HR Manager

Mesa Quantum Systems; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Mesa Quantum Systems in Boulder, CO is seeking a People & Operations Coordinator to own HR end-to-end—from onboarding to offboarding—and to stand up scalable processes, systems, and documentation. You’ll be a go-to for employees and leadership, while stepping into procurement, vendor management, and facilities as needed.

You’ll help ensure a smooth employee experience, accurate people data, and non-bottleneck HR as we scale with ownership and impact.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in HR/People Ops with real ownership of core responsibilities.
• Proven ability to build HR processes from scratch.
• Strong grasp of lifecycle management and confidentiality.
• Comfort with ambiguity and hands-on approach beyond traditional HR.
• Excellent judgment, follow-through, and communication.

Responsibilities

• Own HRIS and keep employee data clean and current.
• Oversee onboarding, offboarding, records, and documentation.
• Manage performance processes and employee relations support.
• Design scalable HR workflows and write playbooks.
• Coordinate payroll and benefits; ensure compliance across jurisdictions.
• Support procurement, vendor management, and facilities as needed.

Skills

HR Operations

Employee relations

Confidentiality

Communication

Ambiguity tolerance

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Tools

HRIS/ATS platforms

Payroll software

Vendor management tools

Job description

About Mesa Quantum

Mesa Quantum is building the next generation of quantum sensing and Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) technologies. Our mission is to make quantum technologies practical, scalable, and deployable in real-world applications spanning defense, critical infrastructure, telecommunications, and autonomous systems.

We are a fast-growing deep-tech startup backed by leading investors, government partners, and industry stakeholders. As we continue to scale, we are looking for a highly organized and proactive People & Operations Coordinator to help keep the company running smoothly.

Role Overview

This is a builder's role, not a maintainer's. You'll own HR and People Operations end-to-end, from offer letter to offboarding, while also standing up the processes, systems, and documentation. You'll be the go-to person for employees and leadership alike, and you'll pick up adjacent operational work (procurement, vendor management, facilities) when the business needs it.

You'll know you're succeeding when: employees have a smooth, well-supported experience at every stage; leadership has accurate people data whenever they need it; and HR never becomes the bottleneck as we grow.

What You'll Own

People Operations

• Full employee lifecycle: onboarding, offboarding, records, documentation

• Performance management processes and employee relations support
• Company policies, employee handbook, and compliance across our operating jurisdictions
• Design and document scalable HR workflows: you're not just running a playbook, you're writing it
• Own the HRIS and keep employee data clean and current
• Payroll coordination and benefits administration
• Spot gaps before they become problems and fix them proactively

Operations (as needed)

• Procurement, vendor management, and software license/subscription tracking
• Facilities and workplace operations
• General administrative support for leadership initiatives

What You Bring

• 5+ years in HR/People Ops with real ownership of core responsibilities, not just administrative support
• A track record of building HR processes from scratch, not just executing existing ones
• Strong grasp of employee lifecycle management, compliance basics, and confidentiality norms
• Comfort with ambiguity and a genuine willingness to be hands-on outside "traditional HR" when needed
• Excellent judgment, follow-through, and communication skills

Nice to Have

• Background in a startup, deep tech, engineering, or technical environment
• Multi-state HR experience, payroll/benefits administration, HRIS/ATS platforms
• Experience with vendor, procurement, or facilities management
• HR-related degree or equivalent experience

What Makes Someone Successful in This Role

• Highly organized and detail-oriented.
• Dependable and follows through on commitments.
• Comfortable juggling many moving pieces at once.
• Proactive and resourceful when solving problems.
• Strong communicator who works well with a variety of personalities.
• Low ego, adaptable, and willing to help wherever needed.
• Able to identify priorities and take action without requiring constant direction.
• Takes pride in helping teams and organizations operate effectively.

Why This Role?

You'd be the first real owner of HR at Mesa, building the systems and practices that shape how we hire, support, and retain people as we scale. It's high-ownership, high-visibility work with direct impact, at a company solving genuinely hard technical problems.