HR People Ops France

Mistral; Paris; Hybrid; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Mistral is seeking a People Operations Manager to build and scale HR processes in France, ensuring compliance and a high-quality employee experience.

You will own payroll, onboarding, immigration, benefits, and HRIS initiatives, partnering with external providers and internal teams to automate workflows and accelerate growth.

Qualifications

• 5 to 10 years HR experience in startups or high-growth environment.
• Deep knowledge of French labor laws and local employment regulations.
• Experience managing end-to-end employee lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding.
• Proficiency with modern HR technology and payroll tools.

Responsibilities

• Process payroll end-to-end for France-based employees with external providers and Finance.
• Own the onboarding journey: contracts, amendments, certificates, system updates.
• Navigate immigration, visas, and work permit processes.
• Resolve daily employee inquiries on benefits and policies with clear support.
• Maintain compliance: update handbooks, monitor labor law changes.
• Lead HR software initiatives and vendor management for HRIS and payroll tools.
• Streamline workflows by documenting, automating, and auditing procedures.

Skills

Payroll management

Onboarding management

Immigration & visas

HRIS & payroll tools

French labor law

Employee lifecycle

Stakeholder communication

Education

HR / Business Administration degree

Tools

HRIS platforms

Payroll automation tools

Job description

About Mistral

Mistral provides full-stack AI solutions: from frontier models to developer tools, applications, and compute. We partner with enterprises tackling the hardest problems across high-stakes industries like finance, manufacturing, defense, healthcare, and the public sector, co-creating customized AI systems that they can run on their terms.

We are a dynamic, collaborative team passionate about AI and its potential to transform society. Our diverse workforce thrives in competitive environments and is committed to driving innovation. Our teams are distributed between Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. We are creative, low-ego and team-spirited.

The Role

As a People Operations Manager on the People team, you will build, scale, and maintain the operational foundation that supports our team in France. This role exists to ensure our daily HR processes run seamlessly, keeping the company fully compliant while delivering a reliable, clear, and high-quality experience for every employee.

You will act as the primary point of contact for employee lifecycle milestones, everyday operations, and external vendor relations. Your impact will be felt directly through the precision of our monthly payroll, the clarity of our internal policies, and the efficiency of our onboarding systems.

This position requires a balanced blend of hands‑on administrative execution and process engineering. You will own the full operational landscape—from local labor contracts and complex immigration cases to scaling our HRIS software—while constantly identifying opportunities to automate workflows and reduce friction.

What You Will Do

• Process payroll end-to-end for France-based employees, collaborating closely with external providers and our internal Finance team to ensure timely, precise execution.

• Own the onboarding journey, managing labor contracts, amendments, certificates, and system updates so new hires are integrated accurately from day one.

• Navigate immigration and mobility requests, directly managing work permits, visa renewals, and National Security Number applications.

• Resolve daily employee inquiries regarding benefits administration, enrollment changes, and company policies with clear and prompt support.

• Maintain compliance infrastructure, regularly updating employee handbooks and monitoring shifts in French employment law to protect the company.

• Lead HR software initiatives and vendor management projects to evaluate, implement, and refine our HRIS and payroll tools.

• Streamline operational workflows by documenting, automating, and auditing existing procedures to eliminate administrative bottlenecks.
  

What We Are Looking For

• 5 to 10 years of progressive HR experience, ideally within a startup or high‑growth environment, alongside a degree in HR, Business Administration, or a related field.

• Deep operational knowledge of French labor laws, local employment regulations, national payroll structures, and tax compliance.

• Proven experience managing the entire employee lifecycle from onboarding through retention strategies to formal offboarding.

• Technical proficiency with modern HR technology solutions, including HRIS platforms and automated payroll tools.

• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to interpret regulatory updates into practical internal policies.

• A practical, hands‑on execution style combined with a builder mindset—you genuinely enjoy creating order out of ambiguity and setting up scalable systems.

• Clear, direct communication and interpersonal skills to manage sensitive employee topics and coordinate effectively with external vendors.

What We Offer

We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your well‑being, growth, and work‑life balance. Benefits vary by country and may include healthcare coverage, parental leave, retirement plans, relocation support, wellness programs, meal and transportation allowances, and other location‑specific perks.

For the most up‑to‑date details on benefits available in your location, please refer to our Benefits page.

Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters to us. You can learn more about how we handle your personal data in our Applicant Privacy Policy.