Hands-On People Manager — Aerospace & Growth

Varda Space Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision insurance for员工

401(k) with employer match

Relocation assistance

Flexible PTO + holidays

Gym/wellness reimbursement

Equity incentives

Company events & meals

Job summary

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA is seeking a hands-on People Manager to build and scale People operations across the company. Reporting to the People Director, you will own onboarding, offboarding, talent processes, and partner with Finance, Legal, Recruitment to drive people programs.

This role demands 8+ years in HR, startup experience, and the ability to balance strategy with day-to-day execution in a fast-paced aerospace environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive HR experience, including HRBP and/or People Operations roles.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Startup experience required (or experience building new groups within a larger company).
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a hands-on People operator in a fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable managing both high-level strategy and day-to-day execution without relying on large teams or administrative support.
• Proven track record of building processes, fixing broken systems, and driving operational outcomes directly.
• Experience partnering directly with senior leaders on organizational strategy, talent management, and change management.
• Experience implementing and scaling People programs in a growing organization.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary People Business Partner for assigned business units.
• Build trusted relationships with leaders to translate priorities into People strategies.
• Lead annual talent processes: performance reviews, calibration, promotions, succession planning, and development planning.
• Execute core People processes directly — onboarding, offboarding, transfers, promotions, and employee changes — ensuring accuracy and speed.

Skills

HRBP

People Operations

Stakeholder management

Change management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR/Business

Tools

HRIS

Job description

Varda Space Industries in El Segundo, CA is seeking a hands-on People Manager to build and scale People operations across the company. Reporting to the People Director, you will own onboarding, offboarding, talent processes, and partner with Finance, Legal, Recruitment to drive people programs.

This role demands 8+ years in HR, startup experience, and the ability to balance strategy with day-to-day execution in a fast-paced aerospace environment.