People Operations Specialist

People Operations Role at Exa

Exa is building a search engine for the AI era. Our Search API currently powers Agents, Fortune 500s and AI labs as we transform an industry that hasn't been disrupted since the 90s. We're a largely SF-based team of ~100 from Harvard, MIT, Meta, Google Research, ex-founders & dropouts alike.

We're looking for someone to join our People team and help build the systems behind how Exa hires, operates, and scales. You'll work closely with our People lead, founders, and Chief of Staff across hiring, onboarding, benefits, compliance, immigration, and global employment operations across our San Francisco, Singapore, and Zrich offices.

This is a highly operational role with broad ownership. You'll touch a little bit of everything, and the quality of your work will directly shape the experience of every person who joins Exa.

About the Role

People Operations at Exa sits at the intersection of hiring, employee experience, and the unglamorous logistics that make a fast-growing company actually work. The people you support will define the company (and the future of search!).

This role is for someone who deeply cares about the experience of everyone on the team. You'll be the person making someone's first day feel like the start of a journey they're excited about, and the one keeping the gears turning long after.

What You'll Do

• Run end-to-end onboarding for every new hire, from offer letter to first day, and make it feel like a warm welcome rather than a checklist
• Coordinate international hires and contractors alongside our local advisors
• Support visa and immigration cases with our immigration counsel, and be the friendly face making sure no one feels lost in the process
• Own benefits administration day-to-day and support annual renewals
• Keep HRIS and people data clean and accurate
• Build the trackers, runbooks, and systems that let us scale without chaos
• Support compliance work across handbooks, I-9s, SOC 2, and board consents
• Help plan offsites, company parties, and team moments that people actually look forward to
• Constantly look for ways to improve the employee experience, from the small details to the bigger systems

What We're Looking For

• 1-4 years of experience in people ops, HR, recruiting coordination, or startup operations
• Exceptional organization - spreadsheets, trackers, and follow-ups are second nature
• Strong written communication and warmth being the point of contact for employees, vendors, and lawyers
• Discretion with sensitive information, and the judgment to know when something matters more than the process around it
• A bias toward action - you figure things out independently when there's no playbook
• Strong ownership mentality - you don't wait to be asked to fix problems
• Genuine care for the people you support, and a real interest in making Exa a place people love working at

Bonus:

• Experience at a top-tier startup or scale-up
• International exposure across hiring, employment, or coordination
• You've helped scale a company through a high-growth stage

Why This Role Matters

A company is only as good as the people in it, and the systems that support them. We need someone who cares about getting both right - building a place people are proud to work at, and the infrastructure that keeps it running as we grow. If that sounds like the kind of work you want to do, we'd love to meet you!

This is an in-person opportunity in San Francisco. In addition to premium healthcare benefits (medical, dental, vision), we also offer fertility benefits and a monthly wellness stipend to all of our employees.