Founding Senior HR Generalist / People Operations Lead

About Our Client Our client builds AI agents for some of the world’s largest B2C companies across voice, chat, and email. Customers include major enterprise organizations spanning telecom, crypto, financial services, and consumer technology. The company recently closed a significant Series A round and has been recognized as one of the fastest-rising AI infrastructure companies in the market. The team operates with high velocity, strong technical depth, and an execution-first culture as they scale toward becoming the enterprise standard for AI-powered automation. About the Role: Our client is hiring its first dedicated HR professional to build and own the People function as the company enters its next stage of growth. This is a true foundational hire with significant ownership and visibility across the business. The role is highly operational and execution-oriented, focused on creating structure, driving compliance, and implementing scalable HR processes in a fast-moving startup environment. You will own the day-to-day HR function end to end, partnering closely with leadership, Finance, external counsel, and benefits providers. The immediate focus is building strong operational foundations across onboarding, employee lifecycle management, payroll coordination, compliance, documentation, and benefits administration. Over time, the role is expected to expand into broader People initiatives including performance management, employee experience, manager enablement, and culture-building. The ideal candidate is highly organized, comfortable operating independently, thrives in ambiguity, and enjoys building systems and processes from the ground up. This is an opportunity to step into a true “first HR hire” seat with meaningful long-term growth potential as the company scales. What You’ll Own: Own the full employee lifecycle including onboarding, transitions, role changes, offboarding, and terminations Manage onboarding logistics including equipment coordination, account setup, orientation, and first-week employee experience Maintain employment records and HR documentation including offer letters, agreements, and separation materials Own and maintain the HRIS as the company’s source of truth (Rippling preferred) Serve as the primary internal owner for HR operations and processes Partner with external employment counsel and vendors when needed Apply California employment law knowledge to HR decisions and workplace operations Handle employee transitions, terminations, and severance processes with sound judgment and consistency Own benefits administration including medical, dental, vision, retirement, and vendor relationships Partner closely with Finance on payroll operations, compliance, and accuracy Build scalable HR workflows, documentation, and operational processes as the company grows Introduce structure and operational rigor to processes that are currently evolving or informal Support broader People Ops initiatives over time including performance management, employee experience, and manager enablement Requirements: Must-Have 4–8 years of HR experience, ideally within venture-backed startups Experience working at a venture-backed company with $10M in funding Prior experience as an early or first HR hire at a startup environment Strong California employment law fluency Experience owning or heavily managing HR operations independently Strong HRIS experience, ideally with Rippling Strong understanding of payroll fundamentals and Finance partnership Experience handling employee transitions, terminations, and severance thoughtfully and compliantly Ability to operate independently while knowing when to escalate or involve counsel Based in the SF Bay Area and excited to work onsite 5 days per week in Dogpatch Nice-to-Have Direct Rippling experience Experience supporting high-growth GTM or sales organizations with commission complexity Multi-state or international employment experience Experience building performance management processes Broader People Ops experience including employee engagement, manager enablement, and culture initiatives Benefits & Perks: Daily catered lunch Dinner stipend $150 monthly wellness benefit 401(k) plan Commuter benefits Medical, dental, and vision coverage JOB DETAILS: Location: San Francisco, CA Type: In-person Employment: Full-Time Years of Experience: 4-8 years Visa Sponsorship: None Available Compensation: $160,000-$185,000 #J-18808-Ljbffr