People Operations Coordinator - Hybrid, Equity & Benefits

Schemata; Washington (Washington County); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Schemata in the Washington, DC metro area is hiring a hands-on People Operations Coordinator to keep our growing team running smoothly. You’ll own HR administration, payroll, compliance, and a scalable hiring process in a small, mission‑driven defense tech startup.

You’ll partner with executives on calendar management, travel, and special projects while building policies and programs in a fast‑paced environment.

Qualifications

• 2+ years in a people operations, HR, office management, operations, or executive support role.
• Baseline working knowledge of HR fundamentals: payroll, benefits, onboarding, and basic employment compliance.
• Exceptionally detail‑oriented and highly organized.
• High discretion handling confidential information.
• Willingness to own tasks beyond a formal job description.

Responsibilities

• Run day‑to‑day HR administration: onboarding and offboarding, employee records, PTO tracking, and benefits enrollment.
• Administer payroll and benefits through Rippling and Human Interest 401(k), serving as first point of contact for questions.
• Maintain and improve HR policies, employee handbook, and compliance across a multi‑state workforce.
• Coordinate performance review cycles, feedback surveys, and other people programs as we scale.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state employment requirements and flag issues early.
• Assist hiring: job postings, sourcing support, scheduling interviews, candidate communication, and moving people through the pipeline.
• Manage offer letters, background checks, and handoff into onboarding; build repeatable hiring processes.
• Provide executive and administrative support: calendar management, travel booking, expense processing, and meeting coordination.
• Prepare materials, track action items, and keep leadership on schedule; handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Plan and run team events across DC and SF offices to strengthen culture.
• Manage office logistics, vendors, supplies, and facilities; own back‑of‑house tasks.
• Build systems and documentation to stay organized as we grow.

Skills

Detail-oriented

Organizational skills

Ownership mindset

Bias toward action

Tools

Rippling

Human Interest 401(k)

Job description

Schemata in the Washington, DC metro area is hiring a hands-on People Operations Coordinator to keep our growing team running smoothly. You’ll own HR administration, payroll, compliance, and a scalable hiring process in a small, mission‑driven defense tech startup.

You’ll partner with executives on calendar management, travel, and special projects while building policies and programs in a fast‑paced environment.