People Operations Lead — Immigration & Scalable HR

Cognition; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognition is an applied AI lab building end-to-end software agents and is growing fast. We are hiring a Senior People Operations leader to own and scale our HR functions, including onboarding, benefits, compensation, compliance, and immigration.

You will drive data-driven programs and build scalable systems to support a rapidly evolving workforce. You will partner with Payroll, Finance, Legal, IT, Recruiting, and vendors, shaping policies and the employee handbook while maintaining Cognition’s

Qualifications

• 7+ years in people operations or HR at a fast-growing startup or tech company.
• Strong end-to-end People Operations experience, with the ability to own and scale programs across areas such as benefits, immigration, compliance, systems, and employee operations.
• Experience in a fast-growing startup or technology company, with comfort operating in a high-velocity environment where priorities evolve quickly and processes are still being built.
• Strong first-principles thinking and a can-do attitude — you can break down ambiguous problems, challenge existing assumptions, and figure out practical solutions without waiting for a playbook.
• Strong data-driven, analytical, and program management skills, with the ability to use data to inform decisions, manage complex cross-functional initiatives, and drive work from idea through execution.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve our People systems and operational infrastructure, ensuring HR technology, data, workflows, and integrations are accurate, scalable, and effective as Cognition grows.
• Design the systems that make People Operations scalable, including tracking, playbooks, checklists, documentation, and clear ownership so that nothing falls through the cracks.
• Lead benefits operations and administration, partnering with brokers, vendors, payroll, Finance, and employees to deliver a high-quality benefits experience in the US and support our evolving international benefits programs.
• Build and manage our compliance infrastructure, translating employment requirements into practical processes and controls across an increasingly complex, multi-state and international workforce.
• Develop and maintain employee policies and our handbook, balancing compliance requirements with Cognition’s culture and operating philosophy.
• Bring an operational lens to business decisions, surfacing risks, dependencies, and tradeoffs early and helping leaders navigate complex People situations with strong judgment.
• Partner closely with Payroll, Finance, Legal, IT, Recruiting, and external vendors to ensure People programs are executed accurately and seamlessly.
• Use data and operational insights to identify issues and improve programs, building reporting, controls, and processes that allow the team to operate proactively rather than reactively.
• Jump into high-priority People and business projects as needed. We are a lean team operating in a rapidly evolving company, so the scope of this role will continue to expand alongside Cognition.

Skills

People operations

End-to-end programs

Data-driven

First-principles thinking

Program management

Job description

Cognition is an applied AI lab building end-to-end software agents and is growing fast. We are hiring a Senior People Operations leader to own and scale our HR functions, including onboarding, benefits, compensation, compliance, and immigration.

You will drive data-driven programs and build scalable systems to support a rapidly evolving workforce. You will partner with Payroll, Finance, Legal, IT, Recruiting, and vendors, shaping policies and the employee handbook while maintaining Cognition’s