Founding Senior HR Generalist / People Operations Lead

This role is on-site 5 days/week in San Francisco in the Dogpatch neighborhood

We build AI agents trusted by the largest B2C companies in the world. Industry leaders like DoorDash trust us with their most complex support and operations workflows across voice, chat, and email.

We have recently raised a $61M Series A and has several paying customers, including DoorDash.

We’re building the next generation of customer experience — real-time AI agents that can understand emotion, resolve issues instantly, and scale across the world’s largest enterprises.

It’s an exciting inflection point for the company. While we have been successful, we have larger ambitions. Our goal is to become the go-to AI platform for all enterprise automation, powered by our voice superintelligence. To achieve this, we need more great engineers.

The work affects millions of people every day and our engineers have autonomy and make true impact. This opportunity is unique because we have brilliant founders, have found commercial success, and see a clear path to becoming a generational company.

The Role

We are hiring our first dedicated HR professional to own and strengthen core HR operations as the company continues to grow. This is a greenfield opportunity to bring clear ownership and scalable processes to a function that is currently shared across Operations and the business.

This is a hands-on, execution-focused role. You will own the day-to-day HR function, with emphasis on employee lifecycle management, compliance, and effective partnership with benefits providers and employment counsel. Building strong operational foundations is the immediate priority.

We recently secured $61M in funding and are entering a period of rapid growth. There is a strong appetite to invest in broader people initiatives such as culture, manager enablement, and employee experience once the fundamentals are in place, making this an especially exciting time to join and help shape the next phase of the company.

The right person is comfortable operating independently, enjoys bringing order to complexity, and is excited to be the first HR hire with meaningful ownership and room to grow as the company grows.

What You Will Do

HR Ownership and Execution

• Own the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding end to end (equipment, accounts, orientation, first-week experience), role changes, offboarding, and terminations
• Maintain employment documentation and records, such as offer letters, employment agreements, and separation materials
• Ensure Rippling is clean and up-to-date
• Serve as the primary internal owner for HR processes, including when working with external vendors or outside counsel

Employee Relations and Compliance

• Apply strong working knowledge of California employment law and in-person workplace requirements to guide HR decisions
• Handle employee transitions, including terminations and severance, with consistency, care, and good judgment
• Partner with employment counsel as needed, translating guidance into practical, repeatable processes

Benefits, Payroll, and Programs

• Serve as go-to person benefits administration, including health plans and retirement programs, and manage relationships with brokers and providers
• Partner closely with Finance, and sometimes take the lead, on payroll accuracy and compliance
• Monitor and implement evolving compliance requirements across states as the company grows

Process and Systems

• Build and document clear HR workflows that scale with the business
• Introduce structure where processes are currently informal or evolving

What We’re Looking For

Experience

• 4-7 years of experience in HR
• Experience as an early or first HR hire of an early stage, venture backed startup
• Deep familiarity with HRIS systems (Rippling experience is a plus)
• Experience supporting teams in California, including familiarity with employment law and in-person workplace considerations
• Comfortable being the primary HR owner in a fast-moving environment
• Demonstrated experience handling employee transitions and terminations in a thoughtful, compliant way
• Strong understanding of payroll fundamentals and experience partnering with payroll providers

Working Style

• Practical, steady, and solutions-oriented
• Comfortable operating autonomously while knowing when to bring in partners
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and adjusting priorities as business needs evolve
• Enjoys building structure and clarity as a company grows

Bonus Points

• Experience building or supporting performance management processes
• Exposure to broader People Ops initiatives such as manager enablement, engagement, or culture programs
• Multi-state or scaling company experience

Perks & Benefits

• Catered lunch daily
• Dinner stipend
• $150/month wellness benefit (gym, fitness classes, mental health)
• 401(k) plan
• Commuter benefits
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage