Founding People Operations Manager

Your IT Recruiter • Washington, DC

10d • Hybrid

About The Position

Schemata is hiring its first dedicated people and operations professional to build the function from the ground up. The role owns the company’s back-of-house operations, initially executing the work directly and later developing the processes, tools, and team to support growth from approximately 15 employees. The position spans people operations and HR, recruiting and talent, office logistics, vendor management, and other operational projects. The hire will establish scalable systems and programs, support employees, and help the founding team focus on other priorities.

The role is based in the Washington, DC metro area and follows a hybrid schedule with two days per week in the office. It reports to the co-founding team (COO).

Requirements

• At least 3 years of experience across people operations, HR, recruiting, operations, or executive support; startup or small-company experience is ideal.
• Working knowledge of HR fundamentals, including payroll, benefits, onboarding, and basic employment compliance, and judgment about when to seek expert help.
• Strong organization and ability to manage multiple workstreams without losing detail.
• Takes initiative, owns outcomes, and can independently solve problems.
• Clear communication skills and maturity handling confidential information.
• Interest in building a function and growing with the company.
• Based in the DC metro area and able to work a hybrid schedule with two days per week in the office.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Rippling, Human Interest, Notion, or comparable HR and operations tools.
• Experience working at a technology startup.
• Exposure to a defense, government contracting, or otherwise regulated environment.
• Full-cycle recruiting experience.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance; U.S. citizenship is required for some of the company’s work.

Responsibilities

• Build and run people operations, including onboarding, offboarding, employee records, PTO, benefits, and related systems such as Rippling and Human Interest 401(k).
• Write and maintain company policies and the employee handbook, and manage compliance for a growing multi-state workforce while keeping current with federal and state requirements.
• Establish people programs, including performance cycles, feedback surveys, and manager support.
• Serve as a trusted first point of contact for employee questions.
• Drive hiring by managing job postings, sourcing support, interview coordination, candidate experience, and the recruiting pipeline.
• Manage offers and background checks and coordinate the transition from recruiting into onboarding.
• Develop a hiring process that can scale with the company.
• Handle office logistics, vendor management, and back-of-house projects.
• Identify operational gaps and build solutions proactively.
• Develop processes, tools, and eventually a team to support the company as it scales.

Benefits

• Meaningful stock options.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, with the company contributing up to $600 per month toward premiums (100% of the cost on most plans).
• 401(k) with a Roth option through Human Interest.
• Paid parental leave.
• 17 to 25 days of PTO, increasing with tenure.
• Opportunity to shape mission-critical operations for military and commercial partners at an early-stage company.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed