People Operations Manager

About the Role

Achira is seeking an experienced, people-focused operations Manager to lead the people team for an early-stage, high-growth start-up. This role oversees the full employee experience from recruiting and onboarding to performance management, employee relations, and compliance while helping shape a positive, productive workplace culture. The ideal candidate is a strategic leadership partner as well as a trusted resource for employees at every level.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage full-cycle recruiting: job postings, recruiter relations, interviews, reference checks, and offer negotiation
• Oversee onboarding and offboarding processes to ensure smooth employee transitions
• Develop and administer HR policies, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws
• Manage employee relations issues, including conflict resolution, disciplinary actions, and investigations
• Lead performance management processes, including reviews, goal-setting, and improvement plans in collaboration with leadership
• Administer compensation and benefits programs, including open enrollment and annual review cycles
• Partner with team leads and project mgmt. on workforce planning, org design, and headcount needs
• Maintain and improve HR systems (HRIS), records, and reporting in coordination with third party vendor support
• Engage with legal counsel on immigration issues and visa processing ultimately shifting to in-house processes
• Drive employee engagement initiatives and culture-building programs in partnership with leadership
• Manage training and professional development programs in partnership with leadership
• Ensure health, safety, and compliance standards are met across the organization
• Prepare HR metrics and reports for leadership (turnover, retention, headcount, etc.)
• Oversee compliance associated with benefit plans and employee policies
• Flexibility in covering administrative responsibilities outside of HR

About You

• Bachelor's degree
• 5+ years of progressive HR experience, including 2+ years in a management or supervisory capacity
• Strong knowledge of employment law, state requirements, HR best practices, and compliance requirements
• Experience with HRIS platforms (e.g., Workday, ADP, or similar)
• Excellent interpersonal, conflict-resolution, and communication skills
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification preferred
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and keep operations running smoothly
• Strong problem-solver who is proactive, resourceful, and able to act independently
• Excellent interpersonal skills; you create a positive, welcoming environment and communicate effectively across teams
• Comfortable with basic tools (Google Workspace, Slack, Notion, etc.) and not afraid to learn new skills
• Hands-on and adaptable - excited to roll up your sleeves and build processes in a fast-paced, evolving environment
• Mission-driven and motivated to support a team advancing drug discovery
• Experience in managing employees in science, technology, or research fields
• Commitment to equity and employee engagement
• Experience supporting a distributed or hybrid workforce
• Data-driven approach to HR decision-making