People Operations Generalist

San Diego Stealth Startup; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

San Diego Stealth Startup is seeking a People Operations Generalist to own onboarding, support employees day-to-day, and ensure precision in people processes. Youll partner with managers, maintain Rippling records, and drive improvements in a fast-moving startup environment.

The role emphasizes hands-on ownership across HR functions, an empathetic approach, and comfort with onsite work. AI tools usage and strong communication are valued to enhance the employee experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, business, psychology or related field.
• 3+ years in HR Generalist/People Operations with ownership across HR functions.
• Strong executor with action orientation and reliability.
• Empathetic, people-first approach; builds trust at all levels.
• Experience with HRIS/Rippling; quick to learn new systems.
• Familiar with AI tools to improve efficiency and output.
• Process-minded with ability to document and scale improvements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Own onboarding end-to-end for new hires with clear, confident experience.
• Be the first point of contact for employee HR inquiries.
• Maintain HRIS data accuracy in Rippling; run audits.
• Manage training and compliance programs (EasyLlama).
• Partner with employees and managers across the org.
• Identify and drive process improvements; document and standardize.
• Leverage AI tools to draft communications and build templates.
• Champion company culture and employee experience in-office presence.

Education

Bachelor's degree (HR, Business, Psych)

3+ years HR Generalist/People Ops

Strong executor

Empathetic, people-first

AI tool usage

Process-minded

Excellent communication

Tools

Rippling

EasyLlama

Job description

We're looking for a People Operations Generalist who thrives in a fast-moving environment and brings both genuine care and strong execution to everything they do. This role sits at the center of our employee experience — from day one onboarding to day-to-day support — and is critical to keeping our people operations running with precision and consistency.

The right person won't just execute the playbook — they'll help improve it. If you take ownership without being asked, treat every employee interaction with intention, and are motivated by building something people are proud to be part of, we'd love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

• Own onboarding end-to-end — coordinate and run the full onboarding experience for new hires, ensuring every person starts with clarity, confidence, and a genuine sense of belonging from day one.
• Be the first point of contact for employees — field HR inquiries quickly and thoughtfully, whether it's a policy question, a benefits question, or something that just needs a human on the other end.
• Keep our HRIS data clean and current — own data integrity in Rippling; update employee records, run audits, and make sure we can trust what's in the system at all times.
• Manage training & compliance programs — administer and track trainings through EasyLlama, follow up on completions, and ensure we stay current on required programs.
• Partner with employees across the org — build real relationships, earn trust, and act as a credible and empathetic partner to both employees and managers.
• Identify and drive process improvements — spot where our people processes have friction and come with ideas and execution to make them better; document and standardize as we go.
• Leverage AI tools to work smarter — actively use AI to improve how you work: drafting communications, summarizing data, building templates, streamlining repetitive tasks, and surfacing insights faster.
• Champion our culture — show up as a visible, energetic ambassador of who we are; contribute to the moments and programs that make this company a place people are proud to work.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in an HR Generalist, People Operations, or similar role with hands-on ownership across multiple HR functions.
• A strong executor — you take action quickly, follow through reliably, and don't wait to be reminded.
• Naturally empathetic and kind with a genuine people-first approach; employees at all levels trust you and feel safe coming to you.
• Experience working in or administering an HRIS — Rippling experience is a strong plus; ability to learn new systems quickly is a must.
• Comfortable with and curious about AI tools — you actively look for ways to use them to make your work better and faster.
• Process-minded — you notice inefficiencies, you document what you fix, and you're always thinking about how to build something that scales.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills — you can handle a sensitive employee conversation just as well as you can write a clean policy update.
• Comfortable working fully onsite and being a visible, active presence in the office.

Preferred

• Experience in a startup or high-growth environment where you've had to build and adapt on the fly
• Familiarity with Rippling and EasyLlama or similar platforms
• Exposure to HR process design or lightweight project management

What Success Looks Like

Beyond the qualifications, we're looking for someone who takes genuine ownership, shows up for their team with care and consistency, and understands that People Ops directly shapes the culture and experience of every person here. If you're someone others trust to handle things well — and you take that seriously — we'd love to connect.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We thrive on diversity and collaboration.