People Operations Coordinator

Schemata; Washington; Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Meaningful equity

Comprehensive health coverage

401(k) plan

Paid parental leave

High visibility and impact

Job summary

Schemata is hiring its first dedicated People Operations Coordinator to own back-of-house operations in a growing 15-person defense tech startup. You’ll manage payroll, onboarding, compliance, and HR policies while supporting executives and building scalable processes.

The role blends HR, recruiting, executive support, and general operations with hybrid work and ownership from day one, in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 2+ years in people operations, HR, office management, operations, or executive support role.
• Baseline working knowledge of HR fundamentals: payroll, benefits, onboarding, and compliance.
• Exceptionally detail-oriented.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to juggle many tasks without dropping details.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• High discretion handling confidential information.
• Bias toward action and willingness to own tasks beyond a formal job description.

Responsibilities

• Run day-to-day HR administration: onboarding/offboarding, records, PTO, benefits enrollment.
• Administer payroll and benefits through existing systems; serve as first point of contact for questions.
• Maintain and improve HR policies, handbook, and multi-state compliance.
• Coordinate performance reviews, surveys, and people programs as we scale.
• Ensure compliance with federal/state employment requirements and alert founders early.

Skills

People operations

Payroll

Onboarding

HR fundamentals

Detail-oriented

Organizational skills

Communication

Discretion

Ownership / initiative

Tools

Rippling

Human Interest

Notion

Job description

About the Role

We are hiring our first dedicated People Operations Coordinator to take ownership of the back-of-house work that keeps the company running. This is the person who makes sure people get paid correctly, new hires start smoothly, the founders’ time is protected, and the small operational fires get put out before they spread.

This is a broad, hands-on generalist role, not a narrow HR specialist seat. You will spend part of your week on HR and compliance, part on recruiting, part supporting the executive team directly, and part on everything else that a growing 15-person company needs but has not yet built. If you like variety, take pride in running a tight ship, and want real ownership at an early-stage defense tech company, this is a rare opportunity to build the people and operations function from the ground up.

About Schemata

At Schemata, we are transforming the $400 B virtual‑training and simulation market by fusing 3D computer vision, neural rendering and large multimodal models inside highly regulated industries. Our platform delivers photorealistic, intelligent 3D experiences, demanding robust spatial reasoning, high‑performance data pipelines and seamless integration between traditional graphics and AI‑driven perception.

Core Responsibilities

People operations and HR

1. Run day-to-day HR administration: onboarding and offboarding, employee records, PTO tracking, and benefits enrollment.
2. Administer payroll and benefits through our existing systems (Rippling, Human Interest 401(k)), and serve as the first point of contact for employee questions.
3. Maintain and improve HR policies, the employee handbook, and compliance across a multi-state workforce.
4. Coordinate performance review cycles, feedback surveys, and other people programs as we scale.
5. Keep us compliant with federal and state employment requirements, and flag issues to the founding team early.

Recruiting

1. Assist team managers with hiring: job postings, sourcing support, scheduling interviews, candidate communication, and moving people through the pipeline.
2. Manage offer letters, background checks, and the handoff into onboarding.
3. Help build a repeatable, professional hiring process as headcount grows.

Executive and administrative support

1. Provide direct support to the executive team, including calendar management, travel booking, expense processing, and meeting coordination.
2. Prepare and organize materials, track action items, and keep the leadership team on schedule.
3. Handle sensitive information with discretion and sound judgment.

Internal events and culture

1. Plan and run team events and gatherings across our DC and SF offices.

General operations

1. Manage office logistics, vendors, supplies, and facilities coordination.
2. Own miscellaneous back-of-house tasks and projects.
3. Build the systems and documentation that let us stay organized as we grow.

Essential Skills & Experience

• 2+ years in a people operations, HR, office management, operations, or executive support role.
• A baseline working knowledge of HR fundamentals: payroll, benefits, onboarding, and basic employment compliance.
• Exceptionally detail-oriented.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to juggle many different tasks without dropping details.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• High discretion and comfort handling confidential information.
• A bias toward action and a willingness to own whatever needs owning, including work outside a formal job description.
• Based in the DC metro area and able to work on a hybrid schedule (3 days/week in office).

Nice to Have

• Experience with Rippling, Human Interest, Notion, or comparable HR and operations tools.
• Exposure to a defense, government contracting, or regulated environment.
• Recruiting coordination or full-cycle recruiting experience.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance (U.S. citizenship required for some of our work).

Why Join Us?

• Competitive salary that reflects your experience and track record
• Meaningful equity stake in a high-growth, venture-backed defense tech startup, so you share in the upside you help create
• Comprehensive health coverage : medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan
• Paid parental leave
• High visibility and real impact: shape the future of training technology and directly influence mission-critical training for military and industrial operators, on a collaborative, mission-driven team