Make A Bold Move

People & Operations Manager

Job Description
We're looking for a People & Operations Manager to own our internal people operations and help build the processes and infrastructure needed to support our next stage of growth. This is a fully remote, individual contributor role reporting directly to the CEO.

This is a hands-on, highly visible role spanning HR, recruiting, employee development, compliance, and general business operations. While we partner with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) for payroll and benefits, we need someone internally who can take ownership of these functions, streamline processes, and support our growing team.

We're looking for a proactive, resourceful generalist who thrives in a fast-paced startup environment, enjoys building processes from scratch, and is comfortable wearing multiple hats. You'll work closely with leadership and leverage AI and automation to help us scale efficiently without adding headcount at the same rate.

What You'll Do

People Operations & HR
· Serve as the primary contact for our PEO, coordinating payroll, benefits enrollment, renewals, employee questions, and issue resolution.
· Own employee onboarding and offboarding, including documentation, equipment, and system access.· Maintain employee handbooks, HR policies, records, and compliance processes.
· Support employee engagement and culture initiatives that strengthen the employee experience.

Talent Acquisition & Development
· Coordinate recruiting activities, including job postings, candidate screening, interview scheduling, background checks, and reference checks.
· Own the annual performance review and compensation cycle, including salary benchmarking and coordination with leadership.
· Help develop career paths, employee training, and professional development programs.

Compliance & Business Operations
· Manage people-related SOC 2 compliance requirements, including background checks, security training, policy acknowledgments, access reviews, and audit evidence.
· Coordinate vendor relationships, insurance renewals, and general business operations.· Identify operational gaps, implement scalable processes, and improve internal workflows.
· Leverage AI tools and automation to reduce manual work, increase efficiency, and support sustainable growth; for example, using AI to draft policies and training content, build onboarding and offboarding workflows, and automate SOC 2 audit evidence collection.

What Success Looks Like
First 90 Days
· Take full ownership of the PEO relationship and become the go-to resource for employee HR and benefits questions.
· Launch standardized onboarding and offboarding checklists, with 100% of system access removed within 24 hours of an employee's departure.
· Audit current HR policies, the employee handbook, and personnel records, and deliver a prioritized gap list to leadership.

First 6 Months
· Run OptiFunder's first structured performance review cycle with 100% on-time completion.
· Publish documented career paths for every role, and have a written individual development plan in place for 100% of employees.
· Have all people-related SOC 2 controls (background checks, security training, policy acknowledgments, access reviews) audit-ready with no exceptions.
· Establish baseline metrics for employee engagement, training hours, and voluntary retention.

First 12 Months
· 100% completion of required annual compliance and security training.
· Every employee completes at least 20 hours of role-specific training or professional development per year, tracked and reported quarterly.
· Career development plans reviewed with each employee at least twice per year, with progress against each plan's goals tracked and reported to leadership.
· Measurable improvement in employee engagement scores and voluntary retention against the 6-month baseline.
· At least five recurring HR or operations processes automated or streamlined, with documented time savings.

What We're Looking For
· 5+ years of experience in HR, people operations, or business operations, ideally within a small or growth-stage SaaS, fintech, or technology company.
· Broad HR generalist experience, including benefits administration, employee lifecycle management, HR policies, and compliance.
· Experience working with a PEO or outsourced HR provider.
· Demonstrated ability to independently build, implement, and improve processes in a growing organization.
· Experience supporting recruiting, performance management, compensation reviews, and employee development.
· Familiarity with SOC 2 or similar compliance frameworks is preferred.
· Strong proficiency with AI tools, automation, and modern technology, with a track record of improving operational efficiency. Be prepared to walk us through a process you automated or improved using AI.
· Excellent organizational skills, sound judgment, and the ability to manage competing priorities independently.
· A hands-on, resourceful, and proactive mindset with the ability to thrive in ambiguity and take ownership without extensive direction.
· High integrity and discretion in handling confidential information, including compensation, performance matters, and sensitive employee data, at a company that serves regulated financial institutions.
· Mortgage or financial services experience is a plus but not required. We'll teach you the industry.

What We Offer
· Competitive base salary, commensurate with experience.
· Comprehensive health benefits through our PEO.
· A fully remote, flexible work environment.
· Direct partnership with the CEO and real influence over how the company scales.
· The opportunity to build the people function from the ground up at a market-leading company.
· Support for your own professional development and continued learning.

LOCATION
 Anywhere USA - remote 

Job Type: Full-time 
We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected class status.