# People Operations Lead

**Company:** [Arena](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/arena)
**Location:** Unspecified
**Role:** People Ops
**Experience:** 6+ years
**Skills:** Hr Business Partnering, Performance Management, Compensation Planning, Organizational Design, Employee Relations, Onboarding Programs, Career Development, Headcount Planning, Compliance Management, Employee Lifecycle Management
**Posted:** 2026-06-08

> Design and scale HR programs including onboarding, performance, and compensation while serving as an HR business partner to leadership in a fast-moving AI startup.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Build and evolve foundational programs including onboarding, performance management, compensation, career development, and other initiatives that support company growth.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders, providing guidance on team effectiveness, organizational design, employee relations, and people decisions.
- Create lightweight systems and processes that improve consistency while preserving speed and flexibility.
- Help shape an environment where employees can do their best work, driving initiatives that strengthen engagement, communication, and team health.
- Ensure the fundamentals are operating smoothly, from policies and documentation to compliance and employee lifecycle management.
- Partner with leadership on headcount planning, organizational structure, and evolving team needs.
- Identify gaps before they become bottlenecks, building the frameworks and tools needed to support a growing organization.

## Requirements
- 6+ years of experience building People programs in an early stage or high growth environment where adaptability and execution mattered as much as expertise.
- Strong HR business partnering skills and the ability to translate business goals into practical people strategies.
- Sound judgment when navigating sensitive employee situations, balancing empathy with accountability.
- A builder's mindset. You enjoy creating systems from scratch and improving them as the organization evolves.
- Comfort operating in ambiguity and making progress without waiting for perfect information.
- A practical approach to People Operations that focuses on outcomes rather than process for process's sake.

## Nice-to-Haves
- Familiarity with modern AI tools and a curiosity about how technology can improve internal workflows.

## Similar roles

- [Global Workplace Lead](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/9a74a16e-cf1e-477b-b565-357de32e85ae) - Replit - Foster City, CA
- [Senior Manager, Global Benefits](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/e021ddfc-f090-41ba-8e96-bda3e0e1be50) - Rippling - New York, NY - $175k – $235k/yr
- [HR Business Partner](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/8e4bf854-24f5-4878-9270-8173d400ae82) - Doppel - San Francisco, CA - $150k – $175k/yr
- [Senior Compensation Manager](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/8e850a49-c182-4252-b5e9-aca727d4eddf) - MongoDB - Atlanta, GA - $98k – $193k/yr
- [People Operations Lead](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/12dfdf86-d80e-438a-85e9-fb3bf2baac75) - AfterQuery - San Francisco, CA - $150k – $200k/yr

**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/f342935e-0c98-4355-983d-5dadf8a7a482
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/f342935e-0c98-4355-983d-5dadf8a7a482