Senior Manager, People & Organizational Effectiveness

Senior Manager, People & Organizational Effectiveness Firestorm is hiring a Senior Manager, People & Organizational Effectiveness to serve as the operational backbone of our people function. You will work in a high‑autonomy, high‑impact role, solving problems quickly, building durable solutions, and operating at the intersection of HR operations, legal coordination, and management partnership. You will report directly to Legal, ensuring tight coordination on compliance and employment matters, while an HR Coordinator supports day‑to‑day execution. You will partner closely with the CEO, CFO, and business unit leaders, serving as their primary people‑operations contact across employee relations, workforce planning, and organizational issues within their divisions. What You’ll Do Immediate Issue Response & Employee Relations Serve as the operational liaison between HR, external employment counsel, the leadership team, and employees on sensitive matters—coordinating communications, advising next steps, and translating legal guidance into practical management actions. Act as the dedicated people‑operations partner to the C‑suite and business unit heads—understanding each division’s workforce needs, escalation patterns, and operational rhythm to anticipate issues rather than merely respond. Respond rapidly to employee relations matters, investigations, complaints, and workplace concerns with sound judgment and legal defensibility. Prevent unnecessary escalation while maintaining consistency and defensibility across all employee actions. Advise managers and HR on preparing for and conducting difficult conversations, including drafting manager communications. Coordinate with outside employment counsel on active matters, leveraging your position within Legal to provide clear, actionable guidance without delay. Support investigations end‑to‑end: intake, documentation, witness interviews, findings, and recommended actions. Advise on responses to individual compensation concerns, framing conversations to ensure decisions are explainable and defensible. Address contractor classification questions, workforce design issues, agency workers, independent contractors, and visa‑sponsored employee matters. Manage cross‑border employment considerations and H‑1B coordination as they arise. Structural Mitigation & Process Development Identify recurring issues and build permanent process improvements—policies, forms, templates, workflows, and governance mechanisms—to reduce future risk. Develop compensation request forms, employee action forms, and approval processes that encourage written business justification and consistent decision‑making. Draft and implement policies that create organizational consistency without unnecessary bureaucracy. Build governance guardrails for promotions, title changes, compensation actions, and organizational changes to reduce ad‑hoc decision‑making. Advise on clearer requisition criteria, posting practices, and candidate evaluation standards to strengthen recruiting governance. Reconstruct and document historical commitments (compensation, sign‑on bonuses, relocation) where records are incomplete. Develop documentation practices and direct the HR Coordinator on proper record‑keeping and administrative processes. Create scalable systems and decision frameworks that support rapid growth while maintaining compliance and defensibility. HR Operations & Compliance Partnership Manage and develop the HR Coordinator, delegating onboarding logistics, HRIS data entry, employee records, and recruiting coordination while ensuring consistent quality and compliance standards. Ensure compliance with California employment law, multi‑state requirements, and federal regulations (including ITAR/EAR). Partner with internal and external legal counsel on employment matters, investigations, and organizational risk, leveraging your embedded position within Legal to eliminate bottlenecks. Maintain operational discipline across employee relations, compliance, compensation administration, and HR systems. Leverage HRIS, ATS, AI‑enabled tools, and people analytics to support scalable operations and workforce insights, owning system configuration, data integrity, and reporting while the HR Coordinator handles routine data entry and record‑keeping. Own onboarding and offboarding design—documentation, I‑9 process, new‑hire orientation, and exit logistics—while the HR Coordinator executes day‑to‑day scheduling and administration; step in directly on sensitive exits or terminations. Support OFCCP compliance and affirmative action requirements as applicable. Ensure all people decisions—compensation, terminations, promotions, and transfers—are properly documented and defensible. Manager Support & Coaching Coach managers on handling specific employee situations—providing tactical guidance, not theoretical frameworks. Help managers acknowledge employee concerns while clearly explaining business decisions and processes. Draft or review manager communications for sensitive situations (performance concerns, compensation conversations, role changes). Encourage constructive escalation and help distinguish between situations requiring immediate action vs. ongoing monitoring. Support managers in navigating difficult interpersonal dynamics, team friction, and cross‑functional coordination challenges. Serve as a confidential sounding board for leaders navigating sensitive organizational situations. Additional Duties Comfortably work directly and simultaneously with executives, legal counsel, HR staff, and line managers. Demonstrate ability to operate independently with minimal oversight in fast‑paced, ambiguous environments. Balance speed with legal defensibility—move fast without creating risk. Delegate effectively while maintaining accountability for quality and outcomes. Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, related field, or degree. Operator who has built processes, managed people issues, and operated under compliance pressure without a traditional HR background. U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations, with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance. 7+ years of progressive HR, and/or operational experience, including significant depth in employee relations, investigations, and California employment law. 3+ years’ experience managing, leading, or mentoring at least one direct report. Experience serving as an operational partner to legal counsel on employment matters. Experience building HR processes, policies, forms, and governance mechanisms from the ground up. Knowledge of compensation administration, governance processes, and documentation standards. Experience coaching managers through difficult conversations and employee relations situations. Experience with contractor classification, workforce design, and multi‑state compliance. Experience utilizing HRIS, ATS, AI‑enabled tools, and people analytics platforms. Preferred Qualifications Experience in defense, aerospace, manufacturing, or venture‑backed high‑growth technology environments. Experience supporting organizations through rapid scaling or organizational transformation. SHRM‑CP, SHRM‑SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification. Experience with OFCCP, ITAR/EAR workforce requirements, and government contractor compliance. Experience working with founders and entrepreneurial leadership teams. Multi‑state employment law experience beyond California. Master’s degree in HR, Business, or related discipline. Work Environment Based onsite at our San Diego, CA headquarters. We welcome candidates who are local or open to relocating; relocation assistance is available where appropriate. Willingness to travel up to 5% as needed for events and customer site visits. Compensation US Salary Range: $155,000 – $185,000 – depending on experience. Equity participation in a growth‑stage defense technology company. Benefits & Perks Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans. 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan. Equity grants for new hires. Unlimited PTO. Generous company holiday calendar. Generous parental leave. Lifestyle Spending Account.

FSA, DCFSA, HSA.

Hospital Indemnity insurance, critical illness insurance, accident insurance. Basic life/AD&D, short‑term and long‑term disability insurance fully covered by Firestorm. Mental health resources available 24/7, plus additional work‑life services such as free legal and financial support. Export Control Compliance To conform to U.S. government export control regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce. Equal Opportunity Statement Firestorm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and upholding equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic under federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process. Firestorm is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations or assistance during the application process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at View email address on click.appcast.io so we can provide the support you need. #J-18808-Ljbffr Decisive Point