People Operations Generalist — Build & Own HR & Ops

Schemata; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Meaningful equity stake

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) plan

Paid parental leave

High visibility and impact

Job summary

Schemata is building the people and operations function for a small, fast-paced defense tech startup in the DC area. The People Operations Coordinator will own HR admin, payroll processes, benefits, and onboarding across a multi-state workforce.

You will support recruiting, executive operations, and internal events while keeping strict confidentiality and a bias for action. This role offers real ownership in a growing team.

Qualifications

• 2+ years in people operations, HR, office management, operations, or executive support.
• Baseline knowledge of payroll, benefits, onboarding, and compliance.
• Exceptionally detail‑oriented.
• Strong organizational skills and multitasking ability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• High discretion with confidential information.
• Bias toward action and ownership of tasks beyond description.
• Based in the DC metro area with hybrid schedule (3 days in office).

Responsibilities

• Run day-to-day HR administration: onboarding and offboarding, records, PTO, benefits enrollment.
• Administer payroll and benefits through Rippling and Human Interest, answer questions.
• Maintain HR policies and employee handbook, ensure multi-state compliance.
• Coordinate performance reviews, surveys, and other people programs.
• Flag issues to founders early and stay compliant with employment laws.
• Assist managers with hiring: postings, sourcing, interviews, offers.
• Support executive team: calendar, travel, expenses, meeting coordination.
• Plan and run team events across DC and SF offices.
• Manage office logistics, vendors, supplies, facilities; build documentation.

Skills

People operations

HR fundamentals

Detail oriented

Organizational skills

Written communication

Verbal communication

Confidentiality

Ownership

Education

2+ years in related role

Tools

Rippling

Human Interest

Notion

Job description

Schemata is building the people and operations function for a small, fast-paced defense tech startup in the DC area. The People Operations Coordinator will own HR admin, payroll processes, benefits, and onboarding across a multi-state workforce.

You will support recruiting, executive operations, and internal events while keeping strict confidentiality and a bias for action. This role offers real ownership in a growing team.