Onboarding Coordinator

Cognition AI; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognition AI in San Francisco, CA is seeking a dedicated onboarding lead to own the new-hire experience from offer acceptance through the first week. You will design and run the onboarding program, coordinate background checks, I-9 verification, HR system setup, travel logistics, laptop deliveries, and system access, working with Recruiting, IT, managers, and office teams.

You will check in with each new hire to ensure they have what they need and improve checklists and handoffs as the company

Qualifications

• Experience leading end-to-end onboarding programs.
• Ability to coordinate background checks, I-9 verification, and HR system setup.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration with Recruiting, IT, and office teams.

Responsibilities

• Own onboarding from offer acceptance through the new hire's first week.
• Design and run the onboarding program and first-week sessions.
• Coordinate background checks, I-9 verification, HR system setup, travel, laptop deliveries, and system access.
• Check in with new hires to ensure they have what they need and improve checklists/handoffs.

Skills

Onboarding coordination

HR operations

Background checks

I-9 verification

Employee records

HR system setup

Cross-functional communication

Tools

HRIS

Job description

We are an applied AI lab building end-to-end software agents.

We're the makers of Devin, the first AI software engineer.

Our team is extremely talent-dense. Among our founding team, we have world-class competitive programmers, former founders, and leaders from companies at the cutting edge of AI including Scale AI, Palantir, Cursor, Waymo, Tesla, Lunchclub, Modal, Google DeepMind, and Nuro.

Building Devin is just the first step—our hardest challenges still lie ahead. If you’re excited to solve some of the world’s biggest problems and build AI that can reason on real-world tasks.

Why are we hiring for this role?

Cognition is growing quickly across teams and international offices. Every new hire should feel welcomed, prepared, and ready to contribute from day one. That takes someone who cares about the employee experience and stays ahead of every detail behind it.

We need someone to own onboarding from offer acceptance through a new hire’s first week. Those early days shape how someone feels about joining Cognition, so you’ll bring warmth and care to every interaction while staying ahead of the details. You’ll build the onboarding program and first-week sessions, communicate proactively with new hires, and coordinate background checks, I-9 verification, HR system setup, travel, laptop deliveries, and systems access. You’ll work closely with Recruiting, IT, managers, and office teams, checking in directly with each new hire to make sure they have what they need. As we grow, you’ll keep improving the checklists and handoffs that make a great first week possible.

What does success look like?

• New hires feel expected and cared for. They know where to go, what to expect, and who to ask for help before their first day.

• Background checks, I-9 verification, employee records, and other required onboarding steps are completed accurately and on time.

• First-week travel is arranged, laptops arrive when needed, accounts work, and schedules are clear. You check directly with each new hire rather than assuming everything is set.

• Give executive hires a white-glove and personal onboarding experience

• Immigration and visa needs are identified early, routed to the right people, and tracked through the next step.

• Recruiting, IT, managers, and office teams know what they own. You spot delays, follow up proactively, and resolve issues before they affect a new hire’s start.

• Trackers, checklists, and communications stay current as hiring grows.
  

What are the critical competencies?

• Proactive coordination. You can juggle many starts, owners, and deadlines without losing track of the details. You anticipate what could go wrong, follow up before someone has to ask, and keep each start moving.

• Care for the employee experience. You know a warm welcome is built through both thoughtful communication and reliable execution. You make new hires feel expected, check that they have what they need, and respond quickly when something isn’t working.

• HR onboarding operations. You can manage background checks, I-9 verification, employee records, and HR system setup accurately and on time. You handle sensitive information with care.

• Cross-functional follow-through. You keep Recruiting, IT, managers, and office teams, and immigration partners aligned. You make ownership clear and stay with an issue until it’s resolved.

• Process improvement. You spot recurring gaps in a checklist, handoff, or message and fix them. You make onboarding more reliable while keeping it personal.

• Low ego, high ownership. You’re as willing to improve a workflow as you are to find a delayed laptop or help a new hire access their account. You care that the first week works.

Equal Opportunity

Cognition is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities throughout the hiring process - please let us know if you need any.