Onboarding Coordinator

Cognition•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

Cognition is growing quickly across teams and international offices. Every new hire should feel welcomed, prepared, and ready to contribute from day one. This role requires someone who cares about the employee experience and stays ahead of every detail behind it. The Onboarding Coordinator will own onboarding from offer acceptance through a new hire’s first week. These early days shape how someone feels about joining Cognition, so you’ll bring warmth and care to every interaction while staying ahead of the details. You’ll build the onboarding program and first-week sessions, communicate proactively with new hires, and coordinate background checks, I-9 verification, HR system setup, travel, laptop deliveries, and systems access. You’ll work closely with Recruiting, IT, managers, and office teams, checking in directly with each new hire to make sure they have what they need. As the company grows, you’ll keep improving the checklists and handoffs that make a great first week possible.

Requirements

Proactive coordination skills to juggle many starts, owners, and deadlines without losing track of details.
Ability to anticipate potential issues and follow up proactively.
Strong care for the employee experience, demonstrated through thoughtful communication and reliable execution.
Ability to manage background checks, I-9 verification, employee records, and HR system setup accurately and on time.
Experience handling sensitive information with care.
Ability to keep Recruiting, IT, managers, office teams, and immigration partners aligned.
Skill in making ownership clear and following through until an issue is resolved.
Ability to spot recurring gaps in processes and fix them.
Low ego and high ownership mentality.
Willingness to improve workflows and assist with logistical issues like finding delayed laptops or helping with account access.

Responsibilities

Own onboarding from offer acceptance through a new hire’s first week.
Build the onboarding program and first-week sessions.
Communicate proactively with new hires.
Coordinate background checks, I-9 verification, HR system setup, travel, laptop deliveries, and systems access.
Work closely with Recruiting, IT, managers, and office teams.
Check in directly with each new hire to make sure they have what they need.
Improve checklists and handoffs to ensure a great first week.
Provide executive hires with a white-glove and personal onboarding experience.
Identify immigration and visa needs early, route them to the right people, and track them.
Ensure Recruiting, IT, managers, and office teams know their responsibilities.
Spot delays, follow up proactively, and resolve issues before they affect a new hire’s start.
Keep trackers, checklists, and communications current as hiring grows.