and panelist communications, interview materials, phone screens, reference checks, work authorization and hiring trackers.
• Support employee onboarding and offboarding by completing people operations responsibilities and collaborating with Operations and hiring managers to facilitate systems access, equipment provisioning, account setup and other workplace logistics.
• Maintain and improve hiring, onboarding and offboarding templates, checklists and processes to promote consistency and equity.

HR systems, records and reporting

• Maintain accurate employee records across people operations (HR) systems and process approved employment, role, manager, compensation and status changes.
• Maintain compliant personnel files, organizational charts, HR trackers and standard reports, supporting audits and data alignment across systems.
• Create and maintain databases, automations, calendars, templates, SOPs and other tools that support clear and efficient people operations workflows.
• Use and help optimize HR and remote-work technologies, including databases, automations, collaboration platforms and asynchronous workflows, to keep people operations processes accessible, accurate and efficient.
• Own routine updates to people operations trackers, tables, templates, SOPs and documentation so recurring workflows remain current and easy to follow.

Payroll, compensation and benefits

• Prepare, enter and track payroll and compensation changes, including timesheets, stipends, bonuses and salary adjustments, in partnership with people operations and finance.
• Review payroll documentation for accuracy and completeness, flagging missing information or concerns before deadlines.
• Support benefits administration, including routine employee questions, enrollment periods, qualifying life events, vendor coordination, communications and recordkeeping with an emphasis on clear staff communication, accurate tracking and timely escalation of complex questions.

Compliance, policies and contracts

• Assess and respond to routine HR policy and compliance questions using approved guidance, exercising judgment about when to escalate complex, sensitive or higher-risk matters.
• Research employment practices and compliance requirements, support HR audits and assist with maintaining policies, SOPs and internal resources.
• Draft, circulate, track and file routine contracts using established templates and approval processes, following up on signatures or incomplete documentation.

Employee experience and relations support

• Serve as a visible first point of contact for people operations by monitoring shared people operations channels, responding to routine staff questions and requests with professionalism and confidentiality, and escalating sensitive or complex matters through established protocols.
• Support employee engagement, recognition, wellness, fellowship, and organizational change initiatives by assisting with planning, communications, logistics and follow-through that contribute to a positive employee experience.
• Provide people operations support for fellows in partnership with the Fellowship team by adapting hiring, onboarding, performance, learning, employee support and offboarding processes to meet the unique needs of the fellowship program while remaining aligned with organizational policies and practices.
• Track leave, workplace expectations, and employee relations documentation, and support investigations and other sensitive employee relations processes under the direction of people operations leadership.

Performance, learning and general people operations support

• Administer org-wide performance review and learning programs, including system setup, scheduling, communications, reminders, materials, completion tracking and reporting.
• Research learning resources, vendors and professional development tools and support improvements following review or training cycles.
• Identify recurring questions, workflow gaps and opportunities to improve people operations systems and documentation.
• Support cross-functional projects led by or in partnership with people operations and other people operations generalist responsibilities as assigned.

Non-essential functions (as capacity permits)

• Participate in culture building and inclusive decision making, as well as bringing ideas to different parts of our work to help us improve as an organization, such as hiring and onboarding new staff members
• Contribute to cross-team learning, leadership development and organizational planning
• Participate in team, organizational and individual relationship building and professional development throughout the year
• Other responsibilities as needed

Relevant skills and experience

• At least 4 to 6 years of experience supporting core HR functions in a generalist, coordinator or HR operations capacity, including areas such as hiring administration, onboarding, employee records, payroll support, benefits administration, performance cycle support, compliance documentation and HR systems.
• Working knowledge of core HR practices, compliance expectations, documentation standards and escalation principles, with respect for labor law and the ability to recognize when additional guidance is needed.
• Strong organizational skills and close attention to detail, especially when managing recurring processes, tracking deadlines, following established protocols and handling employee records, payroll data, compliance files and confidential information.
• Digital fluency and comfort working with HR systems, databases and remote collaboration tools such as JustWorks, Airtable, Small Improvements, Google Workspace, Slack, Slab and similar platforms.
• Familiarity with the responsible use of AI tools in people operations work, including using AI to support efficiency, documentation, research or process improvement while maintaining confidentiality, protecting employee data and avoiding bias or other risks.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly and respectfully with staff, candidates, vendors, partners and internal stakeholders.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion, integrity, empathy, sound judgment and a high degree of emotional intelligence.
• Comfort working in a remote, collaborative environment with a mix of independent work, recurring deadlines and cross-functional coordination.
• Ability to conduct basic research, synthesize information and support documentation, policy and process improvements.
• Experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, baseline knowledge of equity and accessibility in workplace practices and a commitment to care, accuracy and respectful communication in HR practices.
• A strong interest in The 19th’s mission and values and supporting our strategic initiatives.

We know there are great candidates who might not check all these boxes or who possess important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. We also encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.