People & Culture Generalist, Sr.

AeroVironment, Inc.; San Luis Obispo (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401K with company match

9/80 work schedule

Paid holiday shutdown

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. in California is seeking a Senior People & Culture Generalist to provide day-to-day and strategic HR support across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, performance management, and policy administration.

The role partners with the P&C Business Partners and cross-functional teams to align HR programs with business objectives, drive employee relations, compliance, and process improvement. This is an in-person role based in San Luis Obispo.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Five+ years of progressive experience in Human Resources, including employee relations, investigations, and policy interpretation.
• Knowledge of onboarding, offboarding, performance management, compensation, benefits, and employee relations.

Responsibilities

• Develop collaborative partnerships across the People & Culture team and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Provide day-to-day P&C support to employees and managers, including responding to inquiries and policy interpretation.
• Support employee relations activities, including investigations, counseling, and disciplinary matters.
• Partner with P&C Business Partners to provide coaching and career development support.
• Provide integration support for P&C programs, HRIS data updates, and organizational changes.
• Collaborate with Benefits, Compensation, HRIS, and Talent Acquisition to resolve questions.
• Support onboarding, benefits administration, leave administration, performance management, and offboarding.
• Complete HRIS transactions for hires, promotions, separations, and location changes.

Skills

Employee relations

Policy interpretation

Communication

HRIS knowledge

Change management

Collaboration

Onboarding

Performance management

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Tools

Workday

PAYCHEX Flex HRIS

NetSuite

Microsoft Office

Job description

Worker Type Contractor Job Description Summary The People & Culture Generalist, Sr. provides day‑to‑day and strategic support across the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, compliance, employee experience, performance management, process improvement, and employee relations. This role assists the P&C Business Partner team with the development, implementation, and administration of P&C policies, programs, and initiatives that meet the needs of the organization and its employees. The People & Culture Generalist, Sr. uses HR functional expertise to align critical human resources principles with business objectives and provides support to leaders and employees across the various AeroVironment locations it serves.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop collaborative partnerships across the People & Culture team and with cross-functional stakeholders to deliver services aligned with company objectives.
• Provide day‑to‑day P&C support to employees and managers, including responding to inquiries, addressing concerns, interpreting policies, and escalating complex or sensitive matters as appropriate.
• Support employee relations activities, including workplace concerns, conflict resolution, investigations, performance counseling, corrective action, policy interpretation, and documentation, in partnership with P&C Business Partners and appropriate stakeholders.
• Partner with P&C Business Partners to provide leaders with coaching, counseling, career development support, employment‑law guidance, and assistance with disciplinary matters.
• Provide integration support for P&C programs, systems, processes, employee communications, HRIS data updates, and organizational changes across to promote consistency, effective stakeholder follow‑through, and a positive employee experience.
• Collaborate with P&C Centers of Excellence, including Benefits, Compensation, HRIS, and Talent Acquisition, to ensure timely and thorough resolution of employee and manager questions.
• Support core P&C functions across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, benefits and leave administration, talent acquisition, performance management, employee data changes, and offboarding.
• Complete HRIS transactions for new hires, promotions, separations, work‑location changes, and other employee updates.
• Manage and/or support separation and exit processes for contingent and non‑contingent workers, including exit meetings, documentation, HRIS processing, and recordkeeping.
• Maintain accurate and current employee records and documentation in accordance with company policies and legal requirements.
• Support the development, interpretation, implementation, and continuous improvement of P&C policies, procedures, programs, and processes.
• Support compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations by monitoring developments, recommending best practices, and assisting with policy updates.
• Apply current knowledge of HR trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and emerging technologies to P&C programs and recommendations.
• Manage and/or support P&C strategies, company‑wide initiatives, employee programs, events, and process‑improvement projects.
• Promote AV’s values and contribute to a positive, inclusive, and engaging employee experience.
• Perform other duties and P&C projects as assigned.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• This is an in‑person position located in San Luis Obispo, California.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Five or more years of progressive experience in Human Resources, including demonstrated experience supporting employee relations matters such as workplace investigations, conflict resolution, performance counseling, and policy interpretation.
• Knowledge and understanding of key HR functional areas, including onboarding, offboarding, performance management, compensation, benefits, and employee relations.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate HR programs, processes, and systems across multiple functional areas to support consistent employee experience and business objectives.
• Strong integration and change‑management skills, with the ability to coordinate effectively across teams, communicate interdependencies, and implement HR initiatives successfully.
• Current understanding of applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly, think on one’s feet, and exercise sound judgment in high‑pressure situations.
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, conflict‑resolution, and problem‑solving skills.
• Highly collaborative and resourceful, with the ability to work effectively across multiple functional areas and organizational levels while representing the People & Culture team.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines successfully.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft operating systems and Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Proficiency with, or the ability to quickly learn, HRIS and talent management systems.
• Ability to act with integrity and professionalism while maintaining strict confidentiality.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Prior Workday, PAYCHEX Flex HRIS and NetSuite experience preferred.
• Proven ability to work effectively and efficiently across functions and multiple levels of an organization.
• Ability to excel in a fast‑paced, deadline‑driven environment where small teams share a broad variety of duties.
• Strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives.
• Takes ownership and responsibility for current and past work products.
• Commitment to learning from mistakes and continuously improving performance of oneself, others, and the company.
• Strong team orientation and focus on putting the success of the team above one’s own interests.

Physical Demands: Ability to work in an office environment (Constant) Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent)

Special Requirements: U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) required.

Clearance Level No Clearance

ITAR Requirement: This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits. We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

Benefits: AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.

Who We Are

Based in California, AeroVironment (AVAV) is a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tactical missile systems. Founded in 1971 by celebrated physicist and engineer, Dr. Paul MacCready, we’ve been at the leading edge of technical innovation for more than 45 years. Be a part of the team that developed the world’s most widely used military drones and created the first submarine‑launched reconnaissance drone, and has seven innovative vehicles that are part of the Smithsonian Institution’s permanent collection in Washington, DC.

What We Do

Building on a history of technological innovation, AeroVironment designs, develops, produces, and supports an advanced portfolio of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tactical missile systems. Agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense and allied military services use the company’s hand‑launched UAS to provide situational awareness to tactical operating units through real‑time, airborne reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition. We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status. ITAR U.S. Citizenship required

About AV

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission‑obsessed. The best of the best. We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve. Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next. If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV. Careers at AeroVironment