Senior People Operations Specialist

Sr. People Operations Specialist

We are seeking an experienced Senior People Operations Specialist to join our onsite Houston team. Reporting to People Operations leadership, you will be responsible for both executing and designing key processes. In this role, you will oversee benefits administration, payroll processing, employee onboarding, and culture & engagement initiatives. Additionally, you will help develop our People Operations infrastructure, workflows, and compliance frameworks to support the company's continued growth.

This role will be based at our Houston office, where you'll be a critical anchor for our growing team in Texas and Florida.

• Administer health, dental, vision, and ancillary benefit plans; manage open enrollment and carrier/vendor relationships.
• Manage multi-state and interstate tax obligations for a distributed workforce.
• Process bi-weekly and semi-monthly payroll accurately using HRIS/payroll platforms (e.g., Rippling, ADP, Workday).
• Own the full onboarding lifecycle, from offer acceptance through 90-day check-in, for both local and remote hires.
• Manage state tax registrations, withholding compliance, and nexus determinations for employees working across multiple states.
• Maintain I-9 compliance, employee records, and HRIS data integrity; support audits and reporting requirements.
• Serve as the first point of contact for employee questions on benefits, pay, and onboarding; resolve issues promptly and accurately.
• Coordinate with Finance and Legal on multi-state employment agreements, W-4 updates, and year-end W-2 processing.
• Generate People Operations metrics reports covering headcount, benefit utilization, and payroll variances for leadership review.
• Enforce and champion safety, confidentiality, and PO compliance standards across all people operations activities.
• Support new hire equipment setup coordination, systems access provisioning, and day-one readiness for onsite Houston employees.

Persona AI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.