People Operations Specialist

TL;DR

People Operations Specialist (HR Operations): Managing day-to-day HR operations, compliance, and employee experience in a fast-paced defense startup with an accent on benefits administration and US employment law. Focus on optimizing HR workflows, managing leave of absence cases, and supporting rapid organizational growth.

Location: Work full-time onsite in El Segundo, California, United States. Relocation assistance is available.

Salary: $120,000 – $135,000 base

Company

A modern defense company redefining domain dominance through Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™).

What you will do

• Act as the primary point of contact for daily HR inquiries and employee support.
• Manage HRIS data, payroll, and benefits using Rippling.
• Coordinate onboarding, offboarding, and employee lifecycle changes.
• Administer benefits, open enrollment, and vendor coordination.
• Manage leave of absence cases end-to-end, including FMLA and CFRA.
• Support semi-annual performance and compensation review cycles.

Requirements

• 3-5 years of progressive HR experience, ideally in a high-growth startup setting.
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. employment laws, specifically California.
• Proven experience in benefits administration and compliance tracking.
• Proficiency with HRIS systems and Excel for reporting and data integrity.
• Hands-on experience managing FMLA/CFRA and disability leave cases.
• Ability to handle confidential information with professional discretion.

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience with Rippling.
• Experience coordinating benefits renewals and open enrollment.
• Involvement in performance reviews and compensation cycles.

Culture & Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid by the company.
• 401k with 50% company match up to 6% of pay, FSA, and HSA.
• Free daily lunch and 'No meeting Fridays'.
• Unlimited PTO and casual dress code.
• Generous pre-IPO stock option grants.