People Operations Leader (AI Hardware)

Location: Austin, Texas; full-time onsite. Candidates must be based in or able to relocate to Austin.

Salary: $185,000–$225,000 per year, plus equity and bonus opportunities.

Company

hirify.global is an AI hardware startup developing silicon photonics and programmable metasurface technology for energy-efficient, high-performance AI inference.

What you will do

• Design and run onboarding from offer acceptance through day 60, coordinating communications, equipment, system access, manager enablement, and check-ins.
• Own multi-state employment compliance across Texas, California, Oregon, Utah, Montana, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, including registrations, classifications, postings, I-9, E-Verify, and statutory filings.
• Configure and manage Rippling as the HR system of record, automate workflows, maintain data integrity, and produce headcount, cost, and compliance reports.
• Administer benefits, open enrollment, life-event changes, HSA, 401(k), leave programs, accommodations, and related regulatory obligations.
• Maintain HR policies and the employee handbook, support performance and compensation cycles, and advise employees and managers on policy interpretation.
• Manage offboarding and employee relations while partnering with Finance, Recruiting, Legal, Facilities, and EHS on payroll, equity, international employment, workers’ compensation, and OSHA records.

Requirements

• 8+ years of progressive HR or People Operations experience, including at least two years as the primary operational owner.
• Experience building or substantially rebuilding an onboarding program and administering a modern HRIS; Rippling experience is strongly preferred.
• Direct experience with multi-state employment compliance, exempt/non-exempt classifications, I-9, E-Verify, benefits, FMLA, ADA accommodations, and state leave programs.
• Experience writing HR policies and handbook language, managing offboarding, and training managers on compliance and processes.
• Based in or able to relocate to Austin and able to work onsite full time.
• Strong reporting skills in Excel or Google Sheets and sufficient knowledge of immigration processes to coordinate with outside counsel.

Nice to have

• Experience with international employment through EOR providers such as Deel or Rippling, particularly in Taiwan.
• Experience supporting hardware, semiconductor, manufacturing, or lab-based workforces, including non-exempt technicians, shift work, safety, and workers’ compensation.
• Experience scaling HR infrastructure from fewer than 100 to more than 200 employees in one year.
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification.
• Comfort using AI to build HR tooling.

Culture & Benefits

• Onsite work with engineering and operations teams in an office and laboratory environment.
• 100% coverage of base health plan premiums for employees and dependents, plus HSA contributions.
• Unlimited PTO and a broad suite of voluntary dental, vision, life, hospital, critical illness, and accident insurance.
• 401(k) matching, stock option opportunities, and flexible benefits selection.
• Opportunity to work on photonics and AI hardware at a rapidly scaling startup.