People Operations Manager

What You'll Do

• Own onboarding and offboarding end-to-end: offer letters, I-9 verification, background checks, tools provisioning, system access setup, HM coordination, 30/60/90 check-in process, and a clean, documented exit process every time
• Run payroll operations - adding new employees, processing changes, troubleshooting issues, and ensuring every run is accurate and on time
• Manage the benefits program day-to-day: open enrollment, carrier coordination, employee questions, a potential PEO migration, stipend maintenance, usage tracking, and feedback loops
• Own people compliance across all active states: SOS registrations, unemployment insurance, quarterly and annual filings, employee records, handbook maintenance, and working fluency with tools like Mosey, Corpnet, and AbstractOps
• Own employee engagement including pulse surveys, feedback initiatives, and sentiment tracking across a distributed team. Surface themes to leadership and turn feedback into actionable improvements
• Support performance management cycles: mid-year and end-of-year reviews, manager check-ins, scorecard coordination, and keeping feedback loops tight without adding unnecessary process
• Coordinate and manage office gatherings, employer branding events, and more intimate team outings
• Spearhead future office relocation efforts including broker relationships, touring spaces, coordinating buildouts, and ensuring seamless move-in processes
• Administer equity in Carta, partnering with the CoS and Finance on option grants, termination processing, and cap table hygiene
• Partner with COO and Recruiting Lead on headcount planning, leveling, and compensation frameworks
• Partner with Recruiting Lead on candidate experience and recruiting operations including interview coordination, offer letter workflows, ATS hygiene, and keeping the recruiting-to-people handoff clean
• Use AI tools actively to automate repetitive workflows, draft communications, and build more scalable processes

What You'll Bring

• 4+ years of experience in People Operations, HR Operations, or related program management roles
• Experience at one or more scaling startups where you operated without a full HR team behind you
• Hands-on fluency with the core People Ops toolset: Gusto or Rippling, Carta, PEOs such as Sequoia or equivalent, and compliance platforms like Vanta, Mosey, or AbstractOps
• Ownership mentality: you've run a people ops or back-office function yourself, not just supported someone who did
• Comfort operating across people, finance, and admin functions without needing clean lane boundaries
• Clear, direct communicator who can navigate sensitive employee and manager conversations with judgment and empathy
• Fluency with AI tools as a genuine part of your workflow

Strong Candidates May Also...

• Have supported or led a PEO migration
• Have familiarity with federal contracting compliance from a people/HR perspective
• Have worked with SOC 2 or similar security frameworks in a people ops context

What Kaizen Offers

Health & Insurance

• Comprehensive medical through Oxford/United — Gold and Platinum PPO plans, with 85% of premiums covered on the Platinum plan and a $0 employee premium option
• Dental through Guardian PPO and vision through Beam, with 99% of employee premiums covered and 50% for dependents
• $100,000 in fully paid life insurance
• FSA and Dependent Care FSA
• 401(k) access through Guideline

Family & Time Off

• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for birthing parents
• 10 weeks fully paid for non-birthing parents
• Unlimited PTO, closed for all federal holidays, and company-wide winter break the week of Christmas

Office & Remote Setup

• Up to $750 one-time home office or desk setup stipend for NYC-based employees; $500 for remote employees
• $50/month commuter benefit
• Expensed lunch 3x a week while in the office
• Company-provided laptop

Wellness

• Fully covered gym membership at Grindhouse
• For remote employees, $100/month dedicated to gym or physical fitness reimbursement
• $300/quarter pet care stipend

Stipends

• $100/month utility stipend
• $500/year professional development
• $250/year recreation