Operations & People Ops Lead for AI Startup

highlightai; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and equity

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible PTO and parental leave

Team meals and relocation assistance

Job summary

Highlight is building a shared intelligence layer for the modern workforce. The company seeks an Operations Manager who blends recruiting support with operational coordination to keep systems clean and scalable.

You'll own end-to-end processes in Talent, People Ops, and Operations, helping scale a fast-growing AI startup while working closely with recruiters and leadership to implement structured workflows and documentation.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in people operations, HR, recruiting, or a related generalist operations role.
• Prior experience at an early-stage or high-growth company.
• Working knowledge of HR compliance fundamentals (benefits administration, basic labor law, employee classification). You don't need to be an HR expert, but you know what you don't know and when to escalate.

Responsibilities

• Conduct initial candidate screens to assess fit before looping in hiring managers.
• Coordinate interview logistics with contract recruiters from start to finish, ensuring a smooth, professional experience for every candidate.
• Keep candidates engaged and informed throughout the hiring process.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records in the applicant tracking system.
• Work with hiring managers to define role requirements and build structured interview plans.

Skills

Recruiting support

Onboarding

HR compliance

Vendor management

Operations coordination

Tools

Ashby

Greenhouse

Lever

Ramp

QuickBooks

Job description

Highlight is building a shared intelligence layer for the modern workforce. The company seeks an Operations Manager who blends recruiting support with operational coordination to keep systems clean and scalable.

You'll own end-to-end processes in Talent, People Ops, and Operations, helping scale a fast-growing AI startup while working closely with recruiters and leadership to implement structured workflows and documentation.