Confidential People Operations opportunity available in Sorrento Valley, San Diego, CA
Onsite | Full-Time/Exempt - $80,000-$100,000/yr
Are you an experienced HR professional who enjoys being the person employees and leaders trust to keep things moving?
Our confidential San Diego-based client seeks an experienced People Operations professional to serve as a key resource for employees and leadership while supporting the employee experience and day-to-day workplace operations.
This is a highly visible, hands-on role for someone who enjoys wearing multiple hats- balancing employee support, HR compliance, benefits, and onboarding with the opportunity to build stronger processes, improve the employee experience, and help shape a growing organization's workplace culture.
The Opportunity
Reporting directly to the VP, Finance & Administration, you'll be the primary point of contact for employee, HR, and office-related matters. In this highly collaborative role, you'll spend approximately 60% of your time on HR and 40% on office management, partnering closely with department and executive leadership.
You'll support employees throughout the employment lifecycle, help ensure compliance with California and federal employment requirements, and identify opportunities to make People Operations more effective, scalable, and employee-friendly.
This role is more than maintaining existing processes. You'll have the opportunity to help build and improve the People infrastructure that supports the organization's continued growth.
What You'll Do
People Operations & Employee Support
- Serve as a trusted and approachable resource for employee and manager HR questions
- Administer and interpret HR policies, procedures, and best practices
- Maintain accurate, organized, and confidential employee records and HR documentation
- Partner with leadership on employee-related matters and people-focused initiatives
- Recommend improvements that strengthen HR processes and the overall employee experience
Onboarding, Employee Administration, & Compliance
- Facilitate new hire onboarding and orientation to create a welcoming and organized employee experience
- Prepare employment documentation and ensure required new hire compliance steps are completed (we use TriNet)
- Respond to employee questions related to compensation, benefits, policies, and HR programs
- Help ensure compliance with federal, California, and local employment laws and regulations
- Support compliance with wage and hour requirements, labor regulations, and company policies
- Stay current on HR best practices and evolving employment requirements
Office Operations & Management
- Recommend and implement improvements to internal procedures, workflows, and office operations
- Serve as a professional point of contact for office guests, vendors, and workplace-related needs
- Ensure that day-to-day use items are stocked and mail is checked and distributed
- Attend meetings and ensure accurate note taking/minutes
- Partner with leadership to implement People initiatives aligned with organizational goals
What You Bring
Required Qualifications
- Experience in People Operations, as an HR Generalist, or in a hybrid HR Generalist/Office Management role
- Strong working knowledge of HR principles, best practices, and California employment law
- Experience working in a start-up or similarly dynamic environment where adaptability and sound judgment are essential
- Ability to balance flexibility with a commitment to both the letter and spirit of employment laws and HR best practices
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build trust across all levels of an organization
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and discretion when handling confidential information
- Ability to independently manage multiple priorities while collaborating effectively across teams
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and HR information systems; TriNet experience is strongly preferred
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field
- Experience in biotech, biopharma, life sciences, or a related industry
You'll Thrive Here If You Are
Someone who genuinely enjoys helping people while bringing structure, consistency, and good judgment to the workplace.
You're likely to be successful in this role if you are:
- A trusted partner who builds strong relationships with employees and leaders
- Calm, professional, and approachable when navigating sensitive situations
- Highly organized and comfortable balancing competing priorities
- Detail-oriented with excellent judgment and discretion
- Proactive about identifying opportunities to make processes better
- Passionate about creating a positive, engaging, and compliant workplace
- Comfortable rolling up your sleeves and working in an environment where priorities can evolve
Why Join?
- Make a visible impact: Help shape the employee experience and influence how the organization grows
- Build, not just maintain: Develop and improve People programs, processes, and infrastructure as the organization evolves
- Partner directly with leadership: Work closely with leaders and managers on meaningful People initiatives and business priorities
- Gain broad HR exposure: Contribute across employee relations, benefits, compliance, performance, culture, and workplace operations
- Support meaningful work: Partner with talented teams advancing innovative therapies with the potential to make a meaningful difference for patients
If you're looking for a hands-on People Operations role where you can build relationships, improve how things work, and have a meaningful influence on both employees and the organization, we'd love to hear from you.